Annotation:Lochiel's Awa' to France
X:1 T:Lochiel's Reel M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel S:William Vickers' music manuscript (Northumberland, 1770) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:Amix f|eA A/A/A e2 dg|BG G/G/G Bddg|eA A/A/A e2 dg|a/g/f/e/ gB A/A/A A:| |:g|defg b3 a/b/|gd d/d/d gddg|defg b3 a/b/|ge e/e/e geeg| defa b/a/g a/g/f|g/e/d e/d/c gddg/a/|bgab e2 dg|BA A/A/A ge e2:|]
LOCHIEL'S AWA' TO FRANCE (BUT HE'LL COME AGAIN). AKA and see "Hoof'd Carle's Son (The)," "Lochiel's Rant." Scottish, English, Canadian; Reel or Strathspey. England, Northumberland. Canada, Cape Breton. A Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Variously labelled "Old set," and, in the case of Gow, "Old." It is variously set in several modes (minor, dorian, and mixolydian). The title refers both a father and son. The father, John, 18th chief of Clan Cameron, was a prime supporter of King James in the first Jacobite rebellion in 1715, being created "Lord Lochiel" in the Jacobite peerage. Upon the failure of the enterprise he fled to permanent exile in France. Shortly after his son became acting chief. Donald Cameron of Lochiel (c. 1700-1748), like his father a staunch Jacobite, became one of Bonnie Prince Charlie Stuart's chiefs and fought under his standard at the battle of Culloden (1746). After the defeat "Young Lochiel" (or sometimes "Gentle Lochiel") was also forced to flee with the Prince to France. Although he had been badly wounded Lochiel recovered to take command of a French regiment in 1747, and died in Flanders in October, 1748. Lochiel did in fact urge Louis XV to mount a second landing on behalf of Prince Charlie, but it came to naught and he never returned to Scotland. Clan Cameron, however, was eventually pardoned and still retains substantial lands in Scotland. Breathnach (1976) finds the first part of this tune the same as the "Gossan that Beat His Father (The)" family of tunes, but that the second part is related to that of "Mountain Rose (The)." MacDonald (1887) opines that the "modern set by Neil Gow (is) not so playable." Paul Cranford says the tune "was a favorite of the late Mary Hughie MacDonald (Cape Breton pianist Mary Jessie MacDonald's mother)." Christine Martin (2002) uses the tune as an example of a Scottish melody that can be played "on the back strings", i.e. an octave lower, for variation. See also the related first strain of "Reel of Bogie (1) (The)."
The tune was published by Glasgow Highland piper, pipe teacher and pipe-maker William Gunn (1795-1867) in his Caledonian Repository of Music Adapted for the Bagpipes (1848), under the title "Mac a Bhodich Ladhrich," translated as "The Hoof’d Carle's Son."
