Fiddle Composers of the Eastern Highlands
by Charlie Gore
Not many people would now be able to recall many details of the life story of Alexander, 4th Duke of Gordon (1743-1827). Unlike most of the great nobles and landowners of his day, he was devoted to his own country and was even said to have been a passable fiddler and composer. He married Jane Maxwell, the ‘Flower of Galloway’, known also as ‘The Dancing Duchess’ who could make even the dull society folk of London lift their feet in a reel; but the silly man cast her off. Whatever else he achieved in his 80 years it was nothing in comparison with his steward, William Marshall (1748-1831), born to poor parents in Fochabers; fiddler, composer, astronomer, clockmaker extraordinary, whose life and work is well remembered to this day. Scotland hasn’t yet achieved a full reprint of this unusual composer’s published work, but some at least of his lovely strathspeys, reels jigs and slow tunes are not entirely neglected. Almost every tune Marshall wrote is still playable. As a native of Moray, he can claim to be a ‘Highland’ fiddler of sorts, although his work is not ‘Gaelic’ in any true sense. It was published in Edinburgh and is much closer in style to the other collections of dance music being published in central Scotland at the time, by such as Nathaniel Gow and a host of his contemporaries. During that era, the Reverend Patrick MacDonald’s ‘Highland Vocal Airs’ were published (also in Edinburgh, in 1784) as a deliberate attempt to ‘rescue’ Gaelic music, until then a strictly oral tradition. He succeeded well with that work and Captain Simon Fraser, a native of Inverness-shire, added his ‘Airs Peculiar to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland’, a curious hybrid work of traditional material and contemporary compositions, much of it his own. The Gaelic titles that run through it often conflict with their English equivalents. It was first published in 1816 and re-published by his son in 1874 and would benefit from more analysis and comment by Gaelic scholars. Jane Fraser Morison, of Kintail Manse, produced two interesting little collections of music with a Gaelic character in 1882, printed by Logan and Co, Inverness.
The half dozen or so other fiddler-composers who lived and flourished in the North-East in Marshall’s time, or later, are either quite forgotten or only vaguely remembered. Their printed collections, which are the main reason we remember them at all, spring from that same national passion for dance music that inspired the Gows, Marshall and all those fiddlers of Central Scotland and the Borders. Each collection is well worth individual attention and carried its own specialties. Most have local interest.
William CHRISTIE (1778-1849)
A dancing-master and fiddler-composer of Cuminestown near Turriff in Aberdeenshire, who published a collection of tunes in 1820 with many of his own compositions. One of his sons, also William, was a celebrated song collector (Traditional Ballad Airs in 2 Vols, 1876 & 1881) who also became Episcopal Dean of the Diocese of Moray.
Isaac COOPER
Fiddler-Composer and dancing master, Banff. His best known publication (1783) was ‘Thirty New Strathspey Reels for the Violin or Harpsichord’ (Banff & Edinburgh) and there was another that appeared around 1807.
Angus CUMMING
‘A Collection of Strathspey ot Old Highland Reels by Angus Cumming at Grantown in Strathspey, 1780’ (Published Edinburgh). Little else is known about Cumming except, as he makes clear in the book, he followed “the profession of his forefathers, who have been for many generations musicians in Strathspey”. Many other publishers have used the expression ‘Strathspey Reel’, but the Cummings may have felt justified in claiming that this dynasty refined the dotted rhythm and gave it its identity.
Charles GRANT (1806-1892)
For 30 years a schoolmaster in Aberlour, Speyside, where he was much admired for his music. Published after his death and printed privately, the collection of his tunes was quietly dipped into by the researchers of RSCDS and then forgotten with the exception of the 6/8s The Braes of Elchies, Miss Jeannie S. Grant’s Favourite (used as the original tune for the dance ‘Two and Two’, RSCDS Book 19) and Mrs Jamieson’s Favourite. There’s a lot more to the collection than these!
Donald GRANT
Fiddler-composer and dancing-master, born Elgin c1760 (he may have died there late in the 1830s) leaving “A Collection of Airs, Strathspeys etc…..” many of his own composition. Every page of the edition I have seen (probably the 1820 reprint) is marked ‘Grant’s 1st Collection’. Was there a second? I have certainly never set eyes on it.
Charles MIDDLETON (1837-99)
Was a native of Woodside, Aberdeen who moved to Keith as a spinner and eventually became quite a successful music publisher, luckily coinciding with the beginning of Scott Skinner’s prolific publishing career (Bayley and Ferguson came on the scene later and took most of the credit!) He was also responsible for saving most of the Tarland Fiddler, Peter Milne’s incomparable music from otherwise almost certain loss. At 60, he settled in Hamilton but died two years later.
John MORISON (1772-1848)
Lived at Rose Street, Peterhead and held “an appointment (organist) at St Peter’s Episcopal Chapel” around 1806/7. He published two collections, much of it his own music, the first “A Collection of New Strathspey Reels, With a few Favourite Marches” (Peterhead 1797), then a second in 1815 (two pages are engraved, the rest are in ms). His death notice reads: “John Morison, Fidler, 76, August 30th 1848”.
William MORRISON
Published “A Collection of Highland Music consisting of Strathspeys, Reels, Marches, Waltzes. Slow Airs….original and selected….by William Morrison…..J. Young & Co….Inverness…..(1812)” It had 81 tune titles, about half of which were his own compositions, half either old or by other composers of the time. Some good stuff.
James TAYLOR
Fiddler, composer, teacher of music, Fochabers. Published two small volumes of Strathspeys and Reels, one printed locally (c1835), the other in Edinburgh (c1845), about 20 of his own compositions, the rest by various others.
Alexander WALKER
Was born in Forfar (1837) and was a pupil of the great Angus fiddler, James Allan. He was a gifted performer himself and in 1866 published a collection of no less than 196 tunes of his own strathspeys, reels, marches, jigs, hornpipes, quicksteps and slow airs. He was gardener at Castle Newe, Aberdeenshire and dedicated his book to the owner, Sir Charles Forbes. He emigrated to the USA and lived there for some years.
The Misses WHITE
May have been a Miss White and a Miss Brocky, dwellers in Moray, who evidently knew the music and were talented composers. Nathanial Gow published this work ”A Collection of entirely original Strathspeys, Reels….by Ladies resident in a remote part of the Highlands….NB: Corrected by Nath. Gow” Edinburgh 1798.
All these collections are to be found in the National Library of Scotland.
Box and Fiddle
June 2002
The half dozen or so other fiddler-composers who lived and flourished in the North-East in Marshall’s time, or later, are either quite forgotten or only vaguely remembered. Their printed collections, which are the main reason we remember them at all, spring from that same national passion for dance music that inspired the Gows, Marshall and all those fiddlers of Central Scotland and the Borders. Each collection is well worth individual attention and carried its own specialties. Most have local interest.
William CHRISTIE (1778-1849)
A dancing-master and fiddler-composer of Cuminestown near Turriff in Aberdeenshire, who published a collection of tunes in 1820 with many of his own compositions. One of his sons, also William, was a celebrated song collector (Traditional Ballad Airs in 2 Vols, 1876 & 1881) who also became Episcopal Dean of the Diocese of Moray.
Isaac COOPER
Fiddler-Composer and dancing master, Banff. His best known publication (1783) was ‘Thirty New Strathspey Reels for the Violin or Harpsichord’ (Banff & Edinburgh) and there was another that appeared around 1807.
Angus CUMMING
‘A Collection of Strathspey ot Old Highland Reels by Angus Cumming at Grantown in Strathspey, 1780’ (Published Edinburgh). Little else is known about Cumming except, as he makes clear in the book, he followed “the profession of his forefathers, who have been for many generations musicians in Strathspey”. Many other publishers have used the expression ‘Strathspey Reel’, but the Cummings may have felt justified in claiming that this dynasty refined the dotted rhythm and gave it its identity.
Charles GRANT (1806-1892)
For 30 years a schoolmaster in Aberlour, Speyside, where he was much admired for his music. Published after his death and printed privately, the collection of his tunes was quietly dipped into by the researchers of RSCDS and then forgotten with the exception of the 6/8s The Braes of Elchies, Miss Jeannie S. Grant’s Favourite (used as the original tune for the dance ‘Two and Two’, RSCDS Book 19) and Mrs Jamieson’s Favourite. There’s a lot more to the collection than these!
Donald GRANT
Fiddler-composer and dancing-master, born Elgin c1760 (he may have died there late in the 1830s) leaving “A Collection of Airs, Strathspeys etc…..” many of his own composition. Every page of the edition I have seen (probably the 1820 reprint) is marked ‘Grant’s 1st Collection’. Was there a second? I have certainly never set eyes on it.
Charles MIDDLETON (1837-99)
Was a native of Woodside, Aberdeen who moved to Keith as a spinner and eventually became quite a successful music publisher, luckily coinciding with the beginning of Scott Skinner’s prolific publishing career (Bayley and Ferguson came on the scene later and took most of the credit!) He was also responsible for saving most of the Tarland Fiddler, Peter Milne’s incomparable music from otherwise almost certain loss. At 60, he settled in Hamilton but died two years later.
John MORISON (1772-1848)
Lived at Rose Street, Peterhead and held “an appointment (organist) at St Peter’s Episcopal Chapel” around 1806/7. He published two collections, much of it his own music, the first “A Collection of New Strathspey Reels, With a few Favourite Marches” (Peterhead 1797), then a second in 1815 (two pages are engraved, the rest are in ms). His death notice reads: “John Morison, Fidler, 76, August 30th 1848”.
William MORRISON
Published “A Collection of Highland Music consisting of Strathspeys, Reels, Marches, Waltzes. Slow Airs….original and selected….by William Morrison…..J. Young & Co….Inverness…..(1812)” It had 81 tune titles, about half of which were his own compositions, half either old or by other composers of the time. Some good stuff.
James TAYLOR
Fiddler, composer, teacher of music, Fochabers. Published two small volumes of Strathspeys and Reels, one printed locally (c1835), the other in Edinburgh (c1845), about 20 of his own compositions, the rest by various others.
Alexander WALKER
Was born in Forfar (1837) and was a pupil of the great Angus fiddler, James Allan. He was a gifted performer himself and in 1866 published a collection of no less than 196 tunes of his own strathspeys, reels, marches, jigs, hornpipes, quicksteps and slow airs. He was gardener at Castle Newe, Aberdeenshire and dedicated his book to the owner, Sir Charles Forbes. He emigrated to the USA and lived there for some years.
The Misses WHITE
May have been a Miss White and a Miss Brocky, dwellers in Moray, who evidently knew the music and were talented composers. Nathanial Gow published this work ”A Collection of entirely original Strathspeys, Reels….by Ladies resident in a remote part of the Highlands….NB: Corrected by Nath. Gow” Edinburgh 1798.
All these collections are to be found in the National Library of Scotland.
Box and Fiddle
June 2002