The Piobaireachd Society and author John Shone have published a new book ‘Life, Times and Music of John Macdonald, Inverness’. It is considered an important work in that it contains previously unseen correspondence and the manuscript book of the man described by Sheriff JP Grant, Rothiemurchus thus:
‘Those who have heard him playing the ancient classical music of the Great Highland pipe will, if they have a spark of music in their souls, recognise at once that they have been privileged to hear a great master of music.’
The book draws on material left to the author by his teacher P/M JB Robertson, Scots Guards, who in turn had received it from Dr William MacPhail, a long time friend of John Macdonald, a frequent visitor to his home and hospital in Sussex.
Of considerable interest to piobaireachd enthusiasts will be the hand-written scores done by John Macdonald for his students in the Army Class of which he was principal instructor. The Class, founded by the Piobaireachd Society, was the forerunner of today’s Army School of Piping.
The book highlights John Macdonald’s crucial role in ensuring the continuance of tradition-based piobaireachd playing from the end of the 19th into the early 20th century, a time when very few pipers had any repertoire to speak of.
‘Life, Times and Music of John Macdonald, Inverness’ is a quality production, A4 in size and fully illustrated throughout. It is available from the Society’s online shop here priced £25. Review to follow.
The following is abridged from Sheriff Grant’s obituary for John Macdonald which first appeared in the Piping Times in 1953:
Born at Glentruim, Newtonmore, he got his teaching from his father and from old Malcolm Macpherson, Cluny’s piper, and at an early age he began to be recognised as an outstanding player. As a young gamekeeper on Glentromie he first came into prominence in the piping world and up to recent years he was acknowledged to be the king of pipers and teachers. Within a fortnight of his death, though for long unable to play even on the practice chanter, and latterly bedridden, he was still teaching piobaireachd music to a few chosen pupils.
About 1909 the Army Class for the training of aspirants for the appointment of Pipe-Major was organised by the Piobaireachd Society. They appointed John as instructor. In Regular Army Officer circles there was some demur at the appointment of a civilian to this post …. but John’s magic quickly converted them … later, army pipers were found queuing up for the course. The standard of army piping was at that date very inferior, and even by 1914 the result of John’s teaching began to have an effect.
He remained to the day of his death the senior instructor of the Piobaireachd Society, and conducted classes in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, South Uist and elsewhere….. and the effect of these is evident in the production of such players as Pipe-Major John MacDonald and his brother Roderick, both of the Glasgow Police, Pipe-Major Angus MacAulay of Benbecula and now teaching in Whangarel, New Zealand, and indeed of many others …
John’s playing pedigree can be traced right back to the greatest of the MacCrimmons of Borreraig, Skye, For Patrick of MacCrimmon, hereditary piper for half a century to the MacLeods of Dunvegan, had as his best pupil John Mackay of Gairloch, Am Piobaire Dall, whose best pupil was John MacKay, the herd-boy of Raasay, the father of the great Angus MacKay, who taught Donald Cameron, who taught John’s father, and whose sons Sandy and Colin taught John. Of course none of this could have borne fruit if John himself had not the great ‘gift’.
I wrote the following eulogy many years ago and I can with sincerity repeat it: ‘Those who have heard him playing the ancient classical music of the recognise at once that they have been privileged to hear a great master of music ….. No one who has experienced this will ever forget it, and he must be a better man ever afterwards.’
He has gone at last, much loved. admired and respected by all who knew him. His friends will care to know that for the last few years, when ill health and infirmity overtook him, he was cared for by Mrs. Rae, his housekeeper, with skilled and loving care, and died peacefully and happily.
Classic Piobaireachd (Vol.1 A – L): Lessons on Great Tunes
Here we have some of the very best piobaireachd from the ceòl mòr canon. Every piper should know these tunes, or at least have a working knowledge of them. They are played here in full by Robert Wallace on the practice chanter without interruption. Thus he preserves the essential linking of the phrases and variations as they occur, making each tune a complete unit – exactly the way it should be…