Flett From Flotta march

A great march written by Donald Macleod during the Second World War about his friend William (aka Jock) Flett, a piper in the Seaforth Highlanders.
Flotta (the flat island) is in the Orkneys.

We tag it with Kelso Fiddle & Box Club and the Fourty-Six Seconder.

Fergie McDonald plays it as a strathspey with lots more dots.

Do the parts repeat or not? I see you’ve notated them as AB, as not repeating?

And yes, it is a lovely march…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zxTzC64Cno

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“A Highland Schottische from the King of the Button Box - Fergie MacDonald. The tunes are ‘Katie Jane of Lewis / Seonaid / Flett from Flotta’ ~ ”

“Flett from Flotta” was William Arnot Flett, who was known as “Big John” by his regiment, fought at the battle of El Alamein in 1942. It was apparently while he and Donald McLeod were locked together in a guard’s van, protecting the regimental silver heading for a dinner in England that the tune was composed. It was also known as “John Flett of Flotta”.

His nephew, also named William Arnot Flett, but known to everyone as “Arne” (after a trip to Norway - before that he was known as “Arnie”) was someone I had great pleasure in saying was a true friend of mine. Arne was a great piper and pipe teacher, and it is mainly due to him that I have an interest in pipes and piping. I have the story of “Flett from Flotta” through him.
Arne passed away not long ago.

Phil Cunningham does a hilarious introduction to the “Fergie” version of this tune and how it came about. The intro is worth listening to, tune actually starts around 7:45:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB7FtBv8f_0

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Glad I was able to track it down at this site.

GREAT - anyone know the name of the last tune Phil & Johnny plays

“The Fairy Dance” and variations.

From 11.40 on. it’s their version of “The Fairy Dance”. It used to be the show-stopping finale to their concerts with “Silly Wizard”.

Cross posted, Nigel.

I was reliably, or not, told today that MacLeod wrote the opening bars on the back of a fag packet while on the train, so as not to forget the tune.

Great march played as part of a Gay Gordons set in the Travelling Folk Christmas Ceilidh session http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0854mmh

DomW, the tune you’ve submitted is a slightly unusual setting of “The Headlands” by Ronnie Cooper of Shetland (https://thesession.org/tunes/1950).

X:1 doesn’t do “Flett from Flotta” justice either - if someone else doesn’t do a better job, I’ll do it myself a bit later.

I immediately recognized this tune as “Old Molly Hare”. I think I learned it from a New Lost City Ramblers LP back around 1970.

Flett From Flotta? More like The Headlands, by the late Ronnie Cooper. (I’m referring to the sheet music)

I lived 15 years in Orkney. Tune was written in a train I think while the friends were on their way to army duty. In Ork. it’s called ‘Flett fae Flotta’ which is a tongue twister indeed. I disliked the tune for about a year but somehow it has grown on me after we played it lots of times in Jenny Wrigley’s fiddle class at the Reel (Kirkwall) Jenny’s a v. talented composer of tunes too.

This setting is closer to how you would likely hear this tune played in Scotland, except for perhaps Fergie MacDonald and Aly & Phil who play it as a 2/4 march.
Some play it with the parts repeated, some without. I prefer the latter. Maybe that’s because that’s how I first heard it but it just seems to move along a lot better that way.

I would have had the last two notes on the second line after the double bar line, and moved to the third line. Apart from that, yet another excellent transcription from DK - thanks.

Done, Nigel.

In Orkney this tune is played a lot and generally followed by “Gairsay” written by W. R. Aim - another Orkney musician.

The first and third settings, which are closest to the version that was in my head, are very different from the second one. They almost feel like different tunes. Does anyone know what’s going on there?

EDIT: I’ve just read the other comments properly… It is indeed a different tune!