Piobaireachd Society Announce Recommended Set Tunes for 2023

The Piobaireachd Society has instituted a new approach to the tunes it recommends for the senior competitions at the Argyllshire Gathering and the Northern Meeting. Ronald McShannon of the Society’s Music Committee:

A. SENIOR COMPETITIONS

A new approach to setting tunes for the senior competitions is recommended for a trial period of five years.   The aim is to give competitors a wider choice of tunes while still ensuring exposure for the appropriate repertoire.   If deemed successful, the period may be extended beyond five years.

Competitors will submit six tunes from the list below.   Different tunes will be selected for each competitor for the Argyllshire Gathering and the Northern Meeting in the same year.   The chosen tunes will be noted and competitors will not be permitted to submit these two tunes again for a period of at least five years.   

The list may be expanded from year to year on the recommendation of the Piobaireachd Society.  It is unlikely that any of the tunes will be removed from the list.

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The Finger Lock	PS 1, K
In Praise of Morag	PS 1, K
The Unjust Incarceration	PS 2, K
The Bells of Perth	PS 2, K
Lament for Donald Ban MacCrimmon	PS 2, K
Donald Gruamach’s March	PS 2, K
Colin Roy MacKenzie’s Lament	PS 3, K
Lament for the Duke of Hamilton	PS 3, K
Lament for the Earl of Antrim	PS 3, K
Lament for the Children	PS 3, K
Patrick Og MacCrimmon’s Lament	PS 3, K
Scarce of Fishing	PS 3, K
The Red Speckled Bull	PS 4, K
Beinn a Ghriain	PS 4
John Garve MacLeod of Raasay’s Lament	PS 5, K
Mary’s Praise	PS 5, K
Lament for the Union	PS 6, K
Craigellachie	PS 6, K
The Daughter’s Lament	PS 6, K
The Sound of the Waves against the Castle of Duntroon	PS 6, K
The End of the Little Bridge	PS 8, K
Lady MacDonald’s Lament	PS 8, K
Nameless Cherede Darievea	PS 8, K
The Laird of Anapool’s Lament	PS 9
The Rout of the Lowland Captain	PS 9
MacLeod of Colbeck’s Lament	PS 10
MacKenzie of Gairloch’s Lament	PS 10
The Red Hand in the MacDonald’s Arms	PS 10
The MacLeans’ March	PS 10
The Battle of Waterloo	PS 11
Mrs MacLeod of Talisker’s Salute	PS 11
The MacDonalds’ Salute	PS 11
Abercairney’s Salute	PS 11
My Dearest on Earth, Give me your Kiss	PS 11
Lament for the Harp Tree	PS 12, K
Port Urlar	PS 12
Lament for Airds	PS 13
Lament for Hugh	PS 13
Salute to MacDonald of Staffa	PS 13
Good Health to You Donald	PS 13
The Sutherlands’ Gathering	PS 14
Lament for King George III	PS 14
Lament for Cluny MacPherson	PS 14
Sir James MacDonald of the Isles’ Salute	PS 14
MacLeod of MacLeod’s Lament	PS 15, K
Farewell to the Queen’s Ferry	PS 20th Century Piob. 2020 edition
Lament for John MacDonald, Inverness	PS 20th Century Piob. 2020 edition
Lament for Pipe Major Robert Reid	PS 20th Century Piob. 2020 edition
Salute to James Campbell	PS 20th Century Piob. 2020 edition
Salute to the MacCrimmon Cairn at Borreraig	PS 20th Century Piob. 2020 edition
The Phantom Piper of Corrieyairack	PS 20th Century Piob. 2020 edition
Roderick MacDonald’s Salute	Donald MacLeod Piob. 2019 edition
A Son’s Salute to his Parents	Donald MacLeod Piob. 2019 edition
The Edinburgh Piobaireachd	John MacLellan Ceol Mor

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B. GOLD MEDAL COMPETITIONS

Sobieski’s Salute	PS 5
The Lament for the Only son	PS 6, K
Queen Anne’s Lament	PS 7, K
The Rout of the Lowland Captain	PS 9
The Black Wedder’s White Tail	PS 11
The MacDonalds’ Salute	PS 11
Lament for the Dead	PS 11
Abercairney’s Salute	PS 11
MacKintosh of Borlum’s Salute	PS 12
The Menzies’ Salute	PS 15, K

Competitors will submit four of the above tunes, one of which they will be required to play.

C. SILVER MEDAL COMPETITIONS

Weighing From Land	PS 2, K
Welcome Johnny back Again	PS 9
Fair Honey	PS 9
Sir Ewan Cameron of Locheil’s Salute	PS 10
Nameless, ‘One of the Cragich’	PS 12
Nameless,(Hihorodo tra cherede che)	PS 12
Salute to Young Neil	PS 13
Lament for Finlay	PS 13

Competitors will submit four of the above tunes, one of which they will be required to play.

PS = Piobaireachd Society Collection    K = Kilberry Book of Ceol Mor

The Donald MacLeod and PS 20th Century Piobaireachd collections have been corrected and re-printed recently in A4 format and it is recommended that these be used as the sources for these tunes.

Competitors are not restricted to settings in the Piobaireachd Society Collection and Kilberry Book.   Those who wish to play alternative settings should submit legible scores, indicating the origins of the settings, to competition organisers along with their tune selections.

Altogether different tunes known by the same or similar names will not be accepted as alternatives. This announcement is without prejudice to any arrangements made by the Argyllshire Gathering or the Northern Meeting.

For the Music Committee: Ronald McShannon, 2 Ascot Avenue, Glasgow, G12 0AX