Category: History

The Quality of Solo and Band Adjudication

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[wds id=”2″] Robert Wallace: This quiet period in the piping and pipe band season affords an opportunity to look back through old documents and magazines. Many’s the pleasant hour can be spent thus engaged. I thought I’d share this excerpt from the ‘Piping and Dancing’ magazine of September 1939 with our readers.  Some reflections on it tomorrow, time permitting. There are wonderful film clips of Cowal in the 30s on British…

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James Campbell, Kilberry: Letters – Part 1

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Today, in an important series exclusive to pipingpress.com, we have the first excerpt from articles by piobaireachd scholar and senior adjudicator, Norman Matheson, Aberdeen. They are based on correspondence he had with ceol mor authority James Campbell, Kilberry, between 1997 and 2003. They concern piobaireachd playing in general, and in particular the production of the ‘Masters of Piobaireachd’ CD recordings of the playing of RU Brown and RB Nicol, Balmoral, and contain…

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P/M Donald Maclean and Major Manson

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It is history all the way this morning with a nice letter and photographs from Ontario about Donald Maclean’s 2/4 march Major Manson at Clachantrushal. The letter begs more information on P/M Maclean and this we have included in our new ‘Famous Pipers’ section of the web magazine. Easy access to piping history is very important, especially for the younger, internet generation. Here, then, is an opportunity for our army of young…

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Breadalbane’s Pipers

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Two interesting items today for our readers. They will be of particular interest to those with an eye and an ear for piping history concerning as they do pipers in Perthshire in the late 19th century. Firstly we have a letter about a piper, James Robertson (left), who, his descendents tell us, was piper to the Earl of Breadalbane. Then in an article we take a longer look at a few…

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JFK’s Funeral – Final Excerpt

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Today we publish the final chapter in  Lt Col Robert Keith Gunther’s fascinating look back at events of 51 years ago and the State Funeral of President John F Kennedy. This time Lt Col Gunther examines the role played by the pipe band of the United States Air Force in that defining moment in history. He also offers some conclusions on how he believes the American perception of the bagpipe…

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