c. 1815 – Anon. ‘Hannay-MacAuslan’ MS (H)

NLS acc 11600. Piobereachd.

This anonymous manuscript was discovered in 1940 by Dr Alan MacAuslan, who presented it to the National Library of Scotland after its importance was recognised by Dr David Hannay. It contains the earliest notations by a piper of complete pibrochs with all the grace notes written out in full. The paper is watermarked 1811.

In 1820, nine of the ten tunes were printed by Donald MacDonald, who made a few minor amendments. In 2015, David Hester published typeset editions on this webpage with the aim of offering more legible scores, not of updating the material. The facsimiles of the manuscript were produced by the Piobaireachd Society in 2006. The scale fingering chart on folio 1r and tune no. 1 were accidentally omitted and will be added here in due course.

-Barnaby Brown, 2015

Book Covers

Alphabetical (source titles and spellings)

Ceann Drochaid Mhoir  H.3:5r, PS 171 [typeset edition]
Failt Dherse Oig  H.8:16r, PS 55  [typeset edition]
Gille Chriost  H.1:1v, PS 170
lock on fingers/ ’Ghlas Mheur  H.5:10v, PS 132  [typeset edition]
McLachlan’s March / Moladh Mairi  H.7:13v, PS 67  [typeset edition]
Pursuit of Glenfroo[in], The / Ruaig Ghlinne Freoir  H.2:3r, PS 13  [typeset edition]
Sister’s Lament, The / Cumh na Paithair  H.6:12r, PS 23  [typeset edition]
Spadseirachd Dhomnuil Ghruamaic[h]  H.4:7r, PS 102 [typeset edition]
Sword’s Lament, The / Port an Chlaibh  H.9:19r,  PS 172 [typeset edition]
[Too Long in This Condition]  H.10:19v, PS 161  [typeset edition]

Numerical (by number and page)

H.1:1v PS 170 Gille Chriost
H.2:3r  PS 13 Pursuit of Glenfroo[in], The / Ruaig Ghlinne Freoir
H.3:5r  PS 171 Ceann Drochaid Mhoir
H.4:7r  PS 102 Spadseirachd Dhomnuil Ghruamaic[h]
H.5:10v  PS 132 lock on fingers/ ’Ghlas Mheur
H.6:12r  PS 23 Sister’s Lament, The / Cumh na Paithair
H.7:13v  PS 67 McLachlan’s March / Moladh Mairi
H.8:16r  PS 55 Failt Dherse Oig
H.9:19r   PS 172 Sword’s Lament, The / Port an Chlaibh
H.10:19v  PS 161 [Too Long in This Condition]

Click here for full collection

Notes by David Hester

On reading Hannay-MacAuslan
On movements in Hannay-MacAuslan
On Da Capo urlar refrains