William Marshall (composer)

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William Marshall (1817)

William Marshall (born December 27, 1748 in Fochabers , Scotland , † May 29, 1833 in Dandaleith ) was a Scottish fiddler and composer .

Life

Marshall was born on December 27, 1748, the third son of Francis Marshall and Isabel Innes in the village of Fochabers, Moray . From the age of twelve he was for thirty years in the service of the 4th Duke of Gordon , where he rose to butler; after he retired in 1790 , the Duke appointed him administrator of much of his estates in Banffshire and Aberdeenshire . He held this position until 1817 . Although he had only attended school for six months and had otherwise been tutored by his father, Marshall was an educated man whose interests included mechanics, astronomy, and architecture in addition to music. He also worked as a watchmaker. A water clock and an astronomical clock from him have been preserved to this day. Marshall was married to Jane Giles and had five sons and one daughter. He died in Dandaleith on May 29, 1833.

Although William Marshall had never received formal music lessons, he was considered one of the best fiddlers of his day (surely the best amateur) and was often used by his employer and sponsor to entertain his guests, "whose admiration he easily earned, though it did were used to hearing first-class music by outstanding musicians elsewhere. "

William Marshall became famous as a composer of fiddle music. His most famous compositions include the Strathspeys "The Marchioness of Huntly", "The Marquis of Huntly's Farewell", "Craigellachie Brig" and "Lady Madelina Sinclair", the Air "The Nameless Lassie" and the reel "Easter Elchies". Marshall published several collections of his compositions:

  • 1781 appeared a twelve-page and a little later a four-page publication (with the same title page) by Neil Stewart ( Edinburgh );
  • In 1822, at the insistence of friends, Marshall published an extensive collection of his music - not least because his pieces were often taken over by other musicians such as Niel Gow without authorization. This didn't really bother Marshall because he hadn't thought of publishing them himself until then, but he was offended by the fact that the titles of the pieces were often changed. The collection had over 1,200 subscribers when Marshall sold the copyright to music publisher Alexander Robertson in Edinburgh shortly before it was released.
  • A third collection of pieces was also published posthumously by Alexander Robertson in 1845. It mainly contains material that has not been published before, even if there are a few duplications (sometimes under different names).

Marshall wrote a total of 114 strathspeys, 84 reels, 21 jigs , 3 hornpipes , 2 marches and 33 slow airs.

Works

  • A Collection of Strathspey Reels with a Bass for the Violoncello or Harpsichord (1781)
  • Marshall's Scottish Airs, Melodies, Strathspeys, Reels, & c. for the Piano Forte, Harp, Violin & Violoncello (1822)
  • Volume 2nd of a Collection of Scottish Melodies Reels Strathspeys Jigs Slow Airs & c. for the Piano Forte, Violin and Violoncello (1845)

literature

  • Moyra Cowie : The Life and Times of William Marshall 1748-1833. Composer of Scottish Traditional Fiddle Music, Clock Maker and Butler to the 4th Duke of Gordon. Elgin, 1999, ISBN 1-901820-03-3
  • John Glen, "Biographical Sketches of Early Scottish Musicians and Musicsellers: William Marshall of Keithmore," in The Glen Collection of Scottish Dance Music. Edinburgh 1895, reprinted in 2001 by the Highland Music Trust (Inverness). ISBN 0-9541478-1-2

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Moyra Cowie: The Life and Times of William Marshall 1748-1833. Elgin 1999
  2. ↑ Glen 1895, p. 69.
  3. ^ Marshall 1822
personal data
SURNAME Marshall, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Scottish composer
DATE OF BIRTH December 27, 1748
PLACE OF BIRTH Fochabers , Scotland
DATE OF DEATH May 29, 1833
Place of death Dandaleith