William MarshallLADY ALEXANDER RUSSELL. Scottish, Reel. F Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB'. Composed by wikipedia:William_Marshall_(Scottish_composer) (1748-1833). Lady Alexander, Anne Holmes, was the wife of Lord Alexander Russell, reputedly the son of Lady Georgianna Gordon, second Duchess of the sixth Duke of Bedford, and her lover Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873), a famous artist (and twenty years her junior). Georgiana was a daughter of the Duke of Gordon, and was a large and exuberant character, doted on by her husband who was quite a bit older than her. She was deeply resented by the children of Bedford's first marriage. However, Lord Alexander Russell and Anne Holmes did not marry until 1844, a decade after Marshall's death, so the tune may have been titled by an editor or may refer to someone else.
Fiddler-composer William Marshall was employed as Steward of the Household of the 4th Duke of Gordon, Georgianna's father, and he was intimately connected with all members of the family. Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; 1845 Collection, p. 3.
