Robert Bremner, 1713-1789

Robert Bremner (1713 - 1789) Robert Bremner ran a successful music publishing business in Edinburgh, c 1754 - 1762, and London, 1762 - 1891, which was taken over by Preston and Son after his death. He gained repute for his Instructions for the Guitar: With a collection of airs, songs, and duets, fitted for that instrument / by Robert Bremner (Edinburgh: Robert Bremner, 1759), one of the earliest serious tutors written and published for the guitar. Other works include The rudiments of music : A short and easy treatise on that subject, 8 vols. (Edinburgh : Bremner, 1756) and reprints of the fiddle music of William McGibbon. He also supplied music for the Edinburgh Musical Society and in 1761 published the Six Overtures op.1 of Lord Kelly.

John Murdoch Henderson (1902 - 1972) John Murdoch Henderson, son of Charles Henderson, farmer, and Mary Jane Murdoch, was born in New Deer on 31 March 1902, and graduated from the University of Aberdeen, MA 1926. He taught for several years in the south of Scotland, before returning to Aberdeen where he taught science and mathematics at Frederick Street, and latterly, Ruthrieston School. A gifted composer, and an authority on Scottish fiddle music, he wrote The Flowers of Scottish Melody: A First Companion to the Scottish Violinist and Pianist (Glasgow: Bayley & Ferguson, 1935), and arranged J. Scott Skinner's The Scottish Music Maker Skinner: a choice selection of strathspeys, Scots reels, schottisches, double jigs, waltz tunes, song airs, pastorals, marches, quicksteps, hornpipes ... arranged for the violin (Glasgow: Bayley & Ferguson, 1957). He was also a prolific collector of music for the fiddle and pipes, and during his life made several significant manuscript deposits to the University of Aberdeen.

His printed music collection was bequeathed to the National Library of Scotland in 1975/6, and duplicates from this collection transferred to Aberdeen University, where they form the University's John Murdoch Henderson Collection. A further collection of his papers was deposited more recently in the North East Folklore Archive, Aden Country Park, Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, by his family. See Related Units of Description for further details.

From the guide to the Instructions for the guitar and collection of compositions arranged for guitar, 1759, 1952 (transcript of 18th century printed music score), (University of Aberdeen)