Balmoral Highlanders

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Theme code Index	1155 7bL7bL15
Also known as
Composer/Core Source	Biography:Angus MacKay
Region	Canada, Ireland, Scotland
Genre/Style	Cape Breton/PEI, Irish, Pipe, Scottish
Meter/Rhythm	Highland, March/Marche
Key/Tonic of	A
Accidental	2 sharps
Mode	Mixolydian
Time signature	2/4
History	IRELAND(Ulster), CANADA(Maritimes/English)
Structure	AB
Editor/Compiler	J. Scott Skinner
Book/Manuscript title	Book:Harp and Claymore
Tune and/or Page number	p. 39
Year of publication/Date of MS	1904
Artist	Biography:Maurice Bradley
Title of recording	Fiddle Music of Donegal vol. 2 (The)
Record label/Catalogue nr.	Cairdeas CNF 002
Year recorded
Media
Score ()

BALMORAL HIGHLANDERS. Scottish, March (2/4 time). A Mixolydian. AB (Skinner): AABBCCDD (Martin). The melody, composed by Highland Piper Angus Mackay of Raasay, was included in one of J. Scott Skinner's concert sets (1921) called "Warblings From the Hills." Mackay's father, John MacKay of Raasay, had been among the last of the pupils at the famous ancient piping college of the MacCrimmons at Boreraig. The younger Mackay wrote, while still in his early twenties, a book called A Collection of Ancient Piobaireachd, or Highland Pipe Music; a piper's bible for many decades after its appearance in 1838. Skinner (1904) calls him the 'late' Angus MacKay, and notes he was the "Queen's Piper." "Balmoral Highlanders" was originally composed in six parts, although fiddle versions usually only have four (Martin, 2002). The word Balmoral is said to mean "the house of the laird," the root being the Gaelic baile, a homestead or, later, village (Matthews, 1972) {see note on "Balmoral Castle (1)" for more on Balmoral}. Paul Stewart Cranford says the first Cape Breton fiddler to record the tune was Jimmy MacLellan. Influential County Donegal fiddler John Doherty played it as a Highland, the piece being a mix of tunes he called "Angus Mackay's" and James Scott Skinner's "Queen's Welcome to Invercauld (The)."

Printed sources: Martin (Ceol na Fidhle), vol. 1, 1991; pg. 37. Martin (Traditional Scottish Fiddling), 2002; pg. 13. Skinner (Harp and Claymore), 1904; pg. 39 (includes variation sets).

Recorded sources: Cairdeas CNF 002, Maurice Bradley (Co. Derry) - "The Fiddle Music of Donegal, vol. 2." Cló Iar Chonnachta CICD 165, John Wynne & John McEvoy - "Pride of the West" (2007). Rounder CD 11661-7033-2, Natalie MacMaster - "My Roots are Showing" (2000).

See also listing at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index[1]

X:1
%
T:Balmoral Highlanders, The
M:2/4
L:1/8
R:Pipe March
Q:112
C:Angus MacKay
S:Skinner - Harp and Claymore (1904)
Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion
K:A Mix
e/c/ | A/e/c/e/ A/e/c/e/ | e/A/f/A/ ({f}e)d/B/ | G/d/B/d/ G/d/B/d/ | G/A/B/c/ d/B/e/c/ | 
A/e/c/e/ A/e/c/e/ | e/A/f/A/ ({f}e)d/c/ | B/d/G/B/ g/f/e/d/ | ({d}cAA ||
e/d/ | c/e/({g}a) c/e/({g}a) | c/e/({g}a/)f/ ({f}e)d/c/ | B/<B/g B/<B/g | B/<B/g a/g/f/d/ | 
e/e/a/f/ g/e/a/f/ | g/e/f/d/ e/a/c/A/ | B/d/G/B/ g/f/e/d/ | ({d}c)AA |]