|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
Stories
about the tunes being played today: Sir
Ewen Cameron of Lochiel�s Salute
Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel (1629
to 1718) was one of the most remarkable Highlanders of his time.
He was a staunch supporter of the Stuart kings, and a formidable
warrior, who received the appellation of dubh, from his dark
complexion. He was one of the most remarkable persons who
figured on the troubled stage of Highland history during the
great civil war, and was the last man in Scotland who made his
submission to King William, having been determined to hold out
until permission was received from King James, then in exile on
the continent.
The chief of an
intrepid clan, and himself a powerful and hardy veteran, he was
engaged in many exploits which evinced great valor and military
prowess. The Governor of Inverlochy, now Fort William, detached
a party of three hundred men to lay waste Lochiel�s
possessions, and cut down his trees; but, in a sudden and
desperate attack made upon them by the chieftain, with very
inferior numbers, they were almost all cut to pieces. The
skirmish is detailed in a curious memoir of Sir Ewen�s life,
printed in appendix of Pennant�s Scottish Tour. �In this
engagement, Lochiel himself had several wonderful escapes. In
the retreat of the English, one of the strongest and bravest of
the officers retired behind a bush; when he saw Lochiel
pursuing, and unaccompanied with any one, he leaped out, and
thought him his prey. They met one another with equal fury. The
combat was long and doubtful: the English gentleman had by far
the advantage in strength and size, but Lochiel exceeded him in
nimbleness and agility, and in the end tript the sword out of
his hand; they closed and wrestled till both fell to the ground
in each other�s arms. The English officer got above Lochiel
and pressed him hard; but stretching forth his neck, by
attempting to disengage himself, Lochiel, who by this time had
his hands at liberty, with his left hand seized him by the
collar, and jumping at his extended throat, he bit it with his
teeth quite through, and kept such a hold of his grasp, that he
brought away his mouthful; �This� he said, �was the
sweetest bite he ever had in his lifetime.� According to Angus
MacKay, this tune was composed on that event.
Many years later,
Lochiel was in London and went into a barber�s shop to get his
hair and beard trimmed. When the razor was passing over his
throat, the chatty barber observed, �You are from the North,
Sir?� �Yes,� said Lochiel, �I am. Do you know any people
from the North?� �No sir,� replied the barber, �nor do I
wish to; they are savages there. Would you believe it, sir, one
of them tore the throat out of my father with his teeth, and I
only wish I had the fellow�s throat as near to me as I have
yours right just now.� Lochiel said nothing, but he never
entered a barber�s shop again. The
Munro�s Salute
This tune is the product of John Dall MacKay, Piper to
MacKenzie of Gairloch who, being a favourite of the Munroes, was
a frequent guest at Fearndonel, the seat of the chief, where he
was treated with particular kindness, and composed this salute
in compliment to his hospitable friends. The
Company�s Lament
Little
is known about the origins of this tune which is said to have
been composed to mark the untimely death of a young piper
serving in India at the time of his death. Queen
Elizabeth The Second�s Salute This tune was composed by Donald MacLeod to mark Her Majesty�s Silver Jubilee in 1976. MacLeod was born in Stornaway where he began piping at an early age. He served in the Seaforth Highlanders for twenty-five years, twenty-one of them as Pipe Major. He was a most successful competitor and is a fine composer of all forms of bagpipe music, including piobaireachd. In 1978, Donald MacLeod was awarded the M. B. E. for his services to piping. Lady
Anapool�s Lament
Nothing
seems to be known about the identity of a Lady Anapool, nor for
that matter, a Laird of Anapool, who is the subject of another
composition believed to be the creation of Iain Dall MacKay.
There is no suggestion that there is any relationship between
the Lord and Lady, that they existed at the same time in
history, nor that the same person composed their laments. This
paticular lament appears in the Campbell Canntaireachd MS under
the title �MacAlister�s Lively Lament�. The
Piobaireachd Society of Antigonish
The Piobaireachd Society of Antigonish was formed in
November 1996 to promote the learning and performance of
Piobaireachd, the ancient music of the Highland Scots who
settled in Eastern Nova Scotia in the 19th century. The Society
meets approximately eight times a year and members and guests
enjoy performances by pipers from Antigonish Town and County who
are studying Piobaireachd.
Since 1997, the Society has hosted a series of
Piobaireachd workshops open to all who wish to learn to play the
great music, with participants coming from across the Maritime
Provinces. These workshops have been conducted by some of the
best instructors in North America and, indeed, the world! Among
them have been Bob Worrall, Burlington, ON, Ed Neigh of
Wellesley, ON, Gold Medalist and Clasp winner Jim McGillivray,
Aurora, ON, Gold Medalist Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, NS, Gold
Medalist Alasdair Gillies of Pittsburgh, PA, Double Gold
Medalist Andrew Wright of Dunblane, Scotland, President of The
Piobaireachd Society (Scotland), and yet another Double Gold
Medalist, John Cairns of London, ON. Tunes taught include those
selected by the Piobaireachd Society (Scotland) for the Silver
and Gold Medal competitions held annually at the Argyllshire
Gathering in Oban and The Northern Meeting in Inverness. These
tunes have been set for performance at the annual ACPBA
Piobaireachd Challenge competitions held each May in Antigonish,
Nova Scotia since 1990.
In
June 2000 the Society hosted the First Annual Pipers� Memorial
at the South River Cemetery to honour the memories of two former
Official Pipers of the Antigonish Highland Society. Each of the
eight participating pipers was presented with a hardbound copy
of �The Killberry Book of Ce�l M�r�. In June 2001 the
Second Annual Pipers� Memorial was held at St. Margaret�s
Parish Cemetery, Arisaig, where nine pioneer pipers were
remembered. On that occasion, one more student piper was
presented with a Killberry book and five other participating
musicians were presented with copies of
�The Book of the Bagpipe� by Hugh Cheape of the
National Museum of Scotland. The Third Annual Pipers Memorial
took place in Maryvale, with presentations of �The Art Of
Piobaireachd� by Iain L. McKay of New Zealand. The Fourth
Annual Pipers� Memorial is taking place today, September 6th,
here in Giant�s Lake, Guysborough County.
In
October 2000, the Society awarded its first travel bursary to a
local Antigonish piper who represented Atlantic Canada at the
prestigious George Sheriff Memorial Amateur Solo Piping
Competition in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2001 and 2002, the Society
gave bursaries for the study of Piobaireachd at St. Ann�s
Gaelic College and for travel to Piobaireachd competitions in
Scotland. The Society welcomes new members and the general public is always invited to attend student recitals and Society meetings. Notices of meetings, workshops, and recitals appear in the local media. |
