"Miss Admiral Gordon's Strathspey", also known as "Glasgow Flourish", "Of All the Airts
the Wind Can Blaw" is a Scottish slow strathspey ("Slow when not danced") in A Major (most
versions) or D Major (O’Farrell, Rook). The parts are played AB (most versions),
AABB (O’Farrell) or ABCD (McGlashan).
This is one of the first composed and most famous tunes (c. 1775) by Scots fiddler William Marshall (1748-1833) in honor of Margaret Gordon, daughter and only surviving child of Admiral William Gordon (d. 1769), Carmelite House, Banff. The melody has been used for other songs, including a Canadian folksong, "The Scarborough Settlers’ Lament" and a Scottish song “The Scottish Settlers’ Lament”. "Miss Admiral Gordon" was first published in Marshall's Strathspey Reels (1781). It was also printed in Alburger's Scottish Fiddlers and Their Music (1983), Emmerson's Rantin’ Pipe and Tremblin’ String (1971), Gow's Complete Repository, Part 1 (1799), Hunter's Fiddle Music of Scotland (1988), Johnson's Scottish Fiddle Music in the 18th Century (1984), Marshall's Fiddlecase Edition: 1781 Collection (1978), Marshall's Fiddlecase Edition: 1822 Collection (1978), McGlashan's A Collection of Reels (c.1786), Neil's The Scots Fiddle (1991), O’Farrell's Pocket Companion for the Union Pipes, vol. IV (1810), Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883). |