MacGregor Of Rora waltz

Not a waltz, but a 3/4 retreat march.

I learned this from the album "May You Never Lack a Scone" by Jock Tamson’s Bairns where this tune is paired with Bobby MacLeod’s "The Kings House", another cracking retreat march, which I’ll add at some point.

The dots here are lifted shamelessly from the Scots Guards book Volume 1 as I just couldn’t get my head around the 3/4 march feel from memory into abc, so in that regard today was a bit of a school day.

These tunes are played quite slowly, lovely feel to them and rather atmospheric, well I think so anyway and I hope others will like it too.

Here’s the Kings House posted today;

https://thesession.org/tunes/11627

The two make a great set and whilst they sound great on most instruments I have a fondness for them played on whistle and flute.

The ‘snaps’ play havoc with the display of this tune, which is why Solidmahog’s version looks like rubbish. Not his fault. I have managed to post a half0decent setting by NOT notating the snaps in bars 4, 7 and 15.

It’s not the "snaps" but the length of the lines. All you need to do is restrict the number of bars to a line to display properly.
However, there are some errors in transcription.

The display issues are all fixed now.

"It’s not the "snaps" but the length of the lines…"

I don’t understand what you mean, Weejie; I’m certain the problem was the snaps ("<"). As far as the transcription is concerned, I spotted one wrong note, but maybe you can point out the others, as I can’t see ‘em.

There was no repeat at the end of the first strain, and it looked like there were too many notes in a bar. I can’t remember all of them and Jeremy has sorted it now. The main problem was the continuous line of text. You can put as many "snaps" as you like in a tune and it should display properly.

I think you must be misremembering, Weejie.

Not at all. I wouldn’t have said there were errors if there were not. There was no repeat sign at the end of the first strain. That I do know. And there were too many notes in bar 4, for sure.
Why do you think that "snaps" should render the tune improperly? It doesn’t make sense, when there are several tunes here with "snaps" in abundance>

Now submitted a fairly standard version of the tune. Note that there are still "snaps" (<) in bars 4, 7 and 15, and the notes are displaying properly (on my system, anyway).
I’ve noticed that you have notated the "snaps" in those bars too, Nigel (though you said you had not notated them).

I was under the impression you were talking about my setting, Weejie, but it seems you were referring to the original submission by Solidmahog - sorry for misinterpreting.

"I’ve noticed that you have notated the "snaps" in those bars too, Nigel (though you said you had not notated them)."

I spent a long time trying to notate the snaps and nothing would work, then Jeremy got on the case and fixed whatever the problem with the "<" was - after that, I put the snaps back in. I should have said that because Solidmahog’s version was from Scots Guards Vol.1, I submitted the same version, but one which displayed properly. Of course, it’s redundant now.

I have lots of versions of a tune by that name with a few alternative titles, and there is are wide variations. I think it’s the same tune at heart, though. X:4 above is a tune called "McGregor’s Search" from the Gesto Collection (1895) - it’s also under that title in "The Piper’s Assistant" (1877).

"Now submitted a fairly standard version of the tune."

I’m curious, Weejie, as to where you found your "fairly standard" version? It’s not the Scots Guards or Seaforth setting, it’s not the one recorded by the Bairns, and I’ve never heard the rather odd 3rd line in my 25+ years of hearing pipers play this tune.

MacGregor is my favorite retreat of all time. Wonderful, moving tune. And the Bairn’s paring of this tune with The King’s House is brilliant.

And by the way, even though the last bar of the first line shows a snap up to A, I almost always hear pipers either softening the snap or eliminating it altogether.

Cheers

I have should been a bit more clear re: Weejie’s posted version. The 1st, 2nd and 4th lines are pretty standard. It’s the 3rd line that mystifies me.

Cheers

"I’m curious, Weejie, as to where you found your "fairly standard" version? It’s not the Scots Guards or Seaforth setting, it’s not the one recorded by the Bairns, and I’ve never heard the rather odd 3rd line in my 25+ years of hearing pipers play this tune."

It’s from the Cabar Feidh collection. Arranged by PM Andrew MacKillop. Perhaps, in your 25 years out and about hearing tunes, you might have heard the original lament on which this retreat was based. It’s in several manuscripts published long before all the pipe book "retreat" versions - Aird’s in particular (under the title "MacGregor Aruaro") and Dow’s "Ancient Scots Music" ("The McGrigor’s Lamentation"). Burns used the tune for "Raving winds round her blowing" (173, Scots Musical Museum - tune: "McGrigor of Roro’s Lament"). The settings of the original tune all seem to be well out of range of the pipes.
The McKillop setting is played this side of the pond - and in Australia too, I believe.

"I have lots of versions of a tune by that name with a few alternative titles, and there is are wide variations. I think it’s the same tune at heart, though. "

Yes. I’ve noticed some pipe friendly versions in the Ceol Sean mss. Nothing as old as Dow’s and Aird’s, however.
Perhaps I’ll get round to submitting a few of these versions.

X:5 From "Henderson’s Tutor for the Bagpipe and Collection of Pipe Music" (via Ceol Sean).
Similarities to the Cabar Feidh setting, but out of sync bar-wise.
Written out in full, because of slight differences in the repeats, and first and second time bars would be tedious.

Thanks guys, keep them coming.

Thanks, Weejie, for the information. Although I’ve heard many top players from Scotland playing the tune in the States, I’ve somehow just never heard the Cabar Feidh setting.

Cheers.

Perhaps those taking part in "Pipefest Stirling" will get to hear the Cabar Feidh setting:

http://pipefest.com/music/Macgregor-of-Rora.php

I have a theory that this tune is the root of the much more popular The Wayfaring Stranger from the American/Appalachian/Sacred Harp tradition.

The connection isn’t clear from the setting here https://thesession.org/tunes/8514 but if you listen to most recordings or check out this setting from Tim Cummings http://www.thepipingcentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/wayfaring-stranger.pdf they’re very close.

The fact that this was published early and often as a pipe tune might have facilitated its adoption & adaptation on the other side of the pond.

Isn’t this the tune "McGregor of Roro"? Roro is farmland on the south side of Glenlyon traditionally associated with the McGregors and there are several songs about their activities (mainly getting slain or hung) from the time when the name was proscribed and you could be executed just for using the name McGregor. It is the first tune on https://youtu.be/lu3hQZzkRDU.

play video

In my database I have the following alternative titles:

• MacGregor of Ruara; MacGregor of Rora; Macgregor of Roro; Lamentation for Mac Gregor of Roro; Lamentation for MacGregor of Roro; Lamentation for McGrigor of Roro; Mac Griogair A Ruaro; Mac Griogair o Ruadh-Shruth;
• McGregor’s Search;
• The Maid of Edin; Tha gruagach san Aodan; Tha grugach san Aodan;
• The Cottage Adjoining the Fall; Bothan an easan;
• Farewell to Glen Shalloch;
• Raving Winds Around her Blowing

Which variation do you think is closest to this?
https://youtu.be/RoDyWABqeMs

play video

Well, having recently reread the late great WH Murray’s, Rob Roy MacGregor: his life and times, I’d say Roro it is, most likely!

I heard a recording of MacGregor of Ruara played by Fin Moore (small pipes) and Sarah Hoy (fiddle) on the BBC Alba radio program Crunluath. Fin’s father, Hamish Moore, also recorded the tune under the title MacGregor’s Search. Fin plays it as a dance tune; Hamish as a sean-nòs. Both versions are compelling. There’s also a version recorded by the late Seumas MacNeill under the title MacGregor of Ruara. He plays it as a slow march and, as with the Moore’s versions, it is quite compelling.

This my interpretation of the melody and rhythm as recorded by Seumas MacNeill under the title "MacGregor of Huara" on the 1970 recording "Highland Bagpipes." Huara is likely a typographical error and should have been Ruara (or Ruaro, Roro, etc.).

This is the ABC Notation with some of the GHB embellishments added:
T:MacGregor of Huara
M:3/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=40
K:Hp
A3/2B1/2 {gef}e2 {g}e2 | f3/2d/ e2 A2 | A3/2B1/2 {gef}e2 {g}e2 | f3/2e/ {Gdc}d2 G2 |
B/{Gdc}d3/2 B/{Gdc}d3/2 e3/2d/ | {gBe}B/A3/2 {gAe}A/G3/2 A3/2B1/2 | e3/2d/ B/d3/2 B/G3/2 | A2 {GdG}B2 A2 :|
|: A3/2B1/2 e2 {ag}a2 | g3/2e/ {g}e3/2d/ B/A3/2 | A3/2B1/2 e2 {ag}a2 | g/f/e/d/ g2 G2 |
[1 B/{Gdc}d3/2 B/{Gdc}d3/2 e3/2d/ | {gBe}B/A3/2 {gAe}A/G3/2 A3/2B1/2 | e3/2d/ B/d3/2 B/G3/2 | A2 {GdG}B2 A2 :|
[2 B/{Gdc}d3/2 B/{Gdc}d3/2 ef/g/ | {Be}B/A3/2 {gAe}A/G3/2 g3/2f/ | e3/2d/ B/d3/2 B/G3/2 | A2 {GdG}B2 A2 |]

I first played this with Jenny Wrigley et al in Kirkwall, Orkney - less dotted rhythm. Tune set with "The Kings House", OK but inferior to this march.

🙂

"The King’s House" is a highly regarded Bobby McLeod retreat march. You might well prefer the other tune, personally, but it shouldn’t be described as "inferior" to anything.

https://youtu.be/yCRj_B1YoI8

play video