OT: 24 June 1911 – Boreraig “Piobaireachd and Poetry”

The Oban Times, 24 June 1911

Piobaireachd and Poetry

17 June, 1911

Sir,–In last Saturday’s issue Dr. K. N. MacDonald says: “‘Boreraig’ has also started a wide question in his remarks about poetry and music.” Dr. MacDonald is evidently meaning that vocal music and poetry are intertwined with each other, but instrumental music is quite different.

So far as I am concerned this question arose over a remark which I made in these columns that piobaireachd had nothing to do with poetry; and again I say neither it has. A real pipe tune has no words to accompany it, nor does it require words of any description. Bagpipe music is complete in itself without poetry, and I require no words whatever when I play it.–I am, etc.,

Boreraig