Folk, jazz etc: Haunting Highland tribute to the prolific piper Captain John

MacLellan, who died in 1991, composed a clutch of piobaireachds – a rare enough accomplishment at a time when modern piobaireachds tended to be disparaged by those who regarded only the historic examples of the art form as worthy of attention. The piobaireachd of MacLellan’s which has most readily entered into the piping repertoire to date is one he called The Phantom Piper of Corryairack. It was inspired by the aforementioned route march the Cameron Highlanders made along the old military road between Fort Augustus and Ruthven in atrocious weather, passing through the Pass of Corryairack. According to the composer’s son, Colin MacLellan, also a piper as well as a reed-maker, it was habitual for the regiment to sound the pipe when approaching base camp, but in this instance conditions were so freezing that they dispensed with that particular formality.

Arriving at base, they were told that their colleagues had heard the sound of the pipes all the same. According to Colin MacLellan, there was a legend of ghostly pipe music associated with the Corryairack Pass which dated back to the days of Montrose’s campaigns. John MacLellan, who joined the Cameron Highlanders as a boy piper back in 1936, was moved to write a piobaireachd commemorating the uncanny piper. While that tune won a composition award and entered the repertoire, “Captain John”, as he was known, also wrote a dozen more which are deserving of greater exposure, says his son. Hence A Welcome to Patrick Struan, Farewell to the Queen’s Ferry and Salute to the Great Pipe will be among those MacLellan piobaireachds played during the competition recital.

“There are two or three of these tunes that are, to my mind, equally as good [as The Phantom Piper] but which haven’t entered the mainstream repertoire,” says Colin. “For some reason modern piobaireachds have always been seen as a sort of novelty.” He wanted to hold the event in memory of his father, “but also really to let people hear those tunes”.

The tunes at this year’s inaugural event will be played by four leading pipers on the competition circuit – Murray Henderson, Angus MacColl, Roddy MacLeod and Iain Speirs. The event is being organised by the Captain John A MacLellan Memorial Trust and can be seen as another milestone in the apparent resurgence of mainstream Highland piping in Edinburgh, which saw the resurrection of the Eagle Pipers’ Society a year and a half ago.

“The city has lacked a major piping competition for many years,” says Colin, “and this was an ideal opportunity to establish a unique and prestigious event.”

MacLellan’s reputation attracted more than just pipers. In the mid 1960s one Yehudi Menuhin, performing during the Edinburgh Festival, was a visitor, says Colin. The maestro had a soft spot for Scots fiddle music, and was interested in its relationship with piping. He and MacLellan apparently discussed piobaireachd, and the violinist was very taken with one of the greatest, The Lament for the Children. “As a melodic line, Menuhin rated it very highly.”

• To book tickets for the John MacLellan Medal dinner and recital on 15 October, contact [email protected]