Burk Thumoth, fl 1745-1746

Burk Thumoth (fl 1745 - 1746) Burk Thumoth is best known for his collections of Twelve Scotch, and twelve Irish Airs with Variations: Set for the German Flute Violin or Harpsichord (London: Printed for John Simpson, [1745]), and Twelve English and twelve Irish Airs with Variations: Set for the German Flute, Violin or Harpsichord. Book the second (London: Printed for J. Simpson ... ?1746), later published together, as Forty Eight English, Irish and Scotch Airs with Variations, set for the German Flute, Violin, or Harpsichord (London: Printed for S. A. and P. Thompson, [?1785]). He also compiled Six Solos for a German Flute, Violin or Harpsichord ... The Three last by Sig. Canaby (London: J. Tyther, [1746]).

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 Forty-eight airs - Scots, Irish, and English - with instrumental variations on them, [1742 - 1745], 1951 (transcript of 18th century printed music score), (University of Aberdeen)