| Description | Collection of 'general correspondence' on folk song and related topics addressed to James Bruce Duncan (unless otherwise stated); accompanied by shorthand drafts of some replies and by enclosures giving words or music of songs or concerning folksong; the letters and papers are listed as originally arranged in alphabetical order according to the name of the correspondent.
MSS 998/16/1-5: Five letters concerning: folksong; interviews with Isaac Troup, farmer, East Cranloch, Ythan Wells; collection of bothy ballads by W. McCrombie Smith; R. Ford 'Vagabond Ballads' (1904); source of song 'Gin I were where Gadie rins'; see also MS 998/7/3/1.
MSS 998/16/7-17: Letters by P.J. Anderson, Librarian, Aberdeen University, mainly in his capacity as secretary of New Spalding Club, and other papers.
MSS 998/16/21-46: Correspondence with Miss Lucy Broadwood, 84 Carlisle Mansions, Victoria Street, London, SW, sometime Hon. Secretary, Folk Song Society.
MSS 998/16/47-50: Letters and papers from J. Cruickshank, Westwood, Bucksburn, Aberdeenshire.
MSS 998/16/60-71: Collection of letters by Ernest P. Duncan (1886 - 1925, M.B. Ch.B. 1911), c/o Mrs Edmond, 22 Broomhill Road, Aberdeen, to his father, James Bruce Duncan. All these letters were written while Ernest P. Duncan was a medical student at Aberdeen University and concern personal affairs, weather, current topics, etc.; there is no mention of folk song topics therein.
MSS 998/16/72-79: Collection of letters by George F. Duncan, Glasgow, to his brother, James Bruce Duncan; many are written in shorthand and have not been deciphered in detail; for other correspondence between them on folk song topics and material enclosed herewith see MSS 998/8/3/68 and 998/7/4/1-52.
MSS 998/16/82-88: Letters by J.A. Fuller Maitland, 39 Phillimore Gardens, Kensington, London, W., with drafts in shorthand of replies by James Bruce Duncan; for copies of lectures referred to see MSS 998/9/1/1-3.
MSS 998/16/94-100: Letters from Mrs Margaret Gillespie, 7 Shaftesbury Terrace, West Regent Street, Glasgow, to her brother, James Bruce Duncan.
MSS 998/16/101-114: Letters and folk song versions from Mrs M. Harper, Schoolhouse, Cluny; the letters concern folk songs and ballads as rememeberd from the singing or recitation of her family; for other contributions by her see MSS 998/7/1/1-42.
MSS 998/16/122-134: Collection of letters from Mrs A. Lyall, Lyne of Skene, Dunecht (Abd.), regarding folk song contributions.
MSS 998/16/135-147: Correspondence from A. Macdonald, Crossroads Public School, Durris, to James Bruce Duncan. For other correspondence and details of collections of children's play songs contributed by Macdonald, see MSS 998/2/13, 998/7/3/12-14, and 998/7/5/1-10.
MSS 998/16/154-163: Collection of letters to James Bruce Duncan, from Stewart Milne, Longside of Blair, by Whiterashes (Abd.), and from Mar 1911, Mount Pleasant, Port Elphinstone, Inverurie. All these letters are written in shorthand and have not been fully deciphered; they appear initially to concern folk songs known to or dictated to Milne for James Bruce Duncan, but they later range incoherently over many topics.
MSS 998/16/165-174: Collection of correspondence by Robert Murdoch Lawrence, Aberdeen, with James Bruce Duncan and others; mainly concerns origin of song 'Emigrant's Farewell'; for other material on this subject see MSS 998/7/3/19-28; Lawrence occasionally contributed articles to local periodicals as 'Robert Murdoch'.
MSS 998/16/190-193: Correspondence from Cecil J. Sharp respecting application for pension on behalf of Mrs Greig and on folk song publication by New Spalding Club.
MSS 998/16/198-218: Collection of letters from William Walker. These discuss arrangements for use by James Bruce Duncan of books and MSS of Gavin Greig and copying material to be included in volume for the New Spalding Club. They also Include comment on James Bruce Duncan's criticism of proofs of William Walker's book 'Peter Buchan', etc.; for complementary correspondence between James Bruce Duncan and William Walker see MSS 2732/27/1-30.
MSS 998/16/220-223: Correspondence with Lady [A. L.] Wilson regarding meaning of terms 'high' and 'low' in music; see also MSS 998/16/230-231. |