OT: 2 July 1927 – A. MacPherson “Piobaireachd Pipe Music”

The Oban Times, 2 July, 1927

Piobaireachd Pipe Music

 Inveran Hotel, Invershin, Sutherland, 23 June, 1927

Sir,–In your issue of 18th June, the Piobaireachd Society make an announcement, three months after the tunes for this year’s competition had been issued, that they find there are mistakes in the publication and are going to prepare revised copies. To a student of piobaireachd three minutes were sufficient to see that there were mistakes, but I suppose that had it been pointed out by any other person than a member of the Piobaireachd Society, it would, as formerly, have fallen upon deaf ears. This is not the first time that the Piobaireachd Society has issued tunes containing mistakes, and they were allowed to pass on and to be handed down to posterity. Had the same course been followed on this occasion it would, I think, have been more creditable than the belated announcement now made, as no doubt pipers of piobaireachd ability would avail themselves of the option to play other and correct settings.

I think that the announcement now made should substantiate a suggestion I put forward some time ago in your columns that a small number of traditionally taught pipers (and alas, their number is now getting very small, indeed), be appointed to act in conjunction with the Piobaireachd Society Music Committee, in preparing the tunes to be annually published.

In this way they would avoid adding to the already too many misleading interpretations of the music which, in its correct form, has no equal. I am, etc.,

A.. MacPherson