Annotation:Lord James Murray (1)
X:1 T:Lord James Murray [1] M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel C:Niel Gow (1727-1807) B:Gow - Fifth Collection of Strathspey Reels (1809) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:D F | ~d2 AB/c/ dAFD | E(ee>)d cABc | dABd AdAF | GBAF D/D/D D :| f/g/ | adfd fadf | bege gbeg | adfd fadf | geaf d/d/d d/f/| adfd fadf |bege gbeg | faef deBd | AdAF D/D/D D ||
LORD JAMES MURRAY('S) [1]. AKA and see "Lady Charlotte Murray (2)." Scottish, Reel (whole time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Cole): AAB (Athole, Gow, Lowe). The composition "Lady Charlotte Murray [2]" is attributed to Perthshire fiddler-composer wikipedia:Niel_Gow (1727-1807) in the Gow family's Fifth Collection of Strathspey Reels (1809), however, it is a version of, or slight reworking of, a reel composed by Niel's contemporary, Daniel Dow, originally titled "Lady Charlotte Murray (2)," James Murray's cousin and spouse (for information on whom see "annotation:Lady Charlotte Murray (1)"). However, since Lady Charlotte died in 1805, the Gow's may have opted to refer to the still-living Lord James.
Lord James Murray (1782-1837) was born in Dunkeld, Perthshire (Niel Gow's home township), the son of John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl, and Jane Cathcart. Murray was a military man, rising to the rank of Major General by 1819, and a politician, serving as MP for Perthshire from 1807-1812. He was created Baron Glenlyon in 1821 after serving as the Prince Regent's aide-de-camp and intimate, at whose house at Datchet old Queen Charlotte "did never counsel take, but sometimes tea." Just before he died in 1837, was promoted to Lieutenant General. He married, in 1810, Lady Emily Frances Percy, the daughter of General Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland.
There is a classic fishing fly called Lord James Murray that dates from the mid-18th century. It was a success in its time on the river Tay where salmon fishing was often done from a boat, although the fly is all but forgotten today.
See also fiddler-composer and gamekeeper biography:John Crerar's tunes for Murray, "James Lord Glenlyon's Wedding March" and "Lord James Murray's Wedding Day," composed for his wedding in 1810, and "Lady Emily Percy's Welcome to Scotland," composed in honor of his bride. Crerar even composed a tune for Murray's new father-in-law, "Earl Percy's Welcome to the Highlands of Scotland."
