Annotation:Duchess of Gordon's Reel (6)

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 DUCHESS OF GORDON'S REEL [6]. Scottish, Strathspey. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Not the same tune as "Duchess of Gordon [2]." This strathspey was composed by William Marshall (1748-1833) in honor of the wife of his employer, the Duke of Gordon, for whom Marshall worked as Steward of the Household. The Duchess, born Jane Maxwell (1748-1812), was known as the 'Flower of Galloway' for her beauty and wit when she married Duke Alexander Gordon in 1767. A supporter of William Pitt the Younger, Jane often played hostess for him both in London and Scotland. Marshall, it is said, also admired Pitt (Cowie, The Life and Times of William Marshall, 1999).  Source for notated version:  Printed sources: Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; 1781 Collection, p. 11.  Recorded sources:

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