MARQUIS OF HUNTL(E)Y('S STRATHSPEY) [1]. AKA - "Marquis of Huntley's Reel." Scottish, Strathspey. G Minor (Athole, Cole, Gow/Repository, Kerr, Marshall, Skye): G Dorian (Gow): A Minor (Gatherer, Johnson). Standard. AB (Cole, Hardie, Johnson, Marshall {1822}): AAB (Athole, Glen, Gow, Kerr, Marshall {1781} & Skye): AABB (Gatherer). Composed by William Marshall (1748-1823), and one of the first tunes he was supposed to have written. Years later Robert Burns noted that he had been "told by somebody who had it of Marshall himself, that he took the idea of his three most celebrated pieces, 'The Marquis of Huntley's Reel,' 'His Farewell' and 'Miss Admiral Gordon's Reel' from the old air 'The German Lairdie'" (Emmerson, 1971). The title Marquis (sometimes appearing as Marquess) of Huntly was the secondary title of the Dukes of Gordon and was normally given to an eldest son, and although the Gordons were a Scottish clan Huntly itself is in England. The particular Marquis of Huntly referred to by Marshall was George, heir to the Dukedom of his father Alexander who was Marshall's employer and patron (for whom he was Steward of the Household). George ascended to the title in 1827 and remained until 1836, and when he died childless the Dukedom ended, while the Marquessate and Earldom of Huntly "devolved" upon a relative, then the 5th Earl of Aboyne (Charles Gore). Marshall worked for him for 30 years as a land steward, and in his spare time became conversant with mathematics, astronomy, clocks, mechanics and optics, as well as composing 300 tunes. The Rev. John Skinner wrote a famous song to this air, which begins: "Tune your fiddles, tune them sweetly...". "The Marquis of Huntly" has been compared to Niel Gow's "Miss Margaret Graham of Inchbrakie," which was published in Gow's First Collection, 2nd edition, 1801, however, Marshall's tune was first published his in his own First Collection, 1781. The second section of Gow's piece is similar but not identical. Paul Stewart Cranford (1995) remarks that some of Marshall's tunes have been in oral tradition so long in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, that local sets have evolved; this is one such piece. Source for notated version: Winston Fitzgerald (1914-1987, Cape Breton) [Cranford]. Alburger (Scottish Fiddlers and Their Music), 1983; Ex. 53, pg. 80 (appears as "Marquis of Huntly's Reel, a Strathspey"). Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 132. Cole (1001 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 127. Cranford (Winston Fitzgerald), 1997; No. 161, pg. 64. Gatherer (Gatherer's Musical Museum), 1987; pg. 59. Glen (The Glen Collection of Scottish Dance Music), Vol. 1, 1891; pg. 19. Gow (Complete Repository), Part 1, 1799; pg. 9. Hardie (Caledonian Companion), 1992; pg. 86. Johnson (The Kitchen Musician's No. 10: Airs & Melodies of Scotland's Past), Vol. 10, 1992; pg. 12. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 1; Set 21, No. 5, pg. 13. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 123. Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; 1781 Collection, pg. 6 (appears as "The Marquis of Huntly's Reel) and the 1822 Collection, pg. 11. McGlashan (A Collection of Reels), c. 1786; pg. 17. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 189. Culburnie CUL 113D, Alasdair Fraser & Tony MacManus - "Return to Kintail" (1999). Green Linnet Records SIF 1058, Matt Molloy & Sean Keane - "Contentment is Wealth" (1985). Green Linnet SIF-1101, Seane Keane - "Playing with Fire: the Celtic Fiddle Collection" (1989). Philo 2001, "Jean Carignan" (learned from a recording by Cape Breton fiddler Angus Chisholm). Rounder SS-0145, Carl MacKenzie - "Traditional Music on Rounder: A Sampler" (1981. Appears as 2nd strathspey of "Dan R. MacDonald Medley").
T:Marquis of Huntly
L:1/8
M:C
R:Strathspey
B:The Athole Collection
K:G Minor
F|D<G G>F D<G G>A|F>GA>B c/B/A/G/ F<A|D<G G>F D<G G>g|
f>c e/d/B/A/ G2G:|
d|g>ab>g d>gb>g|a/g/f/d/ ~c>d f>c a<f|g>ab>g d>gb>g|b/a/g/f/ d>^f g/g/g ~g2|
g>ab>g a>^fg>d|f>c d<f A>Fc>A|D<G G>F D>GG<g|f>c d/c/B/A/ G2G||
MISS MARGARET GORDON OF LESSMORE. Scottish, Reel. G Major. Standard. AAB. Composed by John MacGlashan. Glen (The Glen Collection of Scottish Dance Music), Vol. 2, 1895; pg. 16.
T:Miss Margaret Gordon of Lessmore
L:1/8
M:C|
S:Glen Collection
K:G
c|BG B/c/d cBAG|FDAG FDDc|BG B/c/d gfed|e/f/g df gGG:|
g|bgba gfed|edgB cAAc|dbba gfed|e/f/g f/g/a bgga|bgba gfed|
edgB cAAc|B/c/d Ac BGDB, CEDF G2 [B,G]||
MISS ADMIRAL GORDON'S REEL/STRATHSPEY. AKA and see "Glasgow Flourish," "Of a' the airts the wind can blaw." Scottish, Slow Strathspey ("Slow when not danced"). A Major. Standard. AB (most versions): ABCD (McGlashan). One of the first composed and most famous tunes (c. 1775) by Scots fiddler William Marshall (1748-1833) in honor of Margaret Gordon, daughter and only surviving child of Admiral William Gordon (d. 1769), Carmelite House, Banff; four other children died before adulthood. Margaret survived to marry Mr. Forbes-Seton of Aberdeen, and their daughter married Lord James Hay. Moyra Cowie (1999) points out that Banff was a social hub for the well-to-do of North East Scotland in the 18th century, many of whom retained town-houses there and who spent the season socializing. Cowie believes Marshall would have met many through his position as the 4th Duke of Gordon's Steward of the Household. The Admiral's Carmelite house, which he built, survives today and has been converted into a small hotel.
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"Miss Admiral Gordon" was first published in Marshall's Strathspey Reels (1781, pg. 3). As was not uncommon, it was republished afterwards by Joshua Campbell, although unattributed and renamed "Glasgow Flourish" after that city's motto (Alburger, 1983). Niel Gow wrote a tune called "Major Graham (of Inchbrakie)," which has a similar motif, and there have been accusations by some (e.g. John Glen) of plagerism; it appears derivative in any case (as is the Gows' "Sir John Whitefoord's Strathspey," both published in their 1784 First Collection). Its popularity is due in part to the fact that Robert Burns wrote one of his best songs to it which begins: "Of a' the airts the wind can blaw." Burns' manuscript notes for the Scots Musical Museum contain the following -- "I have been told by somebody who had it from Marshall himself, that he took the idea of his three most celebrated pieces, 'The Marquis of Huntley's Reel,' 'His Farewell,' and 'Miss Admiral Gordon's Reel' from the old air, 'The German Lairdie'" (Emmerson, 1971). William Stenhouse maintains that Marshall fashioned the tune from the old melody of "The Lowlands of Holland" (by adding a second part), but John Glen (1891 & 1895) disputes this, saying that Stenhouse was in error and that "The Lowlands of Holland," especially as published by James Oswald in the Caledonian Pocket Companion, bears no resemblance. Nor does Glen credit Johnson (Scots Musical Museum) or Urbani (2nd Volume, 1794) who also published "The Lowlands of Holland" with originating "Miss Adimiral" for they were both published after Marshall published his tune. Burns wrote his lyric in honor of his bride-to-be, Jean Armour, while he was at Ellisland awaiting her arrival from Mauchline in Ayrshire, where he had first met her.
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O a' the airts the wind can blaw,
I dearly lo'e the west
For there the bonnie lassie lives,
The lass that I lo'e best.
Tho' wild woods grow an' rivers tow,
Wi' mony a hill between,
Baith day and nicht, my fancy's flicht,
Is ever wi' my Jean.
***
The melody has been used for other songs, including a Canadian folksong, "The Scarborough Settlers' Lament" and a Scottish song "The Scottish Settlers' Lament" (see Stan Rogers' album "For the Family" and the Tannahill Weavers' album "Land of Light,", respectively.
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Source for notated version: Marshall's Strathspey Reels, 1781; pg. 3 [Johnson]. Alburger (Scottish Fiddlers and Their Music), 1983; Ex. 64, pgs. 104-105. Emmerson (Rantin' Pipe and Tremblin' String), 1971; No. 61, pg. 150. Gow (Complete Repository), Part 1, 1799; pg. 5. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 147. Johnson (Scottish Fiddle Music in the 18th Century), 1984; No. 80, pg. 227. Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; 1781 Collection, pg. 3. Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; 1822 Collection, pg. 16. McGlashan (A Collection of Reels), c. 1786; pg. 4. Neil (The Scots Fiddle), 1991; No. 62, pg. 86.
T:Miss Admiral Gordon's Reel
L:1/8
M:C|
S:McGlashan - Reels
K:A
E|A/A/A A<A A>E A<f|e<c B>A F2 F2|A/A/A A<A A>E A<f|
e>f a<c (e2 e>)f|e>f a<c e<cB<A|Bc d/c/B/A/ F2 F2|A/A/A A<A AE A<f|
e<c B>c A2 A||E|C>E A<E F<EA<E|c>e d/c/B/A/ F2 FE|C>E A<E F<EA<E|
c>d e/f/g/a/ (e2 e>)g|a>g f<e f<e d<c|B>c d/c/B/A/ F2 F2|A/A/A A<A A>E A<f|
e<c B>c A2 A||E|A/A/A A/A/A A<E A<f|f/e/d/c/ d/c/B/A/ F2 F2|
A/A/A A/A/A AE A<f|e>f a<c e2 e>f|e>fa>b e<cB<A|B/A/B/c/ d/c/B/A/ F2F2|
A/A/A A/A/A A<E A<f|e<c B>c A2A||E|C/E/D/E/ A/E/D/E/ F/E/D/E/ A/E/D/E/|
c/B/c/e/ d/c/B/A/ F2 F>E|C/E/D/E/ A/E/D/E/ F/E/D/E/ A/E/D/E/|
c/B/c/d/ e/f/g/a/ e2 df/g/|a<gf<e fed<c|B>c d/c/B/A/ F2F2|A/A/A A/A/A A>E A<f|
e<cBc A2 AE|C/E/D/E/ A/E/D/E/ F/E/D/E/ A/E/D/E/|c/B/c/e/ d/c/B/A/ F2 FE|
C/E/D/E/ A/E/D/E/ F/E/D/E/ A/E/D/E/|c/B/c/d/ e/f/g/a/ e2 e>g|
(3agf (3gfe (3fed (3edc|(3dcB (3cBA F2 F2|A/A/A A<A AE a<f|e<cB<c A2A2||