Annotation:Mr. John Stewart’s Reel—of Bombay

Tune properties and standard notation

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MR. JOHN STEWART'S REEL--OF BOMBAY. Scottish, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. "Mr. John Stewart of Belladrum, of the house of Sir Charles Forbes & Co., Bombay, in writing to Marshall in 1822, says 'I thought my dancing days had been over before my late return to India, but having lately passed an evening at the house of a lady who understood and played Scottish Reels, both Mrs. Stewart and myself danced to some of your strathspeys, notwithstanding that the thermometer stood at upwards of 85 degrees.' (from an 1845 monograph on Marshall by 'J. MacG.' from the 1845 Collection)." Composed by William Marshall (1748-1833). A Scottish fiddler and composer, Marshall is most famous for his many fine strathspeys. Marshall worked for much of his life for the Duke of Gordon as the Steward of his Household, and it is fortunate that the Duke was an enthusiastic supporter and patron of Marshall’s music. So was John Stewart, for he wrote to Marshall from Point D’Galle, Ceylon, in 1822 with a list of subscribers for 121 copies of Marshall’s 1822 collection. Stewart’s father was the Gordon tenant who lived at Keithmore prior to Marshall and his family, who moved in 1792, and the friendship of the two families dates from that period. The Stewarts moved on to Pittyvaich in the the Duff lands (Moyra Cowie, The Life and Times of William Marshall, 1999). John Stewart returned from the far east to the estate of Belladrum, near Kiltarlity, 'see note for “Belladrum House" for another traditional tune connection).

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Marshall, Fiddlecase Edition, 1978; 1822 Collection', p. 34.

Recorded sources:

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Tune properties and standard notation