Annotation:Kantara to El 'Arish

Back to Kantara to El 'Arish

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KANTARA TO EL 'ARISH. Scottish, March (2/4 time). A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). 'Kantara' was the Allies name for the northeastern Egyptian town of Al Qantarah El Sharqiyya [1], which was, during World War I, an important supply depot and headquarters for the Middle Eastern theater. El Arish was the scene of an action in the war, and the tune itself is named for a march between the two. The piece was composed by Pipe Major Willie Ferguson, Pipe Major of the City of Glasgow Pipe Band, until he emigrated to Canada in 1929, where he died some twenty years later. Ferguson saw action at Gallipoli with the 7th Highland Light Infantry, where he was Pipe Major.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Fergusson (Bagpipe Melodies), 1939; no. 22, p. 15.

Recorded sources: Atlantica Music 02 77657 50222 26, Kyle & Lucy MacNeil – "Atlantic Fiddles" (1994). Bara Music Co., The Barra MacNeils – "Rock in the Stream" (1989). Flying Fish FF-299, The Battlefield Band – "There's a Buzz" (1982).

See also listing at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [2]

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