Set Tunes 2011

The Piobaireachd Society recommends the following lists of set tunes for competition in 2011:

A. SENIOR COMPETITIONS

*Lament for LochnellPS 13 P 398
Port UrlarPS 12 P 387
*War or PeaceGesto canntaireachd version
*The Vaunting (An Intended Lament)Donald MacDonald MS P 223-228
*Lament for Iain Garve MacLeod of Raasay (MacLeod of   Raasay’s Lament)Donald MacDonald MS P 20-24
*Lady Margaret MacDonalds SaluteMacArthur MacGregor Manuscript  tune 27 P 155
*The Pipers Warning to his Master (MacDonald’s Warning)Donald MacDonald Manuscript pp98-102

Competitors will submit three tunes from the above list, one of which they will be required to play. Some of the music for the above tunes is available on our website. If this is the case the tune appears in red ink in the table above, showing that it will act as a link to another page on the site. If you click on the name of the tune, that will take you to a link showing the music.

Guidance on performance for tunes from the Donald MacDonald manuscript is available here. There is a description of how the abbreviations can be interpreted in the Donald MacDonald tunes here.

Guidance on the MacArthur-MacGregor manuscript tune (Lady Margaret MacDonald’s Salute) is available in the published book “The Music of Scotland –  The MacArthur MacGregor manuscript”. The Piobaireachd Society’s website has been given permission to use the music for this tune, and there are some notes on performing tunes from this manuscript here. We would like to thank the University of Glasgow Department of Music for their permission to do this.

If the above information does not answer all your questions on these settings, further information is available from the Secretary of the Music Committee. To contact the Music Committee Secretary, use the contacts button on the top of every website page. Alternatively you may wish to purchase the original books from which these tunes are taken – they are available from the College of Piping here. Scroll down on that page to see details of the MacArthur-MacGregor book, and the Donald MacDonald book. Note that the latter publication has now come down in price.

For the purposes of these competitions the entire ground should be played at the end of the Donald MacDonald tunes, and the MacArthur-MacGregor tune. In War or Peace the ground should be played between variations as indicated in the score.

The edition of Lochnell’s Lament in PS 13 is considered by some to be erroneous.  The tune can be played as written in the PS score, or competitors may wish to make changes such as omitting the repeated E and C figure in line 2 (ground bar 6, variations bar 5) or omitting the repeated B double echo beat in line 2 (ground bar 5 variations bar 4).

B. GOLD MEDAL COMPETITIONS

The Battle of SheriffmuirPS 15, K
Tulloch Ard, The Mackenzies’ GatheringPS 12
The Menzies’ SalutePS 15, K
Queen Anne’s LamentPS 7, K
Mackenzie of Applecross’s SalutePS 10
Mrs Smith’s SalutePS 9
Lament for FinlayPS 1, K
Keppoch’s MarchPS 12

Competitors will submit four tunes from the above list, one of which they will be required to play. Note that Lament for Finlay is in book 1 of the PS collection (and the Kilberry book). The tune with the same name in book 13 of the PS collection is NOT the correct tune for this year’s competitions.

C. SILVER MEDAL COMPETITIONS

The Battle of Auldearn No. 1PS 2
The Battle of StromePS 5
The Glen is MinePS 6, K
MacDonald’s (or Duntroon’s) SalutePS 6
Glengarry’s MarchPS 2, K
The Gathering of the MacNabsPS 5, K
The Park Piobaireachd No. 2PS 4, K
The End of the Great BridgePS 2, K

Competitors will submit four tunes from the above list, one of which they will be required to play.

PS = Piobaireachd Society Collection    K = Kilberry Book of Ceol Mor

Except where indicated *in Senior Competitions, competitors are not restricted to the settings or styles in the books mentioned above, and may play any other setting or style, provided that the judges may take into consideration the authenticity and merits of the setting or style submitted.

Competitors are advised to give advance notice to the judges should they intend to play settings or styles different from sources stated above.

Altogether different tunes known by the same or similar names will not be accepted as alternatives.

This announcement is made by the Piobaireachd Society to ensure earliest publication.  It is without prejudice to any arrangements made by either the Argyllshire Gathering or the Northern Meeting.