The Highland bagpipe : $b its history, literature, and music: with some account of the traditions, superstitions, and anecdotes relating to the instrument and its tunesManson, W. L. (William Laird)
History
The Highland bagpipe : $b its history, literature, and music: with some account of the traditions, superstitions, and anecdotes relating to the instrument and its tunes
Manson, W. L. (William Laird)
Bagpipe
_Iain du Beeroch du_ was a noted Highland cattle-lifter, and corresponds
to _Seumas-an-Tuim_, of the Perthshire origin of the tune. Probably they
were one and the same person under different names. The only theory on
which the three stories can be reconciled is that the tune originally
belonged to Perthshire, but was taken to Caithness and to Argyllshire by
different pipers, accepted in each place as new, and given a new name.
In those days, when communication between districts of Scotland which
had nothing in common was very restricted, the tune could exist in one
county as new for many years without the people knowing that it was
familiar to those of another. And naturally they continued to associate
with it the circumstances in which they themselves first heard it. It
was this tune, by the way, that on the morning of Quatre Bras, was
played through the streets of Brussels to wake the slumbering
Highlanders.
“THE MAC GREGORS’ GATHERING.”
Although the Clan Mac Gregor was one of the most famous in Highland
history, there is not very much even of reliable tradition concerning
the music of the clan. There is—or, at least, was—enough of tradition;
but as it does not seem to have been committed to paper, it is now
probably lost. Of the origin of “The Mac Gregors’ Gathering” we know
nothing beyond the fact that it was included in Captain Mac Leod of
Gesto’s manuscript book of pibrochs as having been taken down in pipers’
language, that “syllabic jargon of illiterate pipers” referred to at
length in a former article, from the performers, most likely from the
Mac Crimmons. From the Gesto book it was translated in 1815 into
ordinary notation by Alexander Campbell, editor of _Albyn’s Anthology_,
and this gave it a place in published pipe music. The notation of
Captain Mac Leod, says Mr. Campbell, he found, to his astonishment, to
coincide exactly with regular notation, so it cannot have been such
jargon after all. Scott thoroughly caught the spirit of his tune in the
song:—
“The moon’s on the lake, and the mist’s on the brae,
And the Clan has a name that is nameless by day!
Then gather, gather, gather, Gregalich!
Gather, gather, gather, etc.
Our signal for fight, that from monarchs we drew,
Must be heard but by night in our vengeful haloo!
Then haloo, Gregalich! haloo, Gregalich!
Haloo, haloo, haloo, Gregalich, etc.
Glen Orchy’s proud mountains, Caolchuirn and her towers,
Glen Strae and Glen Lyon no longer are ours;
We’re landless, landless, landless, Gregalich!
Landless, landless, landless, etc.
But doom’d and devoted by vassal and lord,
Mac Gregor has still both his heart and his sword!
Then courage, courage, courage, Gregalich;
Courage, courage, courage, etc.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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