Second volume of Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Collection will start shipping August 11th

Four years after the release of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Collection, voted both Music Collection of the Year in the 2018 New Year’s Honours and Music Collection of the Decade by pipes|drums panels of experts, Volume 2 in the series will be launched at Piping Live! at a special event showcasing highlights from the 240-composition soft-cover book.

Pre-ordering for the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Collection Volume 2 is now available, with the book priced at £35.

Like its predecessor, the new collection shines a light on compositions by those from or associated with the piping-rich Argyllshire region of Scotland. Following a call out for interested and qualified contributors, the book was curated and edited by five piping legends: Jimmy Banks, Walter Cowan, James Henderson and Ian MacLellan.

“The majority of these compositions brings the collection into the modern era and allows younger composers to be recognized,” organizer David Hunter said in a statement.

The publishers took pains to respect copyright and obtain permission to publish from the composers or their estates.

“For me, the unpublished tunes of my late uncle Pipe-Major John McLellan DCM were a must to get into the public domain.” – Jim Henderson

“For each of the tunes published we have done our best to contact either the individual, the family or the publisher,” Hunter added. “This as you will be aware can always be a difficult task, however we believe we have made our best efforts to get in contact.”

“While compiling Volume 1, it quickly became apparent that we had so many good tunes that they would never all fit into one volume,” Henderson said. “It was a unanimous decision that we should progress with this journey of a second volume while time was on our side. For me, the unpublished tunes of my late uncle Pipe-Major John McLellan DCM were a must to get into the public domain. I’m looking forward to the first outing of these never before heard tunes.”

The music of the great composer John McLellan, DCM of Dunoon entered the public domain in 2019, 70 years after his death in 1949, His music is available for anyone to use and publish freely under UK copyright law.

The launch event at Piping Live! will be on Thursday, August 11th, at 11 am, and orders will begin to ship that day. So far, Argyllshire native great Willie McCallum is on board to perform, and others will be announced.

Other great pipers from Argyllshire are too numerous to mention, but include Ronnie Lawrie, Willie Lawrie, Hugh MacCallum, Angus D. MacColl, John MacColl, Ronald McCallum and Ronnie McShannon.