Dr Peter Cooke (1930-2020) was a prolific researcher of Scottish traditional music and culture as well as African music – in particular the music of the Highland bagpipe and the fiddle tradition of Shetland as well as the music of Uganda. In his scholarship on Scottish music he brought an ethnographic lens to emic concepts of music and style, most notably to do with Hebridean music and the bagpipe’s classical Gaelic ceòl mór repertoire, in effect contributing to wider recognition of Scottish music as something of value – not just culturally, but academically. 

 Moladh Phàdruig – In Praise of Peter – is a musical tribute in the form of an ensemble setting of the pibroch Moladh Mòraig, or In Praise of Morag, drawn from the fieldwork Peter undertook with the late George Moss (1903-1990). Peter’s work with Moss in the 1970s provided substantial material for the Sound Archives of the School of Scottish Studies and led to renewed interest in pibroch by a wider scholarly and musical community.

 The piece is prefaced by a short introduction to Peter and his work, and the field recordings of George Moss, Rev William Matheson and Donald Sinclair of Tiree that form the basis of the tune’s arrangement; this will include a performance of the ground and first variation of In Praise of Morag in the style advocated by Moss. The ensemble piece follows – arranged and performed by four of Scotland’s top up-and-coming pipers, all recent graduates of the BMus Traditional Music – Piping degree: Fionnlagh Mac A'Phiocair, Calum Kaye, Hamish Drennan, and Bede Patterson.

The Venue

The centre serves as a national and international centre of excellence for the great Highland Bagpipe and its music.

The Street Cafe is just outside on McPhater Street, so join us there. 

Event Sponsor

Pibroch Network