Annotation:J.D. Burgess

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J.D. BURGESS. AKA - "John D. Burgess." Scottish, Pipe March (6/8 time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCCD. Composed by piper George Cockburn (b. 1897) in the early 1950's in honor of piper John D. Burgess [1] (1934-2005), then a young man. The tune had originally been titled "Colonel William Frizell," probably after an officer in the Home Guard in Edinburgh, for whom Cockburn was Pipe Major. Cockburn often passed his tunes out to other pipers, and this tune caught the ear of young John, who was studying piping at Ediburgh Castle with renowned Pipe Major William Ross. Burgess played it sp frequently at the Highland Piping Society, that one night Cockburn told him that it was 'his tune'.

In modern session playing the fourth part is sometimes omitted

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Martin (Ceol na Fidhle), vol. 1, 1991; p. 21 (as "John D. Burgess")

Recorded sources: Topic TSCD 669, Willy Taylor (et al) - "Ranting and Reeling: Dance Music of the north of England" (1998. Taylor {b. 1916} was a shepherd, and a fiddler and melodeon player from Wooler, Northumberland).




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