Ceol Mor – a bibliography

A Bibliography of Charles Thomason’s Ceol Mor
R. D. Cannon
© The Piobaireachd Society 2003
Introduction
No comprehensive collection of Thomason’s work exists, and hardly any two items consulted so far have been exactly alike. Each work or edition consists of discrete sections, printed at different times and bound up together. To facilitate comparison between one volume and another, the sections have between assigned numbers, thus t1, t2, etc, various different title pages; h0, h1, h2, etc, different half-titles; A, B, C, etc, letterpress sections; T1, T2, etc, tables of music notation; i1 and i3, indexes; p, photographic plates (these are the same in every book); m0, m1, m2, etc music consisting of a limited number of tunes; M1, M2, etc music comprising the whole collection. M1 denotes what is provisionally regarded as the “first edition” of the music in which the page numbers run 1 – 400; M2 the “second edition” in which 37 pages have been replaced with new ones distinguished with one or two stars after the page number; M3 the “third edition” with 64 pages replaced and distinguished with stars placed before the page numbers. The unnumbered code M denotes a compilation or composite version including both revised and unrevised pages. Unless otherwise indicated, all copies have been examined personally by the present writer.
Locations of Copies
AW	private collection (Mr Andrew Wright)
C	Cambridge University Library
CP	Glasgow, the College of Piping
E	Edinburgh, The National Library of Scotland
G	Glasgow, The Mitchell Library
JB	private collection (Mr James Burnet)
JML	Private collection (Sir James Morrison-Low)
L	London, The British Library
O	Oxford, The Bodleian Library
PS	The Piobaireachd Society
RDC	Author’s collection
RJP	Private collection, Major R. J. Powell
S	The Royal Scottish Pipers’ Society
1 The 1893 pamphlet
Ceòl Mòr Notation. / A new and abbreviated system / of / musical notation / for the / piobaireachd / as played on the Highland bagpipe, / with examples. / For private circulation only. / By Major General C. S. Thomason, R. E., (Bengal). /
Dehra Dun. / 1893.
tl	title;
A	pp [i], ii-xi, “Introduction”; p [xii] blank;
B	pp [1], 2-13, “Ceol Mor Notation”; p [14] blank;
T1	[unnumbered] six leaves printed recto only and called Plates I.-VI., “Key to the abbreviations used in Ceol Mor”;
m0	three leaves i.e. six pages numbered as plates 1-6, pibrochs I-IV.
On page xi the introduction concludes “C. S. Thomason” and “East Laggan, Naini Tal, / East India, September 16th, 1893.”
E (Mus. D.s.14). Received 14 May 1971. Hard cardboard covers, the front cover printed the same as the title page. One fly leaf inside each cover. 116 × 187 mm. No owners’ names. Handwritten prices inside the front cover, 42/- and £2.10.
This copy has a note in Thomason’s own handwriting. It is a footnote to page xi, where the text refers to “my pioneer pamphlet” and reads “Will be issued when I can arrange for a publisher at home. This is not the pioneer pamphlet. 22/12/93. C.S.T.”
A few days after this Thomason wrote from India to Professor J. S. Blackie, Edinburgh, sending him a copy of the pamphlet. The letter is dated Bareilly, Decr 27th / 93. “Dear Sir, I am sending you by post a few papers... for the last five years, since I have retired from active service, I have devoted my leisure hours to this very pleasing task. For more than 40 years of my life “piobaireachdan” have been my unfailing hobby... The printed pamphlet which I am sending you is the start of my book “Ceol Mor”, which I propose to publish in 2 vols... (NLS MS 2639, f. 213).
CP Bound as part of the composite copy described as 9 below. No hard covers or fly-leaves. 108 × 184 mm.
S Imperfect copy, disbound. It comprises two signatures, each of two folded sheets, 112 × 205 mm. There are holes with rust marks where the sheets were presumably stapled. The folded sheets consist of p [i], title; p [ii] blank; pp [1], 2-6, 7-13, “Ceol Mor Notation”; p [14] blank. The other three sheets are plates I, II, III of “Key to Abbreviations”.
S A gathering of three folded sheets. Outer folded sheets 135 × 214 mm, inner ones 123 × 214 mm. Contents p [i], title; p [ii] blank; pp [1], 2-6 of “Ceol Mor Notation”.
2 A series of fascicules
In 1897, the work began to be issued in parts. An advertisement in The Celtic Monthly, Febrary 1897, stated that Part I would be in the hands of subscribers in a few days, “and thereafter the various parts will be issued on the first of each month”. There were to be thirteen parts, priced 4s. each. In the March 1897 issue it was announced that “Ceol Mor. Part I has been sent to subscribers and Part II will be ready in a few days.” I have scanned the journal carefully for references to subsequent parts, but have not found any.
2.1 Part I.
No copy of part I has been seen as yet.
2.2 Part II.
Ceol Mor: / written in / a new and abbreviated system of musical notation / for the / piobaireachd, / as played on the Highland bagpipe. / Part II. - Containing 23 tunes. / Collected and edited / by Major General C. S. Thomason, R. E., (Bengal.) /
John MacKay, “Celtic Monthly” Office, 9 Blythswood Drive, Glasgow. / 1897. / Price, four shillings. /
[Outside front cover], title;
[inside front cover], contents;
pp 17-48, pibrochs X-XXXII;
[inside back cover] blank;
[outside back cover], advertisement.
E (MH.s.236). Paper covers, 134 × 213 mm.
RDC, JB, S
2.3 Part III.
Title as 2.2 except Part III and 18 tunes. Imprint as 2.2, but no full stop after shillings.
Make-up as 2.2 except pp 49-80, pibrochs XXXIII to L.
E (MH.s.237). Paper covers, 134 × 213 mm.
RDC, JB, RJP, S
3 A collection of 50 tunes
Ceol Mor Notation. / A new and abbreviated system / of / musical notation / for the / piobaireachd / as played on the Highland bagpipe, / with examples. / Published by John MacKay, “Celtic Monthly” Office, 9 Blythswood Drive, Glasgow. / By Major General C. S. Thomason, R. E., (Bengal). /
Dehra Dun. / 1893.
t2	title;
A	pp [i], ii-xi, “Introduction”; p [xii] blank;
B	pp [1], 2-13, “Ceol Mor Notation”;
C	p [14], “Explanation of Key to Abbreviations”;
T1	Plates I-VI;
h0	half-title;
m1	pp 1-16, pibrochs [I], II-IX;front cover of part II, recto printed as in 2.2, verso list of contents of 2.2;
m2	pp 17-48, pibrochs X-XXXII;back cover of Part II; cover sheet, recto unprinted, verso list of contents of 2.3;
m3	pp 49-80, pibrochs XXXIII-L;cover sheet, recto unprinted, verso advertisement.
The printing of the title page is the same as in 1 except for the change of one line.
The half-title reads CEÒL MÒR, in capitals, with grave accents on the letter O as shown.
E* (Mus. D.s.15). Received 14 May 1971. (The library stamp is on the reverse of the title page). Bound in boards, with fly-leaf at front and back. The front cover is lettered CEOL MOR. 116 × 205 mm. Handwritten prices 3.30 and £3.3/-
Pages 17 to 80 of the music section of this volume are same as those of the two fascicules, Parts II and III, 2.2 and 2.3 above. Presumably the first part of the book similarly corresponds with Part I.
There is a hand-written index of tunes on the inside front cover, continuing on to the first fly-leaf. There are several annotations in the music text.
This edition evidently remained on sale for some time after the complete one-volume edition had appeared, as it was advertised in later editions, as mentioned below. The advertisement reads:
Ceol Mor [:] 275 pibrochs, arranged line by line as poetry, for the Great Highland bagpipe, in a new and easily acquired abbreviated notation, classifying the Pipe turns occurring in Pibroch music. Compiled from numerous quoted authorities and edited by Major-general C. S. Thomason, late R.E., Bengal.
Complete in one handy volume net £2 - 2s.
Notation and first 9 pibrochs of above 2s.
Notation and first 50 pibrochs of above 10s.
Sold by - S. Sidders & Co. 17 & 19 Ball St. Kensington London W.
Special terms for complete book accorded to professional pibroch players and pipers of British Regiments, including Auxiliary Forces.
4 The first one-volume edition
The copies described here have a great deal in common if we allow for the fact that some have received considerable use and repair. In all of them the music pages are unstarred, so in that sense at least they may be regarded as a first edition. There is a difference of printing between the three copies numbered here as 4a, and the one numbered 4b, but nothing to show which came first.
4a
A collection of / piobaireachd, / as played on the great Highland bagpipes. / Ceol Mor. / Compiled, edited and rendered in a new and easily acquired notation / by Major-General C. S. Thomason, R. E. (Bengal). /
Published by C. S. Thomason, c/o. S. Sidders & Co., 17 & 19, Ball Street, Kensington, London. W. / A.D. 1900. /
Below the imprint, hand-stamped: Entered at Stationers Hall /
t4	title;
n	printed slip inserted before page [i];
A	pp [i], ii-xi, “Introduction”; page [xii] blank;
h1	half-title;
C+	[verso of half-title], “Explanations of keys to abbreviations”;
t3	a second title page, as 1 but omitting the words “For private circulation only”;
B	pp [1], 2-13, “Ceol Mor Notation”; p [14] blank;
p	portraits, two leaves, glossy paper, p [i], title; pp [ii-iv], nine photographs;
il	pp [i, ii], iii-xiv, index;
T1	plates I-VI, “Key to abbreviations”;
M1	pp 1-400, pibrochs [I], II-CCLXXVIII;
D1	pp [xv-xvi], “A few concluding remarks by the Editor”;
D2	p xvii, untitled note; p [xviii] blank.
The title page is actually a plate, printed on shiny paper. The half-title reads: Plates I to VI. / Explanatory of Ceol Mor Notation /
In the index, in the column headed “author and date”, the latest date is 1894. The first page of the index is a list of sources with letter codes, a to t, followed by z.
The “concluding remarks”, pp [xv-xvi] are signed in print C.S.T. and dated July 15th, 1898. The final page xvii is signed in print C. S. Thomason, 103, Warwick Road, London, S.W. June 21st, 1900.
The index contains 258 tune titles, together with nameless tunes 1 to 19. Also three titles appear twice, i.e. “The Menzies Salute”, lx and lxi on pp 99 and 101; “The MacLeans’ Gathering”, xliii and ccxxx on pp 65 and 327; “Too long in this condition”, x and clv on pages 17 and 237. The two MacLean gatherings are in fact different pieces, but the other pairs each represent two alternative settings of the same piece. On this basis the total number can be reckoned as 258 + 19 + 2 = 279 tunes, but one tune is unnumbered and this accounts for the last tune being numbered cclxxviii (= 278). (Note that the numbers on the music plates use capital letters, but in the index they are lower-case). At the end of the index (page xiv) there is an analytical table classifying the pieces according to structure and the total number is quoted as 278. It is not clear whether this is an error or whether it takes account of one piece which was stated to be “unedited”.
The unnumbered tune mentioned above is “We will take the Highway”. This is included in the index, and is on page 376, the tunes immediately before and after it being cclviii and cclix.
The piece of paper bound in before the first page of the Introduction has a printed legend “NOTE. – The plates alluded to in the Explanation of Keys to Abbreviations are placed after the Index and immediately preceding Music of the Pibrochs”. The text printed on the reverse side of the half-title concludes with the sentence “The letterpress fully explanatory of Plates I. to VI. will be found preceding this and immediately following the Introduction.”
In the index, page number iii is misprinted iI. On page xvii the second i is undotted.
There are corrections on pages vii and xi of the introduction, where the printed text reads “Colin Cameron, late piper to the Duke of Fife” but in both places the word “late” has been inked out. In other respects the text of the introduction remains as it was published in 1893. Colin Cameron lived until 1916. On reason for the change might be that at the time of writing, Thomason thought that Cameron was dead and later discovered his error; or it might be a question of usage. In piping literature at any rate, it is possible to find someone referred to as “late piper to X”, meaning that he was formerly piper to X, though still alive. The final page number xvii is crossed out in ink.
PS (Inventory number 38). Bound in boards, cloth, the front cover embossed with the words Ceol Mor in gothic letters, and between them the figure of a piper, the well-known image taken from a painting by Lockhart Bogle, R.A. On the spine a red leather label with Ceol / Mor in a different version of gothic lettering, gilt. The book is in very good condition and shows no signs of having been altered apart from the inked amendments mentioned above. Between the two pages of photographic plates, a thin slip of brown paper is bound in. None of the pages show any signs of having been added later.
CP Provenance unknown. Bound as previous copy. In this copy the portraits come after the index, not before; but many pages are loose and the book may have been repaired at some time. The thin sheet of paper between the photographic plates is absent.
A former owner’s name is written inside the front cover: W. Leckie Ewing[,] 2/ Highland Light Infantry[,] 4/11/13
CP Provenance unknown. Bound in shiny black boards, the spine repaired with black cloth. The front cover is lettered CEOL MOR, with no picture. Inside covers and flyleaves marbled. The printed note before page [i], and the thin sheet of paper between the photographic plates are absent.
There are no owners’ names, but the inside back cover has a pencil mark, written like a fraction. Above the line it has O/R and 3; below the line, Kp [?] and 834. Perhaps these are press marks of some library or booksellers’ codes for condition and price.
4b
t4	title;
A	pp [i], ii-xi, “Introduction”;
C	p [xii], “Explanations of keys to abbreviations”;
T1	plates I-VI, “Key to abbreviations”;
B	pp [1], 2-13, “Ceol Mor Notation”; p [14] blank;
p	portraits, two leaves, glossy paper, p [i], title; pp [ii-iv], nine photographs;
i1	pp [i, ii], iii-xiv, index (page number iii misprinted iI);
M1	pp 1-400, pibrochs [I], II-CCLXXVIII;
D1	pp [xv-xvi], “A few concluding remarks by the Editor”;
D2	p xvii, untitled note; p [xviii] blank.
There is no printed note before the first page of the Introduction. The “Explanations” page is printed on the reverse side of page xi, and there is no half-title.
Between the two pages of photographic plates, a thin slip of brown paper is bound in. None of the music page numbers are starred, and none of the pages show any sign of having been added later.
AW (a gift from Mr Harry Denyer). The title page is rubber-stamped – 3 AUG 1901. It also has a hand-written signature, J. Macneill. The front flyleaf is signed W. M. MacPhail.The binding is now covered in vellum, rather roughly stitched.
5 A revised one-volume edition
Here we group together what appear to be at least four different printings. They differ in the fact that certain sections are either omitted or bound in a different order, but in each the main music section includes 37 revised pages. The index however is unrevised.
The title and imprint are the same as in 4.
5a
t4	title;
F	p [1], “Corrections and additions to music in first edition ‘Ceol Mor’. (Up to June 1902)”; p [2], “Corrected leaves for Ceol Mor. (1st edition)”;
H	p [3], “Echoes, doubled echoes and trebled echoes”;
T2	p [4], “Double Echoes”, a music plate illustrating page [3];
A	pp [i], ii-xi, “Introduction”;
C-	p [xii], “Explanations of keys to abbreviations”;
T1	Plates I-VI;
B	pp [1], 2-13, “Ceol Mor Notation”; p [14] blank;
p	portraits;
il	pp [i, ii], iii-xiv, index (page number iii misprinted iI);
M2	pp 1-400, pibrochs I-CCLXXVIII (see below);
K	pp [1-5], “Editor’s postscript to first edition ‘Ceol Mor’ ”; p [6] blank.
In the music section, some page numbers are printed with a star, or two stars, after them; and some with a star (in one case a cross) in front, thus: *29, 33*, 34*, 40**, 41**, 44*, 45*, 55*, 56*, 57*, 65*, 69**, 70**, 105*, 106*, 113*, 114*, 125*, 132*, 140*, 154**, *160, *165, *181, +195, 219*, 231*, 245*, *255, 265*, *291, 309*, 310*, 327**, 382*, 383*, 385*. In every copy examined, all the starred pages have been neatly glued in. The stubs of the original pages are clearly visible, but they are cut very neatly, close and parallel to the spine, and it seems clear that they were put in place before rather than after binding.
The introduction has the same inked alterations as in 4a. Between the two leaves of photographs is the stub of a leaf of thin brown paper like that in some copies of 4.
O (Mus.94.e.2). Received 23 January 1905. The covers are evidently original but the spine has been replaced, and is lettered in gilt CEOL MOR, without the usual red leather label. An advertisement, the same as quoted above, is pasted inside the front cover, and the neat repair work round it shows that it is still in its original position. Between the old and new fly-leaves is a memo from Samuel Sidders, Printers, Bookbinders & Wholesale Stationers, 17 & 19 Ball Street, Kensington, W., dated January 20 1905, with the message “With compliments”.
C (M 380.c.90.1). Received 23 January 1905. Repaired 1938. This copy includes the advertisement referred to above.
L (a. 197). Received 20 January 1905. Consulted in August 1965. 115 × 199 mm, except for the last page which is smaller, height 105 mm.
G (D 346774). 117 × 217 mm approx. Bound in boards, with gilt lettering and spine label as in previous editions. Hinges repaired with transparent plastic strip. There is a bookplate, dated 13 Decr ’34, and a note “Moir Collection S.R. 111”.
5b
t4	title;
F	p [1], “Corrections and additions to music in first edition ‘Ceol Mor’. (Up to June 1902)”; p [2], a note on “corrected leaves for Ceol Mor. (1st edition)”;
H	p [3], “Echoes, doubled echoes and trebled echoes”;
T2	p [4], music plate “Double Echoes”;
A	pp [i], ii-xi, “Introduction”; p [xii] blank;
t3	[xiii], second title; p [xiv] blank;
h1	p [xv], half-title;
C+	p [xvi], “Explanations of keys to abbreviations”;
B	pp [1], 2-13, “Ceol Mor Notation”; p [14] blank;
p	portraits;
i1	pp [i, ii], iii-xiv, index (page number iii misprinted iI);
T1	Plates I-VI;
M2	pp 17-400, pibrochs X-CCLXXVIII (but see below);
K	pp [1-5], “Editor’s postscript to first edition ‘Ceol Mor’ ”; p [6] blank.
PS Binding and decoration similar to 4a, copy 1. 118 × 208 mm approx. One fly-leaf at each end. The binding looks to be original with no obvious signs of repair. The outer edges of the pages, viewed when the book is closed, have a mottled red coloration which looks original. The spine is damaged, especially at the top where it appears to have been nibbled. The copy consulted is defective, lacking pages 1-16 of the music section, equivalent to the first fascicule, 2.1, but there is no obvious sign of anything having been torn out.
On pages vii, xi of the introduction, the same hand alterations have been made as in 4. The following other hand annotations have been noted:
Inside front cover. A printed bookplate with all hand lettering scratched away.
Front fly-leaf, recto. Top right corner, in pencil: D4.
Page 139. Tune “The Blue Ribbon (Isle of Mull)”. Extra title added in capitals, pencil, AN RIABAIN GORM.
Back fly-leaf, recto, top right corner, in pencil, the numbers 2 / 683, the 2 above the 683, and the oblique stroke a long fine dash from left to right - like the markings in 05, copy 2.
Back fly-leaf, recto, in neat cursive writing, pencil, Commission £9 / Bought @ £3 - 12 - 6.
Front fly-leaf, recto, in ballpoint, the following in the handwriting of Capt. J. A. MacLellan: The Property of the: / Piobaireachd Society / Purchased from the estate of: the late / J. Alasdair Anderson / President of the Society / The President’s Copy[.]
5c
t4	title;
H	p [i], “Echoes, doubled echoes and trebled echoes”;
T2	p [ii], music plate “Double echoes”;
F	p [1], “Corrections and additions to music in first edition ‘Ceol Mor’. (Up to June 1902)”; p [2], a note on “corrected leaves for Ceol Mor. (1st edition)”;
A	pp [i], ii-xi, introduction;
C	p [xvi], “Explanations of keys to abbreviations”;
T1	plates I-VI;
B	pp [1], 2-3, “Ceol Mor Notation”; p [14] blank;
p	portraits, two leaves, glossy paper, p [i], title; pp [ii-iv], nine photographs;
il	pp [i, ii], iii-xiv, index (page number iii misprinted iI);
M2	pp 1-400, pibrochs [I], II-CCLXXVIII;
K	pp [1-5], “Editor’s postscript to first edition ‘Ceol Mor’ ”; p [6] blank.
PS Bound in boards, with the usual gilt figure on the outer front cover, and label on the spine. The spine has been repaired with transparent tape. The usual advertisement is pasted inside the front cover. A sheet of thin paper is bound between the two leaves of photographs. There is no half-title preceding the music plates I. – VI.
Pages vii and xi have the same hand-executed deletions as in other books. This copy contains annotations by Mr A. G. Kenneth.
5d
H	p [i], “Echoes, doubled echoes, and trebled echoes”;
T2	p [ii], music plate “Double Echoes”;
A	pp [i], ii-xi, “Introduction”;
C	p [xii], “Explanation[s] of Keys to Abbreviations”;
T1	plates I-VI;
B	pp [1], 2-13, “Ceol Mor Notation”; p [14] blank;
p	portraits, two leaves, p [i], title; pp [ii-iv], nine photographs;
t4	title;
il	pp [i, ii], iii-xiv, index (page number iii misprinted iI);
M2	pp 1-400, pibrochs [I], II-CCLXXVIII (but see below);
K	pp [1-4], “Editor’s postscript to first edition ‘Ceol Mor’ ”.
S
206 × 117 mm. The main series of pages has well-rounded corners. Bound in strong shiny black boards, with dark grey end-papers. The book has evidently been rebound. It is well thumbed, and it is impossible to say that all the pages are in their original order. It is clear that the title page is misplaced, and it seems likely that a page is missing at the end.
Throughout the music section, pages are starred and unstarred as in 5a. Replacement leaves have been glued in.
The inserted pages are of two sizes, some of them the same as the main body of the book, with round corners to match, others smaller, 107 × 203 mm, with sharp square corners. Most of them, of either size, are single leaves, but some consist of folded sheets, making a bifolium (i.e. two leaves, four pages).
The sizes of the replacement pages are as follows (S denotes small): *29/30; 33*/34*; 39/40**/41**/42 (bifolium, S); 43/44*/45*/46 (bifolium); 55*/56*/57*/58 (bifolium); 65*/66; 69**/70** S; 105*/106* S;113*/114*; 125*/126 S; 131/132*; 139/140* S; 153/154** S; 159/*160 S; *165/166 S; *181/182 S; +195/196 S; 219*/220; 231*/232; 245*/246; *255/256; 265*/266; *291/292; 309*/310*; 327**/328 S; 381/382*/383*/384 (bifolium); 385*/386.
There are no owners’ names, but there are numerous MS annotations including some which may in Thomason’s own hand (pages 113*, 114*).
6 Number reserved for future use
7 The 1903 pamphlet
t3	p [i], title; p [ii] blank;
C	p [iii], “Explanations of keys to abbreviations”; p [iv] blank;
T1	Plates I-VI;
B	pp [1], 2-13, “Ceol Mor Notation”; p [14] blank;
E	pp [15-16], “Postscript to Ceol Mor Notation”.
The last page is signed C.S.T., December, 1903.
CP Provenance unknown. Paper covers, stapled. 111 × 205 mm.
8 A compilation of replacement pages.
This volume, with no title page or letterpress, consists entirely of replacement music pages as incorporated in the last editions. Sometimes the pages on both sides of a leaf are revised, sometimes only one. With a few exceptions, the page numbers are preceded by a star. The exceptions are page 42 (verso of *41), page 55, and pages 65 and 66, which are unstarred but are all in fact replacements; also page 374* in which the star comes after the number.
JML Bound in soft bright blue covers. All the pages are the same size, uniform with the typical pages of the printed volumes. An inscription on the flyleaf reads “The pages herein contained belong to general Thomason’s ‘Ceol Mor’. J. ... M. Grant”. This is John Grant, the author of The Royal Collection of Piobaireachd and other works. Another inscription records that the book was a gift from John Grant’s son to Sir James Morrison-Low, 27 April 1963.
PS The Piobaireachd Society owns a package of unbound replacement leaves. As yet these have not been examined.
9 Number reserved for future use
10 A hybrid one-volume edition
t4	title;
n	printed slip inserted before page [i];
A	pp [i], ii-xi, introduction; p [xii] blank;
h1	p [xiii], half-title;
C+	p [xiv], “Explanations of keys to abbreviations”;
t3	p [xv], second title; p [xvi] blank;
B	pp [1], 2-13; “Ceol Mor Notation”; p [14] blank;
p	portraits;
il	pp [i, ii], iii-xiv, index (page number iii misprinted iI);
T1	plates I-VI;
M3	pp 1-400, pibrochs [I], II-CCLXXVIII (but see below);
D1	pp [xv-xvi], “A few concluding remarks by the Editor”;
D2	p xvii, untitled note; p [xviii] blank.
In the music section, the following page numbers have stars: 3, 4, 29, 33, 34, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 48, 54, 56, 57, 69, 70, 80, 81, 105, 106, 112, 113, 114, 125, 127, 129, 132, 140, 154, 160, 165, 181, 195, 198, 206, 216, 217, 219, 231, 244, 245, 255, 257, 258, 261, 265, 291, 308, 309, 310, 327, 347, 374, 381, 382, 383, 385, 387, 394. The sequence of tune numbers contains the following anomalies: XXVIA between XXVI and XXVII (“Lament for Montrose”, not included in the index); CXVIII misprint for CXII (correct in index); CXXIII for CXXII (correct in index); CXXXIX “Ben Cruachan”, not in the index; CXXXIXa “Boreraig” not in the index. The tune “We will take the Highway” is still not numbered, though named in the index.
In effect this volume contains the third edition of the main music section but an earlier edition of the other material.
E (Mus. D.s.3). Binding and decoration similar to 4a, first copy. One fly-leaf at each end. 120 × 206 mm. Received 19 October 1910.
This copy has the same ink alterations as 4, on pp vii, xi, xvii. The portraits have come loose, but there is old glue along the inner edges showing where they were joined to page [i] of the index. Because they are loose it is possible to tell that they are a single folded sheet.
11 Number reserved for future use
12 A composite edition
The volume consulted has no title page.
i3	pp [i], ii-x, xa, p [unnumbered], xi-xiv, index;
1	a copy of 1;
L	p [1], preface; page [2] blank;
Na	pp [3], 4-13, “Revised Ceol Mor Notation”;
Nb	p 14, “Ceol Mor Notation./ Second Edition”;
Nc	p 15, “Analysis of Metres”;
Nd	p [16] “Postscript regarding Ceol Mor Shakes”;
T3	pp [i-v], “Key to abbreviations used in Ceol Mor”, numbered as Plates I-V; p [vi] blank;
P	pp [1], 2-4, [5], “Ceol Mor. Rhythm in sections”; p [6] blank;
Q	pp [1-4], a bifolium printed on [2-3] only, i.e. p [2], “Errata in ‘Ceol Mor’ first edition”, and p [3], “Errata dated 1905 in first edition ‘Ceol Mor’ dated 1900”;
M	pp 1-400 (but see below]), pibrochs.

None of the plates I-V are the same as any of the plates I-VI in earlier editions.
Page [5] of “Ceol Mor. Rhythm in sections” is datelined Grantown-on-Spey, August, 1905. The page of “Errata dated 1905 in first edition ‘Ceol Mor’ dated 1900” is datelined Grantown-on-Spey, 29th September, 1905.
The index is headed: Index of Ceol Mor revised in 1905. In this index, page xa is followed by an unnumbered page with a printed legend which refers to the omission of this page in previous editions, and incidentally refers to it as page “10A”.
The section bound immedately after the index appears to be an actual copy of the 1893 pamphlet. It has a slightly smaller page size than the rest of the volume, and its pagination and content agree with the description under 1 above.
In the music section, the page numbering is confusing at first sight, but it seems that revised pages have been bound in along with unrevised ones, e.g. a leaf consisting of pages 29 and 30 has been replaced with a leaf paged *29 and 30; but both leaves have been bound into the present volume so that the numbering runs *29, 30, 29, 30. Note that in this edition the stars are placed before the page numbers, not after.
The complete number sequence is as follows. For brevity a pair of numbers such as 1/2 means one leaf with pages 1 and 2, while a block such as 5-28 means a sequence of leaves with all pages unstarred, running 5/6, 7/8, etc as far as 27/28.
1/2, *3/*4, 3/4, 5-28, *29/30, 29-32, *33/*34, 33-40, 39/*40, 41/42, *41/42 [different from the preceding 42], *43/*44, 43/44, *45/46, 47/*48, 47-52, 53/*54, 53/54, 55/*56, *57/58, 55 [different from the preceding 55]/56, 57-66, 65/66 [different from the preceding 65/66], 67/68, *69/*70, 69-78, 79/*80, 79/80, *81/82, 81-104, *105/*106, 105-110, 111/*112, 111/112, *113/*114, 113-124, *125/126, 125/126, *127/128, 127/128, *129/130, 129/130, 131/*132, 131/132, 133-140, 139/*140, 141-154, 153/*154, 155-160, 159/*160, 161-164, *165/166, 165-180, *181/182, 181-194, *195/196, 195/196, 197/*198, 197-204, 205/*206, 205-214, 215/*216, 215/216, *217/218, 217/218, *219/220, 219-230, *231/232, 231-242, 243/*244, *245/246, 243-254, *255/256, 255/256, *257/*258, 257-260, *261/262, 261-264, *265/266, 265-290, *291/292, 291-306, 307/*308, *309/*310, 307 [different from the preceding 307]/308, 309-326, *327/328, 327-346, *347/348, 347-372, 373/374*, 373-380, *381/*382, 381/382, *383/384, 383/384, *385/386, 385/386, *387/388, 387-392, 393/*394, 393-400.
CP Bound in red leather with gilt decoration. 116 × 207 mm.
The first flyleaf has an owner’s name, W. Thompson / Gracemont Farm / Liberton, in which the address has been crossed out and replaced by Balnafettack / Inverness. The binding resembles that of two other volumes of Thomason’s works which are in the National Library of Scotland, i.e. the original manuscript and plates of Ceol Mor and the manuscript of Ceol Mor Legends.
It is suggested that this volume does not represent an edition of Ceol Mor that was ever put on sale. Rather it is a kind of archive a - compendium of different printed materials that went into various editions of the work. Another possibility is that it does largely represent a revised edition that was published, but it has been damaged and repaired, e.g. the title page lost, the index moved to the front from some other position, and an original copy of the 1893 pamphlet bound in.
It is understood that this is one of the volumes used by EP Publishing Limited to prepare their facsimile edition in 1975. It was stated in that publication that two different editions of Ceol Mor were conflated so as to included all original and revised versions of tunes. Perhaps the other edition used was another of the College of Piping copies, described above as 4a, copies 2 and 3.
A note in shaky handwriting, probably that of C. S. Thomason, on page *258, appears to read “a p 235 gives gives an entirely different air for this.” The tune is “Cluny MacPherson’s Salute”, no CLXXIII, and it is true that there is another entirely different tune of that name. The first character, transcribed here as a, may actually be something different. In Ceol Mor the other tune is No. CCLXXII, “Nameless No. 14” on page *394. (See also Piobaireachd Society Book 4, page 115 and note on page 117).
13 The 1975 reprint
This reprint consists of facsimiles of pages from one or more earlier editions. The pages are not numbered but here they have been assigned numbers [1-280]. From p [5] onwards each of these pages contains images of two of the original pages, and where it is necessary to distinguish the upper and lower halves of the page, they are referred to as [5a], [5b] etc.
Ceol Mor Notation. / A new and abbreviated system / of / musical notation / for the / piobaireachd / as played on the Highland bagpipe, / with examples. / By Major General C. S. Thomason, R. E., (Bengal). /
EP Publishing Limited / British Book Centre, Inc. / 1975
h2	p [1], half-title;p [2] blank;
t5	p [3], title;
X	p [4], publication information;
A	pp [5a-10a], “Introduction” = pp [i], ii-xi of 1; p [10b] blank;
B	pp [11a-17a], “Ceol Mor notation” = pp [1], 2-13 of 1; p [17b] blank;
T1	pp [18-20], “Key to the abbreviations...” = Plates I-VI of 1;
m0	pp [21-23], pibrochs 1-4, as 1; p [24] blank;
L	p [25a], preface, = p [1] of 12; p [25b] blank;
Na	pp [26-31a], “Revised Ceol Mor Notation” = pp [3], 4-13 of 12;
Nb	p [31b], “Ceol Mor Notation. Second edition. Capital Letters...” = p 14 of 12.
Nc	p [32a], “Analysis of metres” = p 15 of 12.
Nd	p [32b], “Postscript regarding ‘Ceol Mor’ shakes” = p [16] of 12.
T3	p [33-35a], “Key to abbreviations used in Ceol Mor” = Plates I-V of 12; p [35b] blank; p [36] blank;
P	pp [37-39a], “Ceol Mor. Rhythm in sections” = pp [1], 2-4, [5] of 12;p [39b] blank;
Q	p [40a], “Errata dated 1905 in first edition ‘Ceol Mor’ dated 1900” = p [2] of 12; p [40b], “Errata dated 1905 in first edition ‘Ceol Mor’...” = p [3] of 12;
M	pp [41-272], pibrochs I-CCLXXVII;
i3	pp [273-280] , “Index of Ceol Mor, revised in 1905”.
The half-title reads: Ceol Mor Notation. The title and half title are evidently part facsimiles from an earlier title page.
The title on the spine reads: Ceol Mor[.] C.S. Thomason[.] ep[.] but apart from this none of the titles or descriptions of the book are actually correct. The title on the dust jacket and inside flap reads: Ceol Mor[.] A new and abbreviated system of musical notation for the piobaireachd as played on the Highland bagpipe. The library of Congress catalogue card, reproduced on p [4] has “Ceol mor notation. Reprint of the 1893 ed. published in Dehra Dun.”