Geordie Syme's Parcel o Tunes follows on from The Master Piper, our edition of the 1733 William Dixon manuscript, in a series of initiatives by ourselves and others to move beyond mere revival toward the revitalisation of the Border piping tradition.

 

Taking on board the accounts of Geordie as “the best piper of his time” and “the best piper in the country” and taking our lead from music manuscripts in the library of the Buccleuch family who were his patrons, we have put together a collection of music which we believe will do justice to Geordie‘s reputation while at the same time challenging today‘s pipers not only to enlarge their repertoire but also to increase their skill-set and to deepen their understanding of the music.

 

Geordie Syme's Parcel o Tunes is a 200-page book containing a nourishing menu of 173 musical items, from short and sweet to long and savoury:

 

20 Airs and miscellaneous tunes
15 Rants and measures
16 Minuets
10 Triple-time hornpipes
42 Jigs (6/8 and 6/4, i.e. dancing / listening)
14 Slip jigs
51 Reels
5 Variation suites

Plus Introduction, illustrations, references and notes.

 

“What a treasure trove! And what wonderful and exhaustive work you have undertaken, continuing in a great tradition, whether it be SMM [Scots Musical Museum] or Glen [Early Scottish Melodies] or whomsoever. What’s more, it’s full of fun, splendid illustrations and is not like any other music book that ever was in its superb blend of scholarship and day-to-day usage. It is quite simply a truly inspiring and noble achievement.”

—John Purser, composer, author of Scotland’s Music