Annotation:Champion March (The)
X:1 T:Champion March, The M:2/4 L:1/8 R:March Q:112 C:J. Scott Skinner (1843-1927) S:Skinner - Harp and Claymore (1904) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:Amix e/c/ | A/<A/A/B/ c/B/c/d/ | (ef) (ec/A/) | (ef) (ec/A/) | (de) (dB/G/) | A/<A/A/B/ c/B/c/d/ | (ef) (ec/A/) | (a/e/c/A/) (e/c/d/B/) |{B}cAA || (3efg | (ac/A/) (ec/A/) | (a/A/c/A/) (ec/A/) | (gB/G/) (dB/G/) | (g/G/B/G/) (dB/G/) | (ac/A/) (ec/A/) | (a/f/d/f/) (ec/A/) | a/e/c/A/ e/c/d/B/ |{B}cAA ||
CHAMPION MARCH, THE. AKA - "Willie MacLennan." Scottish, March (2/4 or cut time). A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Composed by Scots fiddler-composer wikipedia:James_Scott_Skinner (1843–1927), who dedicated his march "To The Late William Maclennan Champion Piper & Dancer who died in Montreal. The composer was a member of his company." See Skinner's manuscript copy [1].
MacLennan was a cousin of the famous piper G.S. McLennan (note that some members of the family spelled their surname differently), and was famed as a dancing master and piper himself. Skinner was among those who, in 1892, accompanied MacLennan on a performing tour, only to have it collapse when MacLennan died suddenly of meningitis in Montreal. The performers were left to fend for themselves and find their own ways home. MacLennan's death was widely mourned, as by poet James Duff Law:
Thro' Canada's forests the chill winds were sighin',
Despoilin' the trees of their verdure sae braw,
And a' that was brawny in Nature was dyin',
When Willie was also by death ta'en awa'!
