Annotation:Lord Alexander Kennedy's March
X:1 T:Lord Alexander Kennedy's March C:Piper Honeyman R:March M:C L:1/8 B:David Glen's Collection of Highland Bagpipe Music Book 3 Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:Amix e/a/|AA/A/ A>B A/d/f/a/ e2|dc/d/ fe/A/ cB/>B/ Be/a/|AA/A/ A>B A/d/f/a/ e>d| c/e/A/c/ B/d/G/B/ AA/A/ A:||c/d/|e2 e/A/c/e/ f2 f/d/f/a/|dc/d/ fe/A/ cB/>B/ Bc/d/| e2 e/A/c/e/ f2 f/d/f/a/|c/e/A/c/ B/d/G/B/ AA/A/A/|e2 e/A/c/e/ f2 f/d/f/a/| dc/d/ fe/A/ cB/>B/ Ba/f/|eA/A/ A>B A/d/f/a/ e>d|c/e/A/c/ B/d/G/B/ AA/A/ A|| e/a/|cc/e/ A/d/f/a/ df/a/ e2|dc/d/ fe/A/ cB/>B/ Be/a/|Ac/e/ A/d/f/a/ df/a/ e>d| c/e/A/c/ B/d/G/B/ AA/A/ Ae/a/|cc/e/ A/d/f/a/ df/a/ e2|dc/d/ fe/A/ cB/>B/ Ba/f/| eA/A/ A>B A/d/f/a/ e>d|c/e/A/c/ B/d/G/B/ AA/A/ A||c/d/|ec/e/ e/A/c/A? fd/f/ ec/A/| df/a/ e/A/c/A/ cB/>B/ Bc/d/|ec/e/ e/A/c/A/ fd/f/ ec/A/|c/e/A/c/ B/d/G/B/ AA/A/ Ac/d/| ec/e/ e/A/c/A? fd/f/ ec/A/|df/a/ e/A/c/A/ cB/>B/ Bg/f/|eA/A/ A>B A/d/f/a/ e>d| c/e/A/c/ B/d/G/B/ AA/A/A||:e/a/|A/d/f/a/ A/d/f/a/ df/a/ d/a/f/a/|ce/a/ ce/a/ G/B/d/f/ a2| |1 a/d/f/a/ a/d/f/a df/a/ d/a/f/a/|c/e/A/c/ B/d/G/B/ AA/A/ A:| |2 eA/A/ A>B A/d/f/a/ e>d|c/e/A/c/ B/d/G/B/ AA/A/ A||c/d/|e/A/c/a/ e/A/c/a/ f/B/d/a/ f/B/d/a/| e/A/c/a/ e/A/c/a/ B/G/B/g B/G/B/d/|e/A/c/a/ e/A/c/a/ f/B/d/a/ f/B/d/a/|c/e/A/c/ B/d/G/B/ AA/A/ Ac/d/| e/A/c/a/ e/A/c/a/ f/B/d/a/ f/B/d/a/|e/A/c/a/ e/A/c/a/ B/G/B/d e/g/f/a/| eA/A/ A>B A/d/f/a/ e>d|c/e/A/c/ B/d/G/B/ AA/A/ A||
LORD ALEXANDER KENNEDY'S MARCH. Scottish, Pipe March (2/4 time). A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). This pipe march, composed by James Honeyman of Falkirk, has some historical and modern currency among Cape Breton fiddlers. In the latter 19th century Lord Alexander Kennedy (1853-1912) was an officer (and amateur piper) in the 42nd Regiment (The Black Watch) and James "Piper" Honeyman was his batman and servant who composed this tune (as "Lord Alexander Kennedy's March Through the Garden of Gethsemane") in honor of his officer after the Ashanti campaign in 1874. The following notice regarding Honeyman appeared in Piping Times in 1969:
A native of Falkirk. Piper in the Black Watch. Served in the Ashanti Campaign of 1874. When the 42nd was at Malta in 1876, one of the officers who was a keen piper (Lord Alexander Kennedy) went on leave to the Holy Land. On his return he was greeted by Honeyman who informed him he had composed a tune. Lord Alexander asked what the name was to be. “I intend to call it ‘Lord Alexander Kennedy’s Farewell to Gethsemane’,” said Honeyman. Lord Alexander, however, suggested that this was hardly appropriate, and Honeyman took a lot of convincing before he altered it to “Lord A. Kennedy’s March”. Honeyman afterwards worked at Falkirk iron works, and died there in 1889[1]. His brother and father were pipers in the 42nd.
The piece has undergone some "folk-processing" since it was first published.
- ↑ The statement that Honeyman died in 1889 is in error. W.L. Manson in his The Highland Bagpipe (1901) recorded that Honeyman had piped his regiment into Coomassie that same year.