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With this Website

www.scottishfiddlemusicinstyle.co.uk

I remember with gratitude my teacher in this

idiom

Scots Fiddle Player Hector MacAndrew

1903-1980

Feel free to copy the tracks for personal listening and/or the text for personal

study purposes - but having done so - please acknowledge the source.

Copying text or illustrations for distribution to third parties or for commercial

purposes should not be undertaken without permission. (email below)

Whilst effort has been made to indicate sources, and in particular to give credit

to individuals and organisations - where possible,

the texts (inclusive of historical data and my personal comments) are included

to furnish ideas for anyone wishing to take pleasure in more

in-depth exploration, whether academic or recreational.

On-line material has become much more readily available since I established

this website some twelve years ago, especially in the Gaelic tradition. Digital

archive recordings are readily accessible, in addition to both printed/reprinted

(peruse the Taigh na Teud website) and manuscript material in the NLS and in

university libraries. Commercial CDs from gifted singers and instrumentalists,

who continue the culture of their forebears, will furnish aural reference.

Michael Welch

michaelr.welch@btinternet.com

No. 26 – 1st April, 2020

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Programme 26 includes tracks from former programmes with some

new ones added.

1st April, 2020

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Please note: Where Gaelic is quoted in the track titles – this is taken directly from the publications from which the tunes are sourced

01) 2/4 March: Corriechollie’s Leaving Lochaber This tune, composed c.1908, by Pipe Major Robert Meldrum (1851-1941) whilst he was piper to the Earl of Ancaster, Drummond Castle, honours one of the Camerons of Corriechollie. John Cameron of Corriechollie (d.1856) was in his time arguably the most famous cattle drover of his time. In order to identify him from other John Camerons he was named after his place of residence: Corrichollie (tr. the glen of the forest) in the Spean Bridge area. The ruined remains of his original residence lie some distance from the present lodge. John Meldrum from all accounts was a jovial strong spirited man. John Wilson writes of him (autobiography, 1978, A Professional Piper in Peace War) entering the Open Piobaireachd competition at Aboyne Highland Games in his early 80’s. ‘He was a wonderful old man and a fine player and very successful in his day’. 02) 6/8 Jig: Braeriach (Am Bràigh Riabhadh) A lively jig by D.A. Campbell (as credited by William Ross Book 3 p.44, and in the Scots Guards Standard Settings,1954) evokes this wonderful upper landscape, of which (for those unable to experience it at first hand) Nan Shepherd writes so movingly and passionately in her book The Living Mountain. Some might regard remote upper slopes a perilous solitude. Whilst never to be treated in a frivolous or capricious way - which may result in serious consequences, this solitude has the potential, if we let it, to open the door to its own special distinctive world, in which one can be alone and yet not alone at the same time, where the dimensions which confine us will fall away and we are there at any time - in the past or the future. There is the geophony - wind, streams, rolling thunder, and the biophony, birds - the resilient snow bunting, native animals...

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03) Air: John McIntyre the Freebooter This air, no.11 in the Angus Fraser mss A Collection of the Vocal Airs of the Highlands of Scotland (Edinburgh University Library) arranged here as a slow march. It is a very plaintive tune to a song of which we have no text from that time. Was JM’s way of life the result of poverty and desperation? Maybe. We don’t know. 04) Strathspey & Reel: Culduthel House; The Fiddle 'Taigh Chul-daothal; Am Fhiodhull' (as per manuscript) Two tunes from Captain Simon Fraser's 2nd Collection manuscript (Edinburgh University Library, GEN614). The strathspey (hexatonic) is possibly one of his own compositions. A poignant robust tune lively and almost defiant in dance movement in this G minor mode. The basic accompaniment added in the manuscript is mostly consecutive octaves or fifths. The text notes from this manuscript are missing. Alexander Fraser of Culduthel was Simon’s paternal grandfather, who along with maternal grandfather Thomas Fraser of Gorthleck was a close associate of Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat (MacShimi). It may be said of this latter gentleman that he was an essay in duplicity, intrigue, subterfuge, deviousness and self-seeking. but in spite of all this, it has to be said, he did endeavour to see after his clan. Alexander and Thomas were cattle dealers and drovers, which business took them all over the highlands and further south. A perfect, totally plausible, cover for intelligence gathering – for whichever government it was deemed prudent to support at the time. Unfortunately for MacShimi, he ended up on the ‘wrong’ side and it was subsequently seen to that he be permanently removed from the scene in 1747. It is understandable therefore, that our Captain collector’s English text notes in his 1816 Collection are couched in the language and style they are - with his kind of pedigree, he was as overly cautious in his choice of words as he was in presenting some of the tunes, those, obviously modal, 'modified' into the harmonic convention of his era. A clever but complex man whose motive in preserving a precious cultural heritage was well intentioned, but who was troubled by how exactly to achieve this. The reel may also be an original composition – straight Dorian. Applying Hector’s stylistic approach, both tunes present the performer with a number of possibilities in bowing, ornamentation and double stopping. Culduthel House (South of Inverness) as in 2004

Michael Welch 05) 4/4 Slow March; A March [4/4] with a [12/8] Florid Faburden It would be interesting to find out where exactly Angus Fraser (1802-1870) acquired his musical knowledge which, as time went on, was wide ranging in his native idiom and beyond. This air appears in his Collection of Ancient Music of Angus (Edinburgh University Library, GEN614). He says in his accompanying note ‘This Phrygian air is a modification of no.12 in Captain Simon Fraser’s Collection of 1816, [this is a real stretch of imagination, but that is what he says] and the faburden is in the same measure and

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style as the Gaelic Psalm tune Elgin’. In this march the ‘faburden’ is an accompaniment in triplets to the march in 4/4 measure. The march tune is in Phrygian mode (think of C major and begin on E) and the accompaniment is arranged for horn in Ionian mode (C major) and flute in Phrygian mode as is the tune). The two run in parallel thirds. How far this tune and the comments in his notes are peripheral to his core collection of native Gaelic airs can only be guessed at, but he was obviously well inducted into psalmody. 06) Hornpipe Tam Bain's Lum A composition of Pipe Major Donald Shaw Ramsay, at one time Pipe Major of the Edinburgh City Police pipe band. Its pointed step-dance style differs from the so called 'sailors style’ elaborated by c19 violinist William C Honeyman. There are several stories relating to Tam Bain, - smoker banished from the threshold by his wife, Lincoln hats, chimneys, etc. Whatever. It's a lively bouncy four-part tune, just as much at home on the fiddle as the pipes. 07) Air: Wet Was I was in Coire Bhreacain

… and here it is pictured by Walter Baxter – on a relatively benign day. This natural phenomenon, a tidal swirl round an underwater crag is a potentially ferocious hazard, an uncompromising monster, lying in the Gulf of Corryvrekan between Jura and Scarba (OS Grid Ref: NM 7562 0323). Given the combination of headland swift or opposing spring tide races (flood and ebb) and Atlantic gales this area was notoriously well known to those currach sailors who plied the Iona – Ulster routes. Tradition has it that a Norse galley and its entire crew were swallowed up at one time. Random waves of some 30 feet may be generated around Breacán’s Cauldron a.k.a. Cauldron of the Plaid, their roaring heard up to 5 kilometres away. The tune is sourced from John Lorne Campbell’s book Songs Remembered in Exile (1990, AUP) no.23, recorded in 1937 and transcribed by Séamus Ennis. JLC transcribed the words (only a fragment). Wet was I in Coire Bhreacain/There was a big, strong tide there/We had to furl the sails [!]…

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08) 9/8 Irish Slip Jigs: Helen O’Grady; Welcome the Piper I sourced both of these jigs from Ailean Nicholson’s Collection of Irish Tunes for the Bagpipe. I ‘discovered’ this book, hitherto forgotten in my library, a curious publication, seeming facsimile hand-written pages, bound together in a cover. The book contains a loose hand written letter containing corrections, with an apology, and finishes by saying ‘Thank you for purchasing my book. I do hope you get much pleasure from it’. Signed A.N. It comprises of 112 pages, carefully copied, with the ornamentation and style he inherited from the Irish piper Michael Fogarty, and from P/Ms Donald Maclean, ‘Wee’ Donald MacLeod, and Willy MacLeod during his ‘25 years as a Seaforth Highlander and piper therein’.

Listen to this part interview with Reg Hall from the British Library archive. It’s a gem of social history - apart from learning of his ancestry from Skye! all in a London accent. A real Character. The 9/8 ‘slip jig’ has an unique rhythm, with its five accents in nine beats: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 and the tempo is steady. 09) MacDonald of Ardnabie

This air is taken from the Captain Simon Fraser’s manuscript of his intended Second Collection (never published in its entirety). This resides in Special Collections (GEN 614) in the Edinburgh University Library. There were to be notes to the tunes in this book, but they are lost to us – which is a great pity. Several members of the Macdonalds of Ardnabie (Ard na Beithe – the Height of the Birch Tree) inherited the bardic gift. One of them was John, 6th of Ardnabie, who served as a Captain in the Glengarry Regiment during the Forty-five. Just exactly who was the subject of the song is unclear. Ardnabie, what is left of it, is on the north side of Loch Garry, west of Ardochy.

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10) 6/8 March: Cameron of Corrychoillie This is J Mauchline’s composition of 1883, ‘re-arranged’ by Pipe Major Robert Meldrum (see notes to 01) above) published in the Henderson Collection). The result is an appealing, dignified, steady celebration of its subject - one of the ‘Corriechoillies’: Cameron of Corriechoillie

11) Air: Mary the Daughter of George This track is an arrangement of No.3 in Captain Simon Fraser's 1816 Collection. His note is included in full:

The note to tune 87 in Angus Fraser’s Collection of the Ancient Music of Caledonia relates as follows: 'The air to Mr Alexander McDonald of Ardnabi’s song in praise of his violin which he calls 'Mary George's Daughter' after a similar song made in the preceding century by Grant of Sheugly in Glen Urquhart on a supposed contest between the violin pipe & harp. See no.3 in Captain Fraser’s Collection of 1816 [see above]. There is a chorus of unmeaning words accompanied with music in the pizzicato style of the harp'. Tantalizingly the music is missing - the archive mss is incomplete! There is a further version in Daniel Dow's (1732-1783) A Collection of Ancient Scots Music for the Violin, Harpsichord or German Flute... (?1778) John G Gibson in his Old and New World Highland Bagpiping (2002) mentions that ... 'The Grant material, though skimpy, suggests that the mid-C17 marked the turning point from strings to woodwind. One well-to-do Grant, Grant of Sheugly who flourished... in the late C17 was himself a piper, harper and violin player. He composed the verses to 'Mairi Nighean Dheorsa' My backing has four sections: strings/pipes/harp/all. The Fiddle won – of course…

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12) Strathspey & Reel: The Braes of Mar; Rachel Rae The strathspey is a traditional fiddle set - which Hector MacAndrew gave me in 1971 during one of our 'sessions'. It incorporates the 'driven' up-bow and various other features in bowing style, double stops, syncopated triplets and dynamic variation: thus, the spirit of dance movement is inherent and the crucial subtlety of tempo change between strathspey and reel adds a lift and a vigour as the step quickens. Hector said this setting of the strathspey was passed on from Forbes Morrison (1833-1906), dancing master in Tarves, who was renowned for his short 'snap' bowing and use of the syncopated triplets I mentioned. As well as its several appearances in the c19 fiddle books and manuscripts and with different titles, this tune is widely known outside Scotland - in Ireland and in Nova Scotia whence it must have been transported by Scots emigrants. A Master's thesis, The Sound of Gaelic is in the Music, by Cape Breton fiddler Jackie Dunn (1991) notes 'the strathspey is known to have Gaelic words and has the punch line '...'S Math a Dhannsadh...' (it is good to dance). The allusion to the fiddle speaking Gaelic is mentioned elsewhere - referring to Captain Simon Fraser's playing. The reel Rachel Rae (several variations of spelling e.g. Raecheal Rea's Rant, - first appearance in print in the Archibald Duff Collection - 1794) is believed to be a composition of John Lowe, Dancing Master, Marykirk, Kincardine. Joseph Lowe, his son, published a famous collection in the 1840's. This simple, unpretentious tune, beginning with a D-major arpeggio, has an elegant swing about it and it's not difficult to see why it became so popular. 13) Air: Neil MacKay and his Crew This Gaelic song will be found in 100 Songs of Rob Donn MacKay ed. by Ellen L. Beard, p.200. This book (published by Taígh na Teud, Skye, 2018) is all the more remarkable because the editor is a descendant of Rob Donn, himself - an outstanding individual with his oral Gaelic verse and songs. He lived (1714-1778) in NW Sutherland. Ellen notes: ‘…from Knapdale in Argyll, Neil MacKay was the proverbial sailor with a girl in every port’. He laments his storm bound predicament of which Rob elaborates in a poem (of nine verses) composed after he had given shelter to the sailor – the drams and the stories… 14) 2/4 March: The Braes of Brecklet This is a fine 2/4 March composed by Pipe Major William Lawrie (1881-1916), a native of Ballachulish. Well-constructed, balanced, phrased tune, readily singable and one which translates comfortably to the fiddle. There are settings of this tune in several pipe music collections. However, best to look at The Lawrie Collection published by Deeay Music, Forfar, which contains tunes composed by Pipe Major Lawrie and his family (son Ian and grandson William) in one place, along with biographical information and photographs. William Laurie died in a military hospital in Oxford in 1916, a casualty of WW1. We can be sure that his pipe compositions have lifted many spirits (including mine - I invariably play over this tune during a warm up). 15) Slow Strathspey/Air: The Duchess of Bedford William Marshall, of whom Robert Burns said '...the first composer of strathspeys of the age...' was born to humble circumstances in the village of Fochabers, Morayshire in 1748. He was employed firstly as House Boy at Gordon Castle at an early age. His diligent, tactful nature, attention to detail and curiosity in things scientific, musical and surveying, all conspired to see him through to become Butler and House Steward to the 4th Duke of Gordon (1747-1827).

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Eventually Service within the household included his entertaining guests with fiddle playing and then later on to compose tunes in the national idiom - named after many of them. The Duke, 'a man of the enlightenment’ was a quiet, introverted and sensitive individual. His wife - the glamorous Jane Maxwell - on the other hand, was quite the opposite. One can only but admire William, in the middle of all this, frequently having to read the 'atmosphere' and then tread carefully - as well as 'managing' house staff, estate workers and overseeing the properties. One way to achieve this, with gathered company, was of course was to disarm them all with his music. Evidently this turned out to be a very effective tactic. It obviously achieved desired results, and, moreover, resulted in an extraordinary repertoire of original well-crafted compositions - airs, marches, strathspeys, slow strathspeys, reels etc. Furthermore, the 'forceful directive' of said Jane Maxwell, gave him the opportunity to have them published. Just exactly how his fiddle playing developed during his formative years is unclear, but his style became influenced by those ‘classical’ musicians he encountered during the course of his duties. Whether in this tune he would have risked a shift to the fourth position in the last bar, for example, is debateable. Marshall died in 1833. 16) Strathspey & Reel: The Highlands of Banffshire; Burnside of Tynet The lively strathspey, given to me by Hector MacAndrew on 12th April, 1977, will be found in Captain Simon Fraser's (1773-1852) 1816 ('Knockie') Collection, no.35, of which he says:

Burnside of Tynet is one of William Marshall's (1748 - 1833) compositions. According to Moyra Cowie (Life and Times of William Marshall), Marshall lived at this farm, adjacent to the Burn of Tynet, for some years whilst still employed at Gordon Castle. The tune is clearly mixolydian on F with a modulation to C major in bar 12, although it is printed in Marshall's 1816 Collection with an F minor key signature. Fortunately, I have Hector's version to refer to, so no ambiguity in my mind. Although (as I mentioned above) he was very much influenced by the, 'classical' and/or Italianate styles of the time, so prevalent in his compositions for all the various ladies and gentlemen, visitors to Gordon Castle etc. - this tune may hark back to an earlier period in his life, more in keeping with the modal mindset of past generations. 17) Air: My Heart is Broke since Thy Departure I continue with this air (which may be sourced in the Simon Fraser 1816 Collection) - the version given to me by Hector.

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Fraser says of it 'one of the love songs to which it is difficult to attach incident'. But he does go further: 'This is however, one of the sacred compilation made by the gentlemen [my italics] named in the prospectus...'. The curious rising scale run leads me to think that Fraser arranged it for the fiddle, or replaced a tearful upward slide with the closest written out representation of it. Another association I have in mind is the notice in the Inverness Journal, Friday 17th February, 1809: 'Died, at Errogie, on the 12th Feb [1809], Jane Ann, Daughter of Captain S Fraser, in the 5th year of her age, an engaging and interesting child'. Very likely this sad event would have touched his mind when he was compiling the Collection, though of course he would not mention something so personal in the notes. Nevertheless, part of life experience - whatever - the tune has to weep. 18) 2/4 March; Murdo MacLeod This lively march by Pipe Major Peter R MacLeod (Senior) (b. Aird, Isle of Lewis 1878, d. Erskine Old Soldiers Hospital, Glasgow, 1965), subtly pointed, is a straightforward four part construct with a two-bar 'chorus' at the end of each section, serving to sustain the onward momentum. P.R. MacLeod (Senior) was a prolific composer of Ceol Beag with 200 or so tunes to his name. He saw active service as Pipe Major with the Cameronians during WWI, in Egypt and Gallipoli. His grounding in the Island culture and his war service, were but two of many woven threads colouring this man's life - his tunes and his playing. To find out more, begin at P R MacLeod 19 Part One) Air: Callum-a-Glen; The source for this tune is James Hogg's Jacobite Relics... Volume 2, 1821, Song 78; 'from the Gaelic' he says - and goes on 'It is a pity that I have too much in hand in these songs from the Gaelic to speak them as I feel...'. Although James undertook lengthy journeys (a) in 1802 north from Ettrick as far as Dalnacardoch and Tomintoul and then (b) in 1803, more remarkably circuitous, from Edinburgh to the Butt of Lewis and return via Skye - Canna - Mull, in all lasting some four months (see Walking With James Hogg, Bruce Gilkison, 2014). His meagre knowledge of Gaelic frustrated him - the songs in his two printed volumes are all in English and 'fit' the tunes accordingly. This particular Jacobite song, full of grief, laments a man's state 'Was e-ver old warrior of suffering so weary?’... His chief is slain, family all gone - 'The homes of my kinsmen are blazing to heaven/The bright sun of morning has blush'd at the view...’. Finally, he draws comfort: dreaming of retribution. 19 Part Two) 6/8 Jig: George MacLeod the Piper Based on a 6/8 tune (‘Seoras Leodach’) in Angus Fraser’s unpublished manuscript ‘A Collection of Vocal Airs of the Highlands of Scotland - Communicated as Sung by the People of Scotland - and Formerly Played on the Harp’ (U of E Library – GEN614). Angus Fraser (1802-1870) was the natural son of Captain Simon Fraser (1773-1852) whose own noteworthy (printed) collections date from 1795 and 1816. Angus amassed material from all over Gaeldom, and on browsing through his manuscripts it is self-evident that his background knowledge was wide ranging, as was his technical appreciation. How much of all this was inherited through his father’s line, curious interest, or gleaned from contacts during his army career is not clear at present. Quite possibly all of the above. Here we have a theme and an extended variation, repeating the theme again finally. The theme is pentatonic and, in the variation, both gaps are filled making it mixolydian.

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20) Iagan Kennedy’s Boat From Dr. John Shaw’s Brìgh an Òran – A story in Every Song (pp. 271/408) - the songs and tales of Lauchie MacLellan, a book situating the inherited art of a fourth generation Canadian Gael. John Shaw quotes an Inverness county tradition… ‘the subject of the song was a returned sea captain… who became confused possibly as a result of old age, and went missing in the woods. He was found sitting in a hollow tree equipped with oars, convinced he was at sea’. In deference, I treat it as a lazy rowing song. 21) 6/8 Marches Old Adam; The 10th HLI Crossing the Rhine These have counted among my favourite 6/8's for many years. I always like to return to that dignified, elevating swing of the kilt when the spirits need a lift, which of course I suppose was the whole point of the tunes in the first place. The composer of both was P/M Donald Shaw Ramsay (1919-1998). Donald was born near Torphichen to a farming family. His father, a fiddle player himself, was keen on all this music and his infectious unbridled enthusiasm certainly rubbed off on his son - who began lessons on the chanter at the tender age of eight, and never looked back. Whilst he is not remembered as a 'competition' man he was tutored by the inimitable Willie Ross at Edinburgh Castle. At age 20 Donald became the youngest Pipe Major ever appointed in the British Army. His best compositions are original and expressive. This to my mind may be in part due to his exposure to the fiddle (as well as the highland pipes) at a young age, where the particular capacity for expression of the former would influence his imagination on the latter. I currently have no idea who Old Adam was, but The 10th HLI Crossing the Rhine on the other hand brings alive the memory of the offensive of 23rd March, 1945, in which the battalion, together with the 51st Highland Division and Commandos, were involved. 22) Slow Strathspey and Reel: Miss Campbell of Saddell; Miss Margaret Graham of Gartmore’s Favourite Both of these tunes are the compositions of Robert (‘Red Rob’) Mackintosh (c1745-1807). They appear in volume three (1796) of the four that he published between 1783 and 1803. Here we move into the houses, castles and ballrooms – the ‘polite’ circle of ladies and gentlemen with which William Marshall (above) was so well in tune. Numbers of these people were keen to have themselves framed in a tune, probably the only way many are now remembered. Fortunately, the four volumes of Mackintosh’s music have recently been resurrected, complete, in one volume, 2002 (to which Charles Gore has contributed an informative introduction) by the Highland Music Trust. It will soon become apparent to anyone pouring over this score that Mackintosh was a versatile and gifted musician (within both the category and this period of social history). There are over 250 of his original compositions. He apparently also fathered thirteen children so he was a busy man… with hopefully a good memory for names! John Murdoch Henderson (Flowers of Scottish Melody) refers to Miss Campbell… as a ‘Pastoral’. I prefer the slow Strathspey approach. This class of tune was a ‘listening’ interlude, not meant to dance to, but nevertheless in the elegant and uplifting pointed style of the strathspey. RM chooses his keys carefully. Here Bb brings mellowness to the resonance and adding double stops or broken chords enhances this even more. The reel I think of with dance movement. 23) Song of the Owl (Òran na Comhachaig) Francis Collinson draws our attention to this extraordinary Gaelic song in his book The Traditional and National Music of Scotland (p.60) - a gift which I've treasured since 1966. My fiddle arrangement is based on his transcription of the air from the source he

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quotes. It is ascribed to the C16 poet Dòmhnall mac Fhionnlaigh nan Dàn (Donald son of Finlay of the Poems). The idea to arrange this was brought to focus with the publication, in 2012, of Pat Menzies' book of the above title, published by the Scottish Gaelic Texts Society, in which the whole background is comprehensively presented - along with 72 verses of the poem - Pat says, '...a textual reconstruction based on eighteenth-century sources' . The roots lie back in oral culture, where this material would be sung and/or recited (in its entirety) from memory - vocalised - to a listening gathering. The poet, a very old man in decrepitude (bemoaning how agile he once was on two legs... and now has three) is in dialogue with the owl : 'Little bird of the gloomy brow' (Pat Menzies, p.77, stanza 11), silent hunter of the night and witness of the day. They have many observations... Nowadays the tawny owl, featured in my setting (courtesy of the RSPB), might also have something to say about loss of habitat... The dialogue takes place over an E major chord representing a background of quiet timeless permanence superimposed on which, in the gathering dusk, the two reminisce. This wonderful photo captured by Darin Smith, published on the www.wildlifetrusts.org website had to colour my thinking:

The song is chant-like, no time signature, there are no bar lines. The fiddle part is ad lib, driven by syllable. At once innate and spontaneous. 24) Reel (Slow/Fast): Na Tulaichean* - The Reel of Tulloch A wild earthy tune - its popularity reflected by the number of variants, added variations and so on. Also the stories: I homed in on one in The Killin Collection (1884) page 47. The version Iplay here is a traditional one, given to me by Hector MacAndrew in 1971. It is basically 32 bars of strathspey reel followed by faster tempo reel time, i.e. four pulse to two pulse. The arrangement is a sequence of consecutive fifths or fourths over an A/E drone bass - the same sequence in each line (four bars). Scottish composer/conductor Ian Whyte (1901-1961) incorporated this tune in his ballet music for Donald of the Burthens, first performed in 1951 (Sadler's Wells Ballet). There is an electrifying moment when a lone piper enters playing it. Ian created some imaginative and lively song arrangements, among other things... must be languishing in an archive somewhere? Below is the story from The Killin Collection:

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25) Sword Dance: Gille Calum (The Lad Malcolm)

Roderick B Cannon in his book The Highland Bagpipe and its Music, p.117, (Music for Dancing) presents us with a concise insight to the background of the tune which is used for the Sword Dance - 'The Swords'. Although the tune appears in numerous pipe collections and an early version in the Drummond Castle mss(1734), I play the version Hector gave me, no frills or variations : strathspey/reel. He always finished playing the reel with a bagpipe flourish (and an eye to eye nod when we ever played it over together). Magic moments! RBC quotes the name as deriving from mouth music 'of which the chorus runs: Gille Calum da pheighinn Gille Calum twa pennies Gille Calum da pheighinn Gille Calum twa pennies Da pheignn, da pheighinn Twa pennies twa pennies Gille Calum bonn-a-sia Gillie Calum ae bawbee Another verse is to the effect that 'I could get a wife for nothing... a useless one for ae bawbee'... A celebratory, brisk, lively and defiant note on which to close the session… ************************************************************************************************************

Notes © Michael Welch, 2020

Next programme – No. 27 – November, 2020

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