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Gavin Greig

1856 – 1914

British folk song collector

Musicologist Music historian
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About Gavin Greig

Lived 1856 – 1914 (aged 58). Gavin Greig was a musicologist and music historian.

Gavin Greig (1856–1914) was a Scottish folksong collector, playwright, novelist and teacher.

He edited James Scott Skinner's biggest collection of music, The Harp and Claymore Collection, providing harmonies for Skinner's compositions, and he was jointly responsible for compiling The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection, with the Rev J.B. Duncan (1848–1917). A selection from this collection of over 3,000 songs and tunes was published in 1925. Two volumes were published in 1981–1982, but the full collection, in eight volumes, was only finally published between 1981 and 2002.

He was also the author of the Doric Scots play Mains Wooin''', which was very popular in the North East of Scotland before World War II. His novels include Morrison Gray: or, Life in a Buchan Schoolhouse serialised in the Peterhead Sentinel between May 1896 and January 1897, The Hermit o' Gight serialised in the Buchan Observer between 1898 and 1899. and the historical romance Logie o' Buchan published in Aberdeen in 1899.

Greig was related to Robert Burns on his mother's side and to Edvard Grieg on his father's side.

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Important facts

Birth century
Education
University of Aberdeen

People in Gavin Greig's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Gavin Greig's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Gavin Greig?

British folk song collector (1856-1914)

When was Gavin Greig born?

Gavin Greig was born on 10 February 1856.

When did Gavin Greig die?

Gavin Greig died on 31 August 1914.

What was Gavin Greig's occupation?

Gavin Greig was a musicologist and music historian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Gavin Greig

· Wikidata: Q5528160

· DBpedia: Gavin Greig

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gavin Greig. https://biography.guide/gavin-greig/

MLA: "Gavin Greig." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gavin-greig/.

Chicago: "Gavin Greig." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gavin-greig/.

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