David Young, writing master in Edinburgh, and subsequently master of the grammar school in Haddington, is known to have made two other later compilations of Scottish tunes: the Young manuscript, [circa 1740], in the Bodleian Library (MS.Don.d.54), and the MacFarlane manuscripts, 1743, in the National Library of Scotland (MSS.2084-2085).
The volume is remarkable for the quantity of material it contains (48 country dances, and 45 reels), for the descriptions of how the country dances should be performed, and for the clarity and accuracy of the musical hand. Young's interest in pipe music can be seen in the settings of the variations for the reels.