Glenbuchat Heritage

94 Fiddle Tunes dedicated to Dr Profeit

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It was usual for writers of fiddle tunes to name the tunes after a local important person or to some one who had been their benefactor and contributed to their art.

The first tune to Dr Profeit was written by Alexander Walker the gardener and fiddler from Castle New whose life can be seen at:
Alexander Walker.

The tune was first published in 1866 in Alexander Walkers collection, and this is before Dr Profeit was the Queens Commissioner and still the Doctor at Towie and Glenbuchat. In fact, it is recorded that Dr Profeit attended Alexander Walkers 7-year-old daughter when she died of TB.

The tune was co-written with James Scott Skinner, one of Scotland’s most famous fiddlers.
Skinner taught dancing at the Lonach Hall in Strathdon and was often accompanied by Alexander as shown in this newspaper article. His mother Mary Skinner (née Agnew) was originally from Strathdon. Scott Skinner had started his life s a dancing instructor and he held his first classes at Strathdon, Aberdeenshire where he instructed the daughters of the Forbes family in the Lonach hall. In 1862 he became a professional dancing-master. His growing reputation eventually led to work at Balmoral Castle, Queen Victoria’s Scottish retreat, where he taught dancing to more than 100 tenants and children. He would have met Alexander Walker at Strathdon but also at Balmoral where Alexander played fiddle in the Balmoral band.

The second tune was written about 1885 by Scott Skinner alone as Alexander Walker left for America in 1870.tune. Since 1875 Dr Profeit had been Commissioner or Factor of Queen Victoria’s estate at Balmoral and this tune would have been to celebrate him in that post.