John Davie Burgess died in July 2005, having achieved worldwide fame as a child prodigy on the pipes before maturing into one of the foremost exponents of Scotland’s national instrument. He was born in Aberdeen on March 11, 1934 but the family moved to Edinburgh when at a young age. […]
Tag: Pipe Major Angus MacDonald
Stories of the Tunes – The Highland Brigade at Magersfontein
This lovely tune is one of the many from the pen of John – Jock – MacLellan, Dunoon. It is quite simply a beautiful 3/4 march and, like most of Jock’s compositions, stands the test of time. In 1892, MacLellan, aged 17, enlisted with the Highland Light Infantry. He saw action […]
The Highland Society of London’s Bicentenary Piping Competition, 1981
By Captain John MacLellan The year 1781 has much more significance to piping than the fact that it was the first time that a properly organised competition for ceòl mòr was held. As to the past, we can only surmise that competitions were held – none are on record. Apart […]
Famous pipers: Calum Campbell (Gordons)
By Joe Wilson. An article in the Piping Times regarding the jig playing at the Northern Meeting in 1961 reads: “Sergeant Campbell made amends for his previous appearance [he had made a mistake while playing the strathspey and reel in the short leet] by winning this competition very clearly. Second […]