We have been asked about why some pieces of ceòl mòr are played these days with taoruath and crunluath variations when formerly they weren’t – or, for the most part, weren’t. It’s a good question and our correspondent has made particular reference to The Big Spree, one of the tunes […]
1906-1908 By Jeannie Campbell After the resignations of the previous years, the remaining members continued the work of the Piobaireachd Society and produced a second book of six tunes in 1906. The six tunes in the book were set for the 1906 competitions and the rule was stated that, “No […]
By Keith Sanger During the talk, ‘Ceol Mor and its Gaelic Definitive Terms’ given at the 1987 Piobaireachd Society Conference, a mention was made of the term ‘Eallach’ used for the double echo played on low A. Apart from confirming that the translation as “burden” given by Major General C. […]
By Lt. Col. D. J. S. Murray In the year 2000 there was published Dr William Donaldson’s seminal The Highland Pipe and Scottish Society, a well written, well researched and well sourced book which one thought would have been well received by the serious piping fraternity. The contrary was the […]
The literature of the Highland BagpipeThe works of Angus MacKay (Raasay). Part 3 – his manuscripts By Captain John A. MacLellan When Angus MacKay died in 1859 his widow either sold or bequeathed his collection of manuscripts to Michael MacCarfrae who was piper to the Duke of Hamilton at Brodick Castle, […]
Today’s tune in our irregular series, ‘Stories of the Tunes’ appears although the ‘story’ behind it is quite stragithforward: it is simply a tune composed by Pipe Major Donald MacLeod in tribute to the regiment in which he served for many years. As the notes in his book of ceòl […]
By Capt. John A. MacLellan MBE We have seen in the previous article on the structure of piobaireachd how the various classifications which are part of ceòl mòr influence its meaning. Pipers do not necessarily recognise the same elements in a piece of music. To some, a lament may appear […]
By Peter Cooke In the first part of this article I described how two distinct performing traditions, which existed at the end of the 18th century, could be exemplified in the way notators chose to write out what is best regarded as one formulaic motif — the echoing beat on […]
By Archibald Campbell of Kilberry There can be no one alive now who ever heard Angus MacKay play, and few who have heard his playing described at first hand. Sandy Cameron remembered him playing piobaireachd at Maryburgh in his father’s house but he must have been quite a young child […]
At present 60 issues of the Piping Times are out of print, including almost all of volumes 2, 4, 13 and 16. We receive many requests for important articles which appeared in these issues so we have decided to reprint the most essential ones. Every piper should know something of […]
