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General Macdonald reel

By Niel Gow

There are 2 recordings of this tune.

General Macdonald has been added to 18 tunebooks.

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Three settings

1
X: 1
T: General Macdonald
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
fAdd dAdd|fAdd faga|fAdd dAdd|eAcc e~g3|
fAdd dAdd|fAdd f~a3|gAfA eAcc|eAcc e~g3||
fdad fgag|fdad faga|fdad fgaf|ecgc e~g3|
fdad fgag|fdad f~a3|afge fdaf|ecgc e~g3||
2
X: 2
T: General Macdonald
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Cmaj
f|e>c c2 Gc c2|ec c2 egg>a|ec c2 GcEG|F_ED_B, DFF:|
f|ecgc acgc|ecgc egga|ecgc acgc|d/c/_B fB dff
g|e/d/c gc acgc|ecgc efga|ecdB cGAF|D/_E/F _B2 D_B,B,||
3
X: 3
T: General Macdonald
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
g|:fA d2 dA d2|fA d2 faga|fA d2 dA d2|eA c2 egfg:|
fdad fgag|fdad faga|fdad fdad|ecgc egfg|
fdad fgag|fdad faga|afge fdaf|ecgc efga||

Five comments

The key is D major.

General Macdonald

X2 above is from the Skye Collection (1887) and it’s pretty much how it’s given in Gow’s Fifth Collection (1809) - in both it’s attributed to Niel Gow. X:3 above is more like Dr Dow’s pipe version of the tune, but with slight differences, so I thought it may be interesting to compare. It’s from The Piper’s Assistant (1877). I have changed a couple of things:
• the original A part had 8 bars, and the fifth bar was | fA d2 AA d2 |. I have ignored that and given the A part four bars with repeat.
• the 1st bar of the B part is given as | fdad fgaf |. I have followed Dr Dow’s version and changed the f# to a g for aesthetic reasons.
• the original B part has a first and second ending. I have expanded that to eight bars for layout purposes.

You mean "malcombpiper’s" version, shirley?

General Macdonald

You’re right, Solidmahog, but don’t call me Shirley! I looked at the first comment and (wrongly) assumed that it was the submitter. Sorry, malcolm (but please, if you submit a tune, write SOMETHING about it).

This is a cracking reel with a hell of a tale behind it General Hector Archibald Macdonald, Fighting Mac. Joined the 92nd Gordon Highlanders as a penniless 17 year old and won himself, through skill and honours in battle, the rank of Major General, a DSO and a knighthood. After seeing and surviving service around the world he committed suicide in 1903, unable to bare the scandal of being outed as a homosexual.