Willie Ross | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 14 June 1878 Ardchuilc, Glen Strathfarrar |
| Died | 23 March 1966 (aged 87) Edinburgh |
| Instrument(s) | Great Highland Bagpipe |
Pipe Major William Collie Ross MBE (1878 - 1966) was a Scottish bagpipe player.
Willie Ross | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 14 June 1878 Ardchuilc, Glen Strathfarrar |
| Died | 23 March 1966 (aged 87) Edinburgh |
| Instrument(s) | Great Highland Bagpipe |
Pipe Major William Collie Ross MBE (1878 - 1966) was a Scottish bagpipe player.
Ross was born on 14 June 1878 at Ardchuilc in Glen Strathfarrar, the second son of Alexander Ross and Mary Collie. [1] [2] He was taught by his maternal uncle Aeneas Rose, piper to the Duke of Atholl, but also received tuition from both his parents, in addition to taking lessons at Blair Castle during the school holidays. [1]
At the age of 18 he joined the Scots Guards, and fought with the 1st Battalion in the Boer War from 1899 to 1902. In 1905 he became Pipe major of the 2nd Battalion, at the age of 24. His younger brother Alexander was also a piper, and became Pipe-Major of the 1st Battalion in 1911. [3]
In 1919 Willie was made Instructor at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming at Edinburgh Castle, where he taught hundreds of pupils, including almost all the top players produced by the army. [3] Among his most famous students was John D. Burgess, who he taught as a private pupil from a young age. Burgess won both gold medals at the age of 16, and went on to become one of the most successful competitive pipers of the 20th century. [4] [3]
Ross was also Pipe-Major of the Lovat Scouts between 1921 and 1933. [3]
He married Edith Mary McGregor in 1903, but she died suddenly in 1942. They had a son William who died aged about 7 (probably of cystic fibrosis) and a daughter Cecily who won Mòd Medals for her piano playing. [1] [3] Ross died in Edinburgh on 23 March 1966, aged 87. [1] There is a memorial cairn near the house he was born in, which is now a ruin. [3]
Ross won many of the top prizes of the day:
Some of the tunes Willie Ross composed are: [1]
He also collected and set 240 tunes into the 5 volumes of Pipe-Major W. Ross’s Collection of Highland Bagpipe Music. [3]
The composition 'Corriechoillie's 43rd Welcome to the Northern Meeting' is often wrongly attributed to Willie Ross, but was in fact composed by an earlier William Ross (1823-1891) from the parish of Knockbain in Ross-shire, who was Pipe Major of 42nd Royal Highlanders (Black Watch), and became Piper to Queen Victoria on the 10th May 1854, a post which he continued to occupy up till the time of his death on 10th June 1891, at the age of 69.
The Corriechoillie in question is the notorious livestock drover and landowner John Cameron of Corriechoille, in Lochaber, who was given a special welcome on his 43rd attendance of the Northern Meeting.
The great Highland bagpipe is a type of bagpipe native to Scotland, and the Scottish analogue to the great Irish warpipes. It has acquired widespread recognition through its usage in the British military and in pipe bands throughout the world.
The Northern Meeting is a gathering held in Inverness, Scotland, best known for its solo bagpiping competition in September.
The Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming is a British Army training establishment that provides instruction on Scottish pipe band music to military pipers and drummers.
Jori Lance Chisholm is an American professional bagpipe player and teacher who lives in Seattle, Washington. Chisholm is a successful solo competitor winning the United States Gold Medal four times and has placed in the top three in Scotland's Argyllshire Gathering Gold Medal competition. He played with the six-time Grade One World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band and was a featured solo performer for the band on multiple occasions. Chisholm has performed in front of sold-out audiences with The Chieftains and with ex-Grateful Dead rocker Bob Weir and his band Ratdog, and has been featured as a soloist or band member on over 20 recordings. His debut solo album Bagpipe Revolution was nominated for Album of the Year by Pipes|Drums magazine. He writes the "Sound Technique" column for the National Piping Centre’s bi-monthly Piping Today Magazine. The New York Times featured Chisholm's online teaching program, BagpipeLessons.com, and described him as a "top-tier teacher" in a front-page story about the growth of Skype music lessons. A cover story in American Profile Magazine named Chisholm one of the "world's elite pipers."
This article defines a number of terms that are exclusive, or whose meaning is exclusive, to piping and pipers.
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Pipe Major Donald MacLeod was a Scottish bagpiper, British Army Pipe major, composer and bagpipe instructor.
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John Davie Burgess was a Scottish bagpipe player.
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In competitive solo bagpiping, a Gold Medal is awarded at the Northern Meeting and Argyllshire Gathering for pibroch playing. The prize is one of the most prestigious awards a solo player can receive, and by winning it a player qualifies for a number of restricted competitions.
