New Composition by Carol-Anne Mackay

Composer’s notes.

 

As a traditional musician but first and foremost a piper, my hopes for this composition were always to have it as a piece of music that would be in-keeping with piping traditions of our area. I wanted it to be a piece of music that would suit being played alongside some of the traditional tunes that would have been played at the time of the 1st World War.  I also wanted the piece to show how piping traditions have developed over the last 100 years and how Highland Bagpipes are now commonly heard being played in groups along side other instruments such as the accordion, fiddle, guitar and piano. 

 

The piece is made up from 5 tunes of different genres.  Each one representing a different aspect of a piper’s life: before, during or after the 1st World War.

 

4/4 March ‘The Piper’s Place’

This is a lively 4/4 march that is to represent the pipers before they left their communities and joined the regimental pipe bands.

 

Retreat March ‘Rank Reality’

This tune has a more military feel and represents when the pipers were in the ranks of the army pipe band. It is composed in a minor key to give the feeling of sadness and fear that would have been felt by many pipers during War times.  I have included drums in this part of the composition to help the tune sound like an authentic pipe band tune.

 

Slow Air  ‘The Fallen Pipers’

This part of the composition is in memory of the many pipers that never returned from the War.

 

4/4 March ‘The Piper’s Place’

This is the same melody as the first part of the composition but it is played in a less lively style and is to represent the pipers returning back to their communities.

 

Strathspey ‘The Dancing Piper’

This tune is to show that the role of the piper was still very important after returning from the War.  A piper would often play for dancing at local ceilidhs and gatherings and this strathspey is in the style of a traditional dance tune that would have been used. Pipers would often have been trained to as Highland dancers too and this tune could be used for Ceilidh or Highland dancing.

 

Reel “ Reel for Ronnie’

The final tune of the piece shows that the bagpipes are now a very important part of our musical future as well as heritage.  Other traditional instruments play along with the bagpipe melody and demonstrate how accompaniment and harmony can compliment the tune. The tune is named after Ronnie Lansley, the Co-ordinator of the Pibrochs and Poppies Project.