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| The Elgin
Collection by Willie Macpherson |
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| The composition
of these tunes took place fairly sporadically over the period from
1953 to 1974. The normal process of initial publication was a familiar
one in traditional music circles: Willlie produced a composition in manuscript
and passed it to friends who copied it by hand - or, later, photocopied
it - and circulated it more widely. The tunes thus became known by
being played, informally at first, until some of them came to be known
in much wider circles than others. Two of the tunes can be with certainty
ascribed to 1954, and those associated with the The Elgin Strathspey
and Reel Society to the years 1970 to 1974, following the re-formation
of the Society. The final date of composition of most of the others
probably belongs to the years after Willie’s return to Elgin in 1966. The naming of the tunes follows traditional patterns. Though his heroes, Marshall and Skinner, often named tunes to flatter particular individuals and so gain a few extra shillings in sponsorship for the publication of their collections, we can assume that Willie’s titles - unmotivated by commercial interest - reflect his fondness for particular local places and people and the personal memories associated with them. |
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