Annotation:Royal Midshipman (The)

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X:1 % T:Royal Midshipman, The M:6/8 L:1/8 B:Thompson’s Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 2 (London, 1765) Z:Transcribed and edited by Fynn Titford-Mock, 2007 Z:abc’s:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:G f|gdB ecA|dBG AG/F/E/D/|gdB ecA|BAG d2:| |:d|de=f eBc|Aag fed|c/d/ec B/c/dB|Agf g2:||

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ROYAL MIDSHIPMAN, THE. English, Jig (6/8 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The melody originally appeared in John Hinton’s periodical The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure (London, 1759). The title refers to Prince Edward Augustus (1739-1767) who began his career at sea as a teenage midshipman in the Royal Navy. He was the younger brother of King George III of Great Britain and held the title of Duke of York. Prince Edward was present at the taking of Cherbourg and the defeat at St. Cas in 1758. However, he astonishingly quickly attained the rank of Captain the next year, and Rear-Admiral in 1761. When he died pf a fever in Monaco in 1767 (at age 28) he was Vice Admiral of the Blue. King George named his fourth son (and fifth child) in honor of his brother (who had died a just before the Royal birth), who became Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Strathearn (1767-1820).

Prince Edward Augustus