Annotation:Mr. Duff's Favourite Minuet
X:1 T:Mr. Duff’s Favourite Minuet C:Sir William Parsons M:3/4 L:1/8 R:Minuet B:Archibald Duff – A Choice Selection of Minuets, Favourite Airs, Hornpipes, Waltzs &c. B:Book First (Edinburgh, c. 1812, p. 5) B: https://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/archive/105810922 N:Archibald Duff (c. 1770-c. 1840?) was a musician (along with his brother Charles) and dancing N:master, of Montrose and Aberdeen, and is recorded as being a Professor of Music residing at N:Clayills Cottage, Aberdeen in 1837. N:The volume is dedicated to Lady Mary Ramsay of Balmain Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:Eb E3-E/E/ TE>D/2E/4|F3- F/F/ TF>E/2F/4|G>A B2c2|F>EF>G F2|E3-E/E/ E>D/2E/4| B3- B/B/ TB>=A/2B/4|(cd/e/) (dc)(B=A)|B2 (Bd) B2::G>A B2c2|(F>G) A2B2| E3F G>A|G3A F2|EG Be cA|(GE)(GB) {d}e2|(AB/c/) (BA)(GF)|E2 (EG) E2:|
MR. DUFF'S FAVOURITE MINUET. Scottish(?), Minuet (3/4 time). E Flat Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Sir William Parson received composer credits for "Mr. Duff's Favourite Minuet" in biography:Archibald Duff's Choice Selection of Minuets, Favourite Airs, Hornpipes, Waltzs &c. (c. 1812). He may have been English musician and composer wikipedia:William_Parsons_(composer_and_musician) (c. 1745-1817), who was Master of the King's Musick under George III between 1786 and 1817, and who was knighted by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1795, thus becoming the first British musician honoured with a knighthood. His career was advanced through his tutoring the king's family and his contacts (he was a friend of several members of the royal family and composers such as Joseph Haydn), rather through his talent either as a musician or as a composer, and few of his works survive.
If this is indeed the person referred to in the title, the connection he might have had with a dancing master and musician from northeast Scotland is unknown.
