Pipes at Yale - Piobaireachd and Classical Music

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This concert introduced pibroch-the rarely heard seventeenth-century art music of the Highland Bagpipes-to a wider audience. Currently performed and appreciated almost entirely within an insular competition circuit, this sophisticated and hypnotic music from the golden age of Gaelic-speaking Scotland is due for a comeback. By presenting the music in concert rather than competition, we join a growing network of performers who have attracted audiences of hundreds to pibroch recitals in Europe and elsewhere.
The second purpose of the concert is to showcase pibroch's potential as a creative resource for composers. The string quartet work by Welch and the organ piece by McClellan were both informed by pibroch, and there is a considerable body of pibroch-related works in the classical repertory. We hope to show that this music, and the ancient compositional formulae and structures it uniquely preserves, can provide a wealth of new musical resources for creative musicians working today.
For more information about pibroch, visit: www.pibroch.net, www.piobaireachd.co.uk, and www.thepipingcentre.co.uk.
Visit Matthew Welch at www.myspace.com/matthewtobinwelch
Visit Robinson McClellan at www.myspace.com/robinsonmcclellan