Does anyone know the story behind this tune? Last year, at Zookfest, Luke Plum, the mandolin player of the band Shooglenifty, played this tune and introduced it with a bit of its history. If I remember correctly there was a contest to write a tune to pipe in the ferry to the town of Nigg. Duncan Johnstone wrote this tune which placed second in the contest.
I was trying to retell the story to a fellow sessioneer who said I had it all wrong and that the tune was written as a farewell to the men who worked on the north sea oil rigs. It's a great tune either way but I would love to have my facts straight before I misinform someone else.
There is a small write up about it in Chris Duncan's cd cover:
Farewell to Nigg is arguably the most famous
bagpipe tune composed by Duncan Johnstone
(1925-1999), a gifted piper and prolific composer;
many of his tunes have become part of the
standard bagpipe and Scottish folk music
repertoire. The Nigg of the title refers to the
village and bay that lies to the north of Inverness
at the mouth of the Cromarty Firth.
I heard that the tune won a competition to mark the flotation of the first oil rig from Nigg Bay to the North Sea. I have the sheet music at home, and will check the tune notes. This tune has also made it into the Irish repertoire, recorded by Desi Wilkinson with "Cran". I've been teaching it to my flute class in Aberdeen the last 2 years.
The notes in the "Ceol nam Feis" book read as follows: "Farewell to Nigg by Duncan Johnstone, this was the winning march in a competition run by the College of Piping to mark the launch of the first oil rig from the Highland Fabricators' Yard at Nigg". Amongst others it has been recorded by Shooglenifty on A Whisky Kiss, Ceolbeg on An Unfair Dance, Duncan Chisholm on The Wind on the Heath, Hamish Moore & Dick Lee on Farewell to Decorum.
Farewell to Nigg
Farewell to Nigg
Hi All
Does anyone know the story behind this tune? Last year, at Zookfest, Luke Plum, the mandolin player of the band Shooglenifty, played this tune and introduced it with a bit of its history. If I remember correctly there was a contest to write a tune to pipe in the ferry to the town of Nigg. Duncan Johnstone wrote this tune which placed second in the contest.
I was trying to retell the story to a fellow sessioneer who said I had it all wrong and that the tune was written as a farewell to the men who worked on the north sea oil rigs. It's a great tune either way but I would love to have my facts straight before I misinform someone else.
Jack
# Posted on July 21st 2008 by jackstraw
Re: Farewell to Nigg
There is a small write up about it in Chris Duncan's cd cover:
Farewell to Nigg is arguably the most famous
bagpipe tune composed by Duncan Johnstone
(1925-1999), a gifted piper and prolific composer;
many of his tunes have become part of the
standard bagpipe and Scottish folk music
repertoire. The Nigg of the title refers to the
village and bay that lies to the north of Inverness
at the mouth of the Cromarty Firth.
http://www.buywell.com/booklets/4768036.pdf
Shoogle has been playing this tune for a long time... i'm guessing that Luke would know what he is talking about.
# Posted on July 21st 2008 by davydd
Re: Farewell to Nigg
I heard that the tune won a competition to mark the flotation of the first oil rig from Nigg Bay to the North Sea. I have the sheet music at home, and will check the tune notes. This tune has also made it into the Irish repertoire, recorded by Desi Wilkinson with "Cran". I've been teaching it to my flute class in Aberdeen the last 2 years.
# Posted on July 21st 2008 by Kenny
Re: Farewell to Nigg
The notes in the "Ceol nam Feis" book read as follows: "Farewell to Nigg by Duncan Johnstone, this was the winning march in a competition run by the College of Piping to mark the launch of the first oil rig from the Highland Fabricators' Yard at Nigg". Amongst others it has been recorded by Shooglenifty on A Whisky Kiss, Ceolbeg on An Unfair Dance, Duncan Chisholm on The Wind on the Heath, Hamish Moore & Dick Lee on Farewell to Decorum.
# Posted on July 21st 2008 by donaidh