Annotation:Duchess of Athole's Favourite
X:1 T:Duchess of Athole's Favourite M:6/8 L:1/8 R:Slow Air S:MacDonald - Skye Collection (1887) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:A c/B/|(AE)C (A,C)E|AEA c(e/d/)(c/B/)|AEC A,(F/E/)D/C/| B,BB B2 c/B/| AEC A,CE|AEA c(d/c/)(B/A/)|EFA BAB|cAA A2|| |:f/g/|aec (f/e/)d/c/B/A/|aec (f/e/)d/c/B/A/|(B/A/)B/c/d/e/ f/e/d/c/B/A/| FBB B2 c/d/|(ec)A (af)d|eaf {f}ed/c/B/A/|E>FA BAB cAA A2:||
DUCHESS OF ATHOLE'S FAVOURITE. AKA and see "Kiss in the Kitchen." Scottish, Slow Air (6/8 time). A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'BBCC. The composition has been credited to the famous Perthshire fiddler-composer Niel Gow (1727-1807), although his name does not appear with the tune when it was printed in the Gow's 2nd Collection (1788). The title honors Duchess of Athole,
Fr. John Quinn finds concordance between "Duchess of Athole's Favourite" and P.W. Joyce's "Kiss in the Kitchen," a tune collected by William Forde from famous sculptor Patrick MacDowell.
Cape Breton fiddler Bill Lamey (1914-1991) played the tune as a waltz, although waltzes did not come into vogue until after Niel Gow died and it is doubtful he wrote it as a vehicle for that dance. The tune was also recorded by Cape Breton fiddler Dan R. MacDonald on and early LP with accompanist Lila Hashem, according to Paul Cranford.
