Annotation:Air (38)
X:1 T:Air [38] M:2/4 L:1/8 C:Pleyel Q:"Andante Grasioso" B:Archibald Duff – A Choice Selection of Minuets, Favourite Airs, Hornpipes, Waltzs &c. B:Book First (Edinburgh, c. 1812, p. 9) B: https://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/archive/105810922 N:Archibald Duff (c. 1770-c. 1840?) was a musician (along with his brother Charles) and dancing N:master, of Montrose and Aberdeen, and is recorded as being a Professor of Music residing at N:Clayills Cottage, Aberdeen in 1837. N:The volume is dedicated to Lady Mary Ramsay of Balmain Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:E ([GB]>e) [GB]z/[E/G/]|[FA][FA] [B,2F2]|.[G,E].[G,E][.B,F][B,F]|(G/E/).B/.G/ Fz| [GB]>e [GB]z/[E/G/]|.[FA].[FA] [B,2F2]|(3G/B/d/ (3e/B/G/ ETF|[A,2F2][G,E]z|| [DF]>[EG] [F/A/][E/G/][F/A/][D/F/]|E>G B>e|e/d/f/e/ d/c/B/A/|[E2G2] [D/F/]G/A/^A/| [GB]>e [GB]z/[E/G/]|[FA][FA][D2F2]|G/B/ d/4e/4.B/4.G/4 ETF|[A,2F2][G,E]||
AIR [38]. Austrian, Air (2/4 time). E Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. The tune is attributed to Austrian/French composer wikipedia:Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831) in Archibald Duff's Choice Selection (c. 1812). The tune follows the melody "Pas Seul (2)" in Duff's collection, and was apparently the middle of a set of three tunes ("Pas Seul (2)", "Air (38)" and "Lauretta"), probably for a dance (pas seul = 'solo dance') choreographed by Duff for one of his students, Miss Allardyce of Dunnoter (Dunnottar), who is named in the title line as performing the dance.
Miss Allardyce was Eleanor (c. 1796-1832), the only issue of Alexander Allardyce (c. 1743-1801) and Hannah, his second wife, who was one of the eight daughters of Commissary Innes of Aberdeen. They were married in 1794. Daughter Eleanor herself was married in 1814 to Archibald, Lord Kennedy, who on his father Archibald, twelfth Earl of Cassillis, being created Marquis of Ailsa, was styled Earl of Cassillis. Eleanor then became Lady Cassillis. She died in November, 1888, after giving birth to nine sons and one daughter.
Unfortunately, the Allardyce wealth was tainted. Alexander sailed as a young man for Jamaica to make his fortune. He invested in cargoes of slaves imported to Jamaica, and eventually made enough money to buy one or more plantations there in St Ann's Parish. He returned to Scotland a wealthy man in the early 1780's, to become Lord Rector of Marischal College and in 1792 was elected as the member of parliament for the Aberdeen Burghs. It was he who purchased the lands of Dunnottar, near Stonehaven (see Duff's "Miss Nicol of Stonehaven's Minuet"), forfeited in the Jacobite rising of 1715. He built a substantial mansion there, since demolished, although Dunnottar Woods survives, originally laid out and planted by Alexander.
