Annotation:Duchess of Hamilton's Strathspey (The)
X:1 T:Duchess of Hamilton’s Strathspey, The M:C L:1/16 R:Strathspey C:John Bowie B:Davie’s Caledonian Repository (Aberdeen, 1829-30, p. 17) Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:G c2|BG3G3A F3GAc3|BG3G3D B,3DG,3c|BG3G3A F3GA3c|B3d ABcA BG3 G2:| d2|g3d BcdB gd3d3e|g3d (gab2) ae3e3f|g3d BcdB g3de3B|ca3A3c B3GG3d| g3d BcdB gd3d3e|g3d (gab2) ae3e3f|gb3d3B cA3c3A|B3g ABcA BG3 G2||
DUCHESS OF HAMILTON'S STRATHSPEY, THE. AKA and see "Duchess of Hamilton." Scottish, Strathspey. G Major (Davie, Gow, Skye, Surenne): G Mixolydian (Athole). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Surenne): AAB (Athole, Davie, Gow, Skye): AABB' (Kerr). Composed by John Bowie. The melody in most collections begins in the mixolydian for the first strain, moving to major for the second. John Glen (1891) finds tunes with this title in Daniel Dow's c. 1775 collection (p. 11), Riddell's collection (p. 9), and Angus Cumming's 1780 collection (p. 3). This latter tune is also known as "Ruffian's Rant"). The Duchess of Hamilton and Argyll during Dow's time was the celebrated Elizabeth Gunning (1734-1790). See also the note for "Miss Gunning's Reel" for more on the Duchess. Samuel Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle, March to the Fife, 1981) recognizes a general resemblance between this tune and the Pennsylvania-collected "Hazel Dean" if the latter's notes are halved in value.
