We continue with the Oban Times correspondence of 1926 on the ‘redundant’ low A controversy. GS McLennan remains adamant in his response to P/M John Grant…….
‘In referring to the ‘Piobaireachd as MacCrimmon Played It’, Mr Grant asks a number of questions regarding the way the crunluath is written in certain tunes and then says, ‘In all these instances Lt McLennan [GS’s father] gave the crunluath in what is traditionally known as crunluath mach’.
By The Editor
‘The controversy is on the taorluath and crunluath and the a mach movement is not in dispute.
‘Would Mr Grant say why he omits the redundant A when writing these taorluath and crunluath movements from D?
‘Mr Grant is absolutely wrong in taking it that I ‘prefer to play these movements making an ugly heavy low G to a beautiful low A’. I make no more low Gs than Mr Grant, but like all other properly taught pipers, I simply do not play a redundant low A.
‘It is somewhat surprising to find Mr Grant giving it as his opinion that low G is an ugly note. I am of the opinion that there is no note of the pipe chanter that is ugly except when fingered by an incompetent performer.’
P/M Grant responded by forwarding for publication an interesting letter he received personally from a Mr JF Farquharson, former Piper to the Prince of Wales. It reads:
‘As one of the old school of pipers I have been greatly interested in your letters in the Oban Times. In 1859 I went to Duncan Campbell to learn piobaireachd. He taught me the crunluath the same as in MacKay’s book note for note.
‘All through 1861 I was taught by Donald Cameron who played the crunluath the same as Angus MacKay’s book. In 1863 and part of 1864 I was under John Ban Mackenzie, Breadalbane. He also used MacKay’s book which is as the MacCrimmons played the crunluath.
‘John McAlister, Piper to the Duke of Sutherland, played the same as written in MacKay’s book, and I do till this day. Anyone who does not play MacKay’s crunluath is not playing correctly as taught by the MacCrimmons.
‘My teaching that I have had from these pipers goes back 90 years and more, and they were taught by the descendants of the MacCrimmons.’
P/M Grant adds: ‘Mr Farquharson is well over 80 years of age and his fingers are quite good yet. He says that he won the silver-mounted dirk at Inverness in 1874. Mr Farquharson also played off with Wm. MacDonald (late piper to the Prince of Wales) for the sporran in 1868 and the former won it.
‘Surely this is genuine proof of several things, one of which is that Angus MacKay was the saviour of piobaireachd, a performer and a collector who was above reproach.’
- To be concluded. Read the first instalment here.
Gesto Collection – Transliterated by P/M W MacLean
This is a dowloadable copy of the 1910 work transliterated from the Gesto Canntaireachd by P/M William MacLean, Kilcreggan. He has taken the canntaireachd and interpreted it in such a way as to provide us with scores of tunes in settings that are eminently playable by today’s pipers. There is a fulsome introduction and you can read more about the pipe major here. This volume is offered as a pipingpress.com service and is taken from a copy of the original…
