I recently had another very enjoyable and productive session in the Special Collections reading room of the National Library of Scotland (NLS) in Edinburgh.
The main purpose of this visit was to take another look at Robert Meldrum’s manuscript, where, in January, I had found a score entitled the Rout of Glenlivet, which I realised was the same tune the Piobaireachd Society had published in its Book 16 as Nameless from John MacDougall Gillies’ manuscript.
By John Frater
That was a great find for me – having played the PS setting at the Book 16 launch. I had more recently prepared a score for, and performed, Gillies’ setting. An unusual tune, it’s one that I thoroughly enjoy playing.
What is not clear from the cryptic footnote in Robert Meldrum’s MS is his source for the tune or the name. As far as I can determine, Meldrum is not known to have composed piobaireachd – in his reminiscences to his compositions he mentions only light music, tunes such as the 6/8 Lillie Long Wade’s Welcome to Inverness. End of digression…
While planning my Meldrum MS follow up visit, I came across Acc 3989 in the NLS’s online catalogue. There was little information beyond ‘Bagpipe Music’ acquired in 1965, but I thought I’d take pot luck and add it to my ‘please make available’ requests. Great decision!
On the Piobaireachd Society website library is an inconspicuous entry for ‘Acc. 3989 ANON. Volume of bagpipe music, 19th cent… 24 Piobaireachds, 59 Marches, 13 Strathspeys, 24 Reels’, with named examples of tunes, Lament for Mary MacLeod the only ceòl mòr mentioned.
Acc. 3989 turned out to be a handsome, bound volume of manuscript scores, neatly written. Marked on the front cover, ‘Pipe Music PH Bett’. I had never heard of PH Bett, though I was aware that a James Bett had published a collection of bagpipe music.
From my subsequent reading, I am confident that PH Bett is Dr Patrick Hunter Bett (1861-1903) of Coatbridge, medical practitioner and respected amateur piper. Dr Bett was a member of the Glasgow Highland Club, a Northern Meeting piping judge, and the younger brother of James Bett.
Dr Bett is mentioned in the history of Royal Scottish Piping Society as being often invited to judge the members’ competition. He was taught by Duncan MacDougall, piper to Lord Breadalbane and bagpipe maker in Aberfeldy, and, while a medical student in Edinburgh, by Gold Medallist William MacLennan, cousin of GS.
(The manuscript includes an excellent 2/4 March, Wm MacLennan’s Farewell to Edinburgh, which I had not encountered previously.)
PH Bett’s manuscript turned out to be very interesting, with a good selection of light music tunes, several unfamiliar to me, plenty of mainstream piobaireachd, plus two John MacColl piobaireachd, named in this MS as Neil McLeod McDonald of Dunach’s Lament and Donald MacPhee’s Lament.
Having spent many happy hours with Dale Brown’s excellent collection of the music of John MacColl, I was aware that one of his piobaireachd had not been found.
I hadn’t been looking for lost tunes, but, sitting in the library, unable to recall the names of the John MacColl piobaireachds that had been published, I wondered ‘is one of these the missing tunes?’ For a piobaireachd nerd like me, this was seriously exciting stuff!
Once home I established that Donald MacPhee’s Lament by master piper John MacColl (1860 – 1943) was indeed the missing tune. Well done NLS!
The conservation of PH Bett’s manuscript book is more than justified by this alone, mainly because of the tune’s historical interest, but also as Donald MacPhee’s Lament seems to me an attractive piece – a straightforward tune, with an expressive, melodic urlar.
- Stay tuned for a full, downloadable copy of the music and a recording.
I look forward to further information regarding details of the discoveries.