TUNES.
Music from the pipes and drums breathe a sense of passion and pride to those who hear it. From funerals, to competitions or stage performances with the likes of the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, the Chieftains or the Piano Guys — we strive to balance the requirements of our performances with the skill level of our players.
Here is our current repertoire (rev 31 DEC 2021):
Road Tunes.
Amazing Grace
His Father's Lament for Donald MacKenzie
Colonel Forbes of Corse and Wings
Killiecrankie and Aros Park
The Barren Rocks of Aden and Wha’ Saw the 42nd
Bathgate Highland Gathering, Festival March, Banks of the Lossie
St. Patrick's Medley:
Kerry Dance and Rakes of Mallow
Military Medley:
Army, Marine's, Navy, Air Force, USCG
March Medley:
Sunset on the Somme
Castle Dangerous
Balmoral
Massed Bands:
Green Hills of Tyrol and When the Battle's O'er
Scotland the Brave and Rowan Tree
High Road to Gairloch and Brown Haired Maiden
Bonnie Dundee and Glendaurel Highlanders
Caber Feidh
G4.
Slow Air Set:
The Irish Sea, Bells of Dunblane and The Rowan Tree Air
Farewell to the Creeks
Silver Threads Among the Gold
Medley:
Bloody Fields of Flanders
Old wife of the Milldust
The Gathering
The Classical Bob
The Fiddler
Sleepy Maggie
Silver Spear
Mini MSR:
Captain Norman Orr Ewing
Harp and the Lion
Green Fields of America
G3.
Altera Terra
Irish Sea, Drew James McIntosh and Old Wife and the Milldust
Drew James McIntosh
Dr. JG Hunter of Aultbea and Pipe Major Donald Maclean of Lewis
Bathgate Highland Gathering, Festival March, Banks of the Lossie
Ian McMaster
The Diamond Anniversary March
MSR 1:
Father John MacMillan of Barra
Caber Feidh
The Grey Bob
MSR 2:
Monica Donnan's
Stac Polly
Anne Spalding
Wake Up! Medley:
Cutting Bracken
John Roy Stewart
AA Cameron
Sandy Tony Cameron
Cutting Bracken Jig
Out of the Air
Pipes of Peace
Sailing on Top of the Waves
High Drive
aWake Medley:
William Grey
Mo Ghille Mear
Thunderhead Slow Jig
Thunderhead
Rory Gallagher
An Cota Ruadh and Part E
Reeliam Grey
TUNE HISTORY.
Some history behind #TunesWePlay
THE ROWAN TREE
The name "rowan" is derived from the Old Norse name for the tree, raun. Linguists believe that the Norse name is ultimately derived from a proto-Germanic word *raudnian meaning "getting red" and which referred to the red foliage and red berries in the autumn. According to the Celtic tradition the ROWAN TREE would provide protection against evil spirits. To have one at home would bring good luck and to cut it would bring unhappiness - which explains its relative proliferation in Scotland. The origin of the melody is unknown but the lyrics are from 1822 and were written by Carolina Oliphant, also known as Lady Nairne. The Rowan Tree was also a favorite tune of Pipe Major Dave McKee Sr of Chicago's Stock Yard Kilty Band.
BALMORAL
The tune Balmoral was written by Sir Robert Bruce of the Gordon Highlanders. As a Scottish solider fighting in World War 2, Robert Bruce was captured during the Battle of Singapore in Malaysia along with many fellow soldiers. The Battle ended on April 9, 1942, when British Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival surrendered to Japanese General Masaharu Homma; by this point 130,000 soldiers became Prisoners of War. What followed was one of the worst atrocities in modern wartime history—In October 1942, the Japanese began to move POWs up to Thailand to build the Thai-Burma Railway which was their strategic solution to get supplies to their forces fighting the British in Burma. Learn more here.
