Annotation:Pipe Major George Ross' Farewell to the Black Watch
X:1 T:Pipe Major George Ross' Farewell to the Black Watch C:William Lawrie M:2/4 L:1/8 R:Pipe March B:The Logan Collection, Book 6 (No. 32, p. 18) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:Amix e|A/>A/A/B/ G/B/A/B/|d/e/d/B/ g/e/d/B/|G/G/G/A/ G/A/B/c/|d/e/d/B/ e/d/B/G/| A/A/A/B/ G/B/A/B/|d/e/d/B/ gf/g/|a/e/f/a/ e/d/B/d/|BA A/A/:| |:B/d/|e/g/f/a/ g/e/f/d/|e/d/B/d/ g/e/d/B/|G/G/G/A/ G/A/B/c/|d/e/d/B/ e/d/B/G/| |1 e/g/f/a/ g/e/f/d/|e/d/B/d/ gf/g/|a/e/f/a/ e/d/B/d/|BA A/A/:| |2 A/>A/A/B/ G/B/A/B/|d/e/d/B/ gf/g/|a/e/f/a/ e/d/B/d/|BA A/A/|| |:e|A/>A/A/B/ e/A/e/d/|B/d/e/A/ g/e/d/B/|G/G/G/A/ B/A/G/B/|d/G/B/e/ e/d/B/G/| A/>A/A/B/ e/A/e/d/|B/d/e/A/ gf/g/|a/e/f/a/ e/d/B/d/|BA A/A/:| |:B/d/|eA/A/ aA/A/|e/d/B/d/ g/e/d/B/|G/d/B/d/ e/d/B/d/|g/e/d/B/ e/d/B/G/| |1 eA/A/ aA/A/|e/d/B/d/ gf/g/|a/e/f/a/ e/d/B/d/|BA A/A/:| |2 A/>A/A/B/ G/B/A/B/|d/e/d/B/ gf/g/|a/e/f/a/ e/d/B/d/|BA A/A/||
PIPE MAJOR GEORGE ROSS' FAREWELL TO THE BLACK WATCH. Scottish, Pipe March (2/4 time). A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB'CCDD' (Logan): AA'BB'CCDD' (Cranford). One of the approximately two dozen surviving tunes of Highland piper William Lawrie [1] (1881–1916), Pipe Major of the 8th Argyllshire Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Lawrie succeeded George Ross (the subject of his march) as Pipe Major of the Battalion in 1914, just as the regiment was ordered to France in the Great War. He fell ill in 1916 due to conditions in the trenches, and, although he was invalided home to hospital, he never recovered. He died in November of that year, leaving a wife and three small children.
Paul Stewart Cranford (2015) notes that on Cape Breton the "tune is a longtime favourite of the Big Pond MacInnises (Christy-Dan-Joe)." The tune has been recorded a couple of times as "Pipe Major George Ross' Welcome to the Black Watch" by Cape Breton fiddlers.
