My bards raise the song.”
—Ossian.
A Tune with four stories—The Carles wi’ the Breeks—The Mac Gregor’s Gathering—Scott’s verses—Caber Feidh—The Camerons’ Gathering—Well-matched chiefs—The Loch of the Sword.
The first tune to be noticed in this chapter is peculiar in this respect, that whereas to many are ascribed two origins, to this there are ascribed three or four. More than one cannot possibly be correct, unless we conclude that different pipers at different times in different places and without any co-operation, composed the same tune. That is rather too much, however, but we will give the stories as they are to be found in many books of Highland history and tradition.
In the first place, then, this tune has three names. It is known as
“THE BREADALBANE GATHERING”
(or March), “Wives of this Glen,” and Bodaich nam Briogais (“The Carles wi’ the Breeks”), and each name applies to the air as it is associated with a certain district of Scotland. As “Lord Breadalbane’s March” it is noticed in an old hymn-book by Iain Bàn Caimbeul, first published in 1786, and afterwards in 1834. This book associated it with Coll Kitto, mentioned in a previous chapter, and gives a long story of raiding and plundering in which this worthy was engaged about 1644. At one stage in the exploits, when his enemies were fleeing, the Baronet of Lochawe ordered his piper to compose a march tune suitable for the occasion, and to keep playing all night. This the piper did, and his tune was Bodaich nam Briogais. There is certainly an air of authenticity about the story, and the details bear the stamp of probability if not of truth.
As the “Breadalbane Gathering” it is a Perthshire tune, and well known. The story is that it was played in 1762 at a battle in Caithness, in which the first Earl of Breadalbane was victor, but the air belonged to an earlier period, for Seumas-an-Tuim, the reiver referred to in the melody flourished at the beginning of the century:—
“Ye women of the glen
Ye women of the glen