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Written in Folk Roots issue 35, 1986


GEORGE MOSS
Scottish Tradition Cassette Series: 6 - Pibroch
Tangent Records TGMNIC 506 (cassette) (1985)

This recording, in itself of value mainly to a limited coterie of those involved in piping and so released in a suitable short-run but long-duration form, namely a cassette in a book-sized box with a booklet of transcription and notes, has created a controversy which I think might have some relevance to perceptions of traditional music in a much more general way.
      Scottish piping these days is much girded about with competitions and institutions, which have had some effect on generating a received wisdom of the way it's done. George Moss, now 83, has never been much of a one for competitions, mainly because his style was at odds with that of the mainstream. Peter Cooke felt that his differences were worth airing, since it's the School of Scottish Studies' role, in this series, to cover the whole range of the tradition. At this point enter what certainly looks like the Wrath Of The Establishment, in the form of a review of the cassette in the West Highland Free Press by Seumas MacNeill, the Principal of the College of Piping in Glasgow. Amid talk of cadence Es and low As, and making passing reference to "untaught tinker pipers who play entertainingly in many parts of the Highlands", he accuses George of such errors as "destroying the tune utterly", making "the fatal mistake throughout of trying to play tunes in regular rhythm", asserts that the tape "tells us nothing that we don't already know except that Mr. Moss has remembered the birl wrongly", and ends with a quote referring to "the cracked voice recordings of authentic folk crones".
      This reaction raises the concept of 'correct' as applied to traditional music. There is something about the age and misty history of traditional tunes which causes many players, myself included, to feel that some of them have a life of their own, a voice which demands a particular expression in terms of phrasing. I incline to the belief, though, that this produces different results in different players, and is a source of development and vitality. Each playing is a further exploration, not an attempt to come closer to the aforementioned received wisdom. Mr. MacNeill seems to be saying, among other things, that exploration's OK as long as it sticks to the nature trail.
      Peter Cooke's counterblast was soon speeding north to the W.H.F.P. letters page, which subsequently carried further, geographically delayed, support for the Moss tape from a MacLeod in Australia. Will this matter have the staying power of Westland? Will MacNeill topple? Will George Moss speak to the committee?
      To return to the subject of this review - the tape consists of examples of tunes and parts of tunes, played either on practice chanter or occasionally full pipes (provided with wind by others and fingered by Mr. Moss), interspersed with relevant conversation. It's information rather than entertainment, but it has some importance, and it's just the sort of thing the School of Scottish Studies should be doing.

 
© 1986 Andrew Cronshaw
 

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