One of the most popular pipe tunes ever, and long a staple of massed bands at Highland Games throughout North America. It began as “The Bens of Jura,” written in Malta in the mid-1890s. According to Seumas MacNeill’s in “Masters of Piping (2007), it subsequently became “The 71st’s Farewell to Dover” but soon returned to its original name. Later it was “The Highland Brigade’s March to Heilbron,” then “The Burning Sands of Egypt.” These titles were all used by pipers, with whom the tune was immediately popular. But the composer referred to it always as “The Bens of Jura.”
The website pipetunes.ca is the first large-scale site of its kind to provide individual pieces of bagpipe sheet music and recorded demonstrations for download. The work, experience and finances that have gone into creating it would surprise you. The efforts required by composers to create this music would inspire you. The site will continue to operate and evolve and provide unparalleled access to new and old pipe music if and only if clients follow the following simple guidelines:
1) Download files for your own personal use; print multiple copies only for tunes being learned within your pipe band or taught to your student.
2) PLEASE do not email files or transfer them to other computers. Insist that fellow pipers and students support this site. The site will be easy to use as long as I don't have to incorporate unwieldy security.
3) Do not post any of these files to a website of any sort.
While I hope it will never come to this, I will not tolerate abuses to these guidelines. A system in in place for pipetunes.ca to pursue legal action. Thanks for your support. I look forward to enhancing and expanding the bagpipe sheet music and recording services offered by pipetunes.ca.
The website pipetunes.ca is the first large-scale site of its kind to provide individual pieces of bagpipe sheet music and recorded demonstrations for download. The work, experience and finances that have gone into creating it would surprise you. The efforts required by composers to create this music would inspire you. The site will continue to operate and evolve and provide unparalleled access to new and old pipe music if and only if clients follow the following simple guidelines:
1) Download files for your own personal use; print multiple copies only for tunes being learned within your pipe band or taught to your student.
2) PLEASE do not email files or transfer them to other computers. Insist that fellow pipers and students support this site. The site will be easy to use as long as I don't have to incorporate unwieldy security.
3) Do not post any of these files to a website of any sort.
While I hope it will never come to this, I will not tolerate abuses to these guidelines. A system in in place for pipetunes.ca to pursue legal action. Thanks for your support. I look forward to enhancing and expanding the bagpipe sheet music and recording services offered by pipetunes.ca.
That was very beautifully played, and he only breathed in three times. My dad played The Road to the Isles quite nicely, too. He taught himself for 20 years, then went to the College of Piping in Glasgow, where he was politely told he’d have to start from scratch if he wanted to become a decent piper. Being an ex-military man he did just that, and played in the New Year at his local pub only two years before he died at age 87.
The actual pipe tune is The Bens of Jura, composed my PM John McLellan DCM (Dunoon). The title The Road to the Isles came from the song sung in the music halls, sung by the great entertainer Sir Harry Lauder.
This is referenced in an interview, I did with PM Jim Henderson who is the Grand Nephew of John McLellan and Jim talks about the Tune in the interview. If you would like to watch the interview, here is the link. https://youtu.be/dvLraZ8njpo I also got together with a few piping friends from Argyll and filmed them playing some of John McLellan’s tunes. You will be familiar with most of them, Stuart Liddell, Willie McCallum, Angus McColl, Alasdair Henderson and Daniel Mc Dermott. https://youtu.be/-MQzhW_DaxA https://youtu.be/q5x3Kg_0c0w https://youtu.be/76Ol5luh9Rg https://youtu.be/poBQN0z-L08 https://youtu.be/L0aJbuQlQzk
Hi there! Since creating the P/M John McLellan DCM tribute website a few years back, ive relied a lot on the information found within this great website and many others. I also had to do a fair bit of research and Ive seen information online that supports the fact that ‘The Bens of Jura’ was actually composed by Jock in 1891 when he was 16 years old. A few days ago, during a nice conversation i had with Jim Henderson on the phone, i asked him about this and he agreed that Jock was indeed 16 years old when he wrote the tune.
Cheers!
Johnmclellandcm.weebly.com
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3 Comments
That was very beautifully played, and he only breathed in three times. My dad played The Road to the Isles quite nicely, too. He taught himself for 20 years, then went to the College of Piping in Glasgow, where he was politely told he’d have to start from scratch if he wanted to become a decent piper. Being an ex-military man he did just that, and played in the New Year at his local pub only two years before he died at age 87.
The actual pipe tune is The Bens of Jura, composed my PM John McLellan DCM (Dunoon). The title The Road to the Isles came from the song sung in the music halls, sung by the great entertainer Sir Harry Lauder.
This is referenced in an interview, I did with PM Jim Henderson who is the Grand Nephew of John McLellan and Jim talks about the Tune in the interview. If you would like to watch the interview, here is the link. https://youtu.be/dvLraZ8njpo I also got together with a few piping friends from Argyll and filmed them playing some of John McLellan’s tunes. You will be familiar with most of them, Stuart Liddell, Willie McCallum, Angus McColl, Alasdair Henderson and Daniel Mc Dermott.
https://youtu.be/-MQzhW_DaxA
https://youtu.be/q5x3Kg_0c0w
https://youtu.be/76Ol5luh9Rg
https://youtu.be/poBQN0z-L08
https://youtu.be/L0aJbuQlQzk
Hi there! Since creating the P/M John McLellan DCM tribute website a few years back, ive relied a lot on the information found within this great website and many others. I also had to do a fair bit of research and Ive seen information online that supports the fact that ‘The Bens of Jura’ was actually composed by Jock in 1891 when he was 16 years old. A few days ago, during a nice conversation i had with Jim Henderson on the phone, i asked him about this and he agreed that Jock was indeed 16 years old when he wrote the tune.
Cheers!
Johnmclellandcm.weebly.com