strathspey

folk dance
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://mainten.top/art/strathspey
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Key People:
Niel Gow
Related Topics:
dance
country dance

strathspey, slow Scottish dance for four or five couples, a variety of country dance. Its music, in 4/4 time, is characterized by frequent use of the “Scotch snap,” a short-long rhythmic figure that is equivalent to a 16th note followed by a dotted 8th note. The dance apparently originated about 1700 in the valley (Scottish strath) of the River Spey in Scotland. Strathspey was originally synonymous with reel, but since the 18th century strathspey has referred to a slower dance than the reel.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Virginia Gorlinski.