A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Dauney, William
DAUNEY, WILLIAM, son of William Dauney of Falmouth, Jamaica, was born at Aberdeen in the year 1800. He commenced his education at Dulwich, and completed it at the University of Edinburgh. On June 13, 1823, he was called to the Scottish bar. He found in the Advocates' Library at Edinburgh a MS. collection of music, written between 1614 and 1620 and known as the Skene Manuscript. It consists of 114 English and Scottish ballad, song, and dance tunes, written in tableture. This manuscript Dauney deciphered and published in 1838 in a 4to vol. under the title of 'Ancient Scottish Melodies from a manuscript of the reign of James VI.' He accompanied it with a long and ably written 'Dissertation illustrative of the history of the music of Scotland,' and some interesting documents. The work is valuable as showing the (probably) earliest versions of such tunes as 'The flowers of the forest,' 'John Anderson my jo,' 'Adieu, Dundee,' etc. Shortly after 1838 Dauney quitted Scotland for Demerara, where he became Solicitor General for British Guiana. He died at Demerara, July 28, 1843.
[ W. H. H. ]