Piobaireachd Club – March 5, 2010

PIOBAIREACHED CLUB Report

Friday, March 5th , 2010

The next Piobaireachd Club meeting will be at the home of Ron and Eileen Sutherland.
When: Friday, October 22nd, 2010
Address: 4169 Lions Avenue,  North Vancouver.
Time: 7:30 P.M.

Featured Piper: Jack Lee
Jack won the Clasp this year at Inverness.   Jack will play  “MacLeod of Tallisker’s Salute”

The First Club meeting of 2010, and while some may have stayed at home with post Olympic fever, those who attended were treated to not only nine piobaireachd but a vast array of cookies, cakes and goodies put on by Christine Lee and Lori Haddon.

Piper of the month, Andrew Lee, started the evening off with The Big Spree. This tune is one of the three “Spree” tunes;  An Daorach Mhor (The Big Spree), An Daorach Bheag (The Little Spree) and An Daorach Mheadhonach (The Middling Spree).  All three tunes were composed with a particular clansman in mind regarding his excessive drinking.  A passage that accompanies the tune translates to “You are drunk; you’d better sleep”.

Next up, making his first appearance at the club, was Liam Hilder. Liam played “Lament for Donald of Laggan”.  The tune was composed sometime after Donald Grumach MacDonald’s death in 1635 – he had lived for over one hundred years.

Brian Haddon followed with the rousing tune, “A Flame of Wrath for Squinting Padruig”. Anny He was next with “Lament for MacSwan of Roaig”. Annie has been a regular attendee of the club for a few years and now has an impressive repertoire of tunes under her belt.

Hal Senyk played next with a tune not heard at the club before – “The Bards Lament”. Based on its construction, Hal believes this tune to have come from the harp players.  Edward McIlwaine then played “Lament for the Old Sword” and John Lee with “Lady Margaret MacDonald’s Salute” from the MacArthur MacGregor manuscript.

Closing off the evening was Jack Lee. Jack explained that this year at the Northern meeting (Inverness) and Argyllshire Gathering (Oban), the Clasp and Senior Piobaireachd pipers will submit four pairs of tunes.  Each tune is shorter than most but the competitor must play their selected “pair” back to back.  This evening Jack played one of his pairs including Nameless (A Lament), another tune from the MacArthur MacGregor manuscript and Lament for the Bishop of Argyll. Interesting to note that Jack regarded the first of these the most technical tune he has come across.