Annotation:Pibroch of Donald Dhu (1)

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PIBROCH OF DONALD DHU/DOMHNALL DUBH/DONUIL DUBH [1]. AKA - "Black Donald Balloch of the Isles's March to Inverlochy 1427," "Piobaireachd Dhomhnuill Duibh Black Donald Balloch of the Isles March to the First Battle at Inverlochy 1427." AKA and see “Black Donald the Piper,” “Cameron Gathering,” “Lochiel's March (2).” Scottish, Air, Jig or March (6/8 time). A Major (Kennedy, Kerr, Martin): E Flat Major (Emmerson, Graham). Standard tuning (fiddle). One part (Emmerson, Kerr): AABB (Kennedy): AABBCCDD (Martin). The name Mac Dhomhnuill Duibh (Black {Mac}Donald) is the Gaelic patronymic of Cameron of Lochiel. A pibroch is a type of elaborate pipe tune, and this is an old set of variations "having the pronounced rhythm of the Single Jig" (Emmerson, 1972). The title ‘pibroch’ is somewhat misleading with regard to most fiddle versions of the melody, which are not true pibrochs. Christine Martin (2002) says her settings are “fiddle setting(s) based on the bagpipe version of the popular 6/8 pipe march,” and that the version falls into the category of ceòl beag (little music), a simple march.

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) wrote words to the tune in 1816, commencing:

Pibroch of Donuil Dhu,
Pibroch of Donuil,
Wake thy wild voice anew,
Summon Clan Conuil.
Come away, come away,
Hark to the summons!
Come in your war array,
Gentles and commons.

O’Neill prints the tune as a double jig entitled “Black Donald the Piper.” According to the sleeve notes of Ishbel Macaskill’s recording “Essentially Ishbel” (2000), the melody can be traced to the year 1431, when the MacDonalds defeated the royalist forces of the Scottish king. The lament is that of Domhnall Dubh, the chief of Clan Cameron, who were among the king’s troops. Martin says the melody has been known as a pipe tune and song for over 500 years, and that it is impossible to trace its origins. She notes that Domhnall Dubh, who died in 1460) led the Clan Cameron at the battle of Red Harlaw in 1411. Pipers have historically known the march under the names “Cameron Gathering” and “Lochiel's March (2).”

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Emmerson (Rantin’ Pipe and Tremblin’ String), 1971; No. 74, p. 156. Graham's Songs of Scotland, 1864. Kennedy (Traditional Dance Music of Britain and Ireland: Jigs & Quicksteps, Trips & Humours), 1997; No. 153, p. 37. Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 1), c. 1880; No. 9, p. 31. Martin (Ceol na Fidhle, vol. 1), 1991; p. 24. Martin (Traditional Scottish Fiddling), 2002; p. 69.

Recorded sources:

See also listings at:
Alan Snyder’s Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [1]
Jane Keefer’s Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]

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