Hi Kate, There are two composers of note called William Ross - both pipe majors. The earlier is known in piping as 'Uilleam' Ross to distinguish him from Willie Ross, Scots Guards and later chief instructor at the Army School of Piping. The latter compiled five excellent books of pipe music, although he is largely an arranger - but he does have a few very good original tunes of his own. His arrangements of competition style MSR are considered the classics of modern piping and widely played. Uilleam's book has never really been accepted as anything other than a curiosity by pipers although there is a growing tendency to critically look at his piobaireachd settings in this new 'enlightened' age. I don't have it in front of me but I believe Willie died c 1966. His great pupil was John D Burgess. Last year or so we ran an extensive article on Willie Ross in Celtic World under the series on the 12 greatest pipers of the 20th century. If you need anymore please let me know, although I might be a bit slow in replying.
Bruce Campbell (Editor) Celtic World (incorporating Highland Gathering, established 1986). The best selling Celtic cultural monthly. Postal address: PO Box 98, Corrimal NSW 2518 Street Address: Suites 4/5 108 Railway Street, Corrrimal NSW 2518 AUSTRALIA TEL 02 4285 7480 FAX 02 4285 7482 mobile 0415 647 423 Normal monthly Deadline: 15th of month prior to publication. >From: SUZANNE MACDONALD <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: [scots-l] PM William Ross >Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2001 11:39:25 -0400 > >Kate Dunley wrote: > > <Does anyone know the dates for Pipe Major William Ross? (If there has >been >more than one, I mean the one with the collection who composed a bunch >of >tunes.) Is it correct to say he was 19th-century, or did he overlap >with >another century?> > >Hi Kate: > >The following is copied from notes in the 1885 collection [William] >"Ross's Collection of Pipe Music"; " Ross was born in 1823 and joined >the Black Watch at the age of sixteen, eventually reaching the rank of >Pipe Major. He entered the service of Queen Victoria in >1884..........." A further note states " Although Angus MacKay had >developed an acceeptable system of staff notation for pipe music, there >had been no comprensive collection of tunes for the pipes published >until Ross brought out his collection in 1869". The 1885 edition >expanded the 1869 edition from 243 to 478 tunes. In a foreword in the >1976 reprint of the 1885 collection Seamus MacNeill says Ross died in >1891. > >Alexander > > >Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To >subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: >http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
