GOW, NIEL (17 2 7-1807 ), Scottish musician of humble parentage, famous as a violinist and player of reels, but more so for the part he played in preserving the old melodies of Scotland. His compositions, and those of his four sons, Nathaniel, the most famous (I 763-1831), William (1751–I 791), Andrew (176o 1803), and John (1764-1826), formed the "Gow Collection," comprising various volumes edited by Niel and his sons, a valuable repository of Scottish traditional airs. The "Gow Collection" in cludes A Collection of Strathspey Reels (Dunkeld, 1784) ; Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Collections (1788, 1792, 1800, 1809, 1822).