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The Highland Cathedral

BethWagner

New member
Greetings, everyone!
I was wondering if any of you have had the chance to hear or play a piece for organ and bagpipes called The Highland Cathedral. It is my favorite piece of classical music but sadly is not very well known and the only good recording that I have located of it is currently "out of print". It is so beautiful and I'm wondering really how famous it is among other organists. The only good recording I know of is owned by our state's radio station, so I have to content myself with that. Looking foward to your anwers! Bill
 

champ07

New member
Highland Cathedral recording

Hi,

I heard this piece for the first time ever today while listening to Minnesota Public Radio online at work. What a piece! I researched it online, found your post, and now I'm posting here! The playlist at www.mpr.org lists:

Korb Roewer - Highland Cathedral
Musica Variata (group)
Koch/Schwann 1083 (recording)

so maybe you could research from here whether this recording is available.
 

BethWagner

New member
Thank you very much for that! That is exactly the recording that I have heard and endeavored to find. It's really worth a lot of money, I think, if I could locate it but so far haven't had much sucsess. It's the recording my radio station has (WPR) so perhaps there's more than one in existance. :)
Bill
I'll use the label name and search some more
 

ecnice

New member
Hi there,

I was also researching this piece for a bride and stumbled across your post. I have found two recordings of this piece for two pipers and organ and both of these are different arrangements. Can you believe that there already exists two separate versions for such a recent composition? Anyways, these are not professional recordings, but I hope they can satiate your appetite for the time being.

Recording 1)
http://kilby.sac.on.ca/ActivitiesClubs/cadets/Piping/Music/Pipes & organ - Highland Cathedral.mp3

Recorded by the 142 St. Andrew's College Highland Cadet Corps with St. Paul's Organ.

Recording 2)
http://www.rchpiper.com/HighlandCathedralOrganTWOPIPERS.mp3

Recorded by Dick Hastings, Chip Mayes and Elaine Dirscherl.

If you would like to save to your computer, simply right click and choose "Save Target As...".

I also found this CD available:
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=2645418&cart=543152774&style=classical

It has a version for bagpipes, drums, brass and organ. It is the first track. You can click on the first pair of notes to hear an excerpt of it in Real Player.

I have also attached an image I found of the sheet music. It is the version in Recording 2 above.
 
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mrg

New member
I used to play an arrangement of this in a brass band. So if you don't mind transcribing from a score, you could always try searching for brass band arrangements of this piece.

Martin G
 

BethWagner

New member
Is it really a recent composition? I was under the assumption it was at least a couple hundred years old. :) Thank you so much for the copy of the sheet music, Ecnice, I was having visions of rummaging through dusty old German cathedrals to find it!! What makes it even more nice is that it's in my favorite key. Have you had any experience playing the piece?
 

haude&jerome

New member
Thanks all of you for your precious information as I was desperately trying to find music sheets for the pipes and organ version of Highland Cathedral.

I live in France and had no idea where to find this.

As a small contribution, here are links to how this music came about and its different versions:

http://www.highlandcathedral.de/texte/engl.html
http://www.incallander.co.uk/scottishsongs/cathedral.htm
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/highlandcathedral/

Hope this helps!

If anybody has more information regarding the music sheets (are there different versions?) I'd be grateful.

Thanks,

Jerome
 

bcrobins

New member
This is a query related to the whole series of posts on Highland Cathedral. Thanks for all the useful and correct information. A very good forum!

I would like to buy the Koch Swann 1988 CD "Musica Variata" for my own use, but have had no luck so far. It seems to exist in a music store in South Africa but, "due to international licensing law, we can't sell it to anybody who isn't local..." I do see it on NPR play lists, so somebody must have a copy...

I have even tried EBay.

Any further leads to purchase of this CD would be most appreciated.

Thank you,

Bonnie
 

BethWagner

New member
Bonnie,
I have searched for this version myself quite extensively and as far as I know it's not longer available---at least here in the US. I find it quite interesting that many public radio stations have it, and wonder how they got a hold of it!
I endeavored to upload from my computer the file for you of this recording, but it was a little on the slow side and would have taken me forever (literally!) so I offer my sincere apologies for not being able to help more.
Regards, Bill
 

OleMik

New member
Hi everybody
This piece is indeed beautiful - I really love it and might actually want to play it sometime.

I have a curiosity question regarding the notation of the bag pipe. I am an amateur organ player, but have no experience with bag pipes. When I read the score as posted by ecnice, it seems to me that the bag pipe notes are written in a strange key.
They are marked with the symbol for "normal piano right hand key" (this is called the G key in danish, don't know the english term). In this key, the first notes read: a - d - e - f - e - d... which would sound like a minor chord, but listening to the recordings, it is certainly a major chord (the "tonic" i believe it's called, it must be an E-flat, to match the organ).
:confused:
What is going on here? Is this common notation for bagpipe music?


I know this is not a bag pipe forum, but maybe somebody could still provide a hint?

Regards
OleMik
 

Simbra

New member
Highland Cathedral - Ensemble Musica Variata

I have listened to this particular recording via a local radio station - and would like to obtain a copy of the CD...A previous writer commented that it seemed to be available in South Africa - which is where I am!

If anyone knows where, or from which SA store one can get hold of this CD I would appreciate the info...

Contact me at hans.lombard at telkomsa.net :)

Regards

Simbra
 

methodistgirl

New member
Highland Cathedral

This is so beautiful. The piece reminds me of the celtic music I hear
from Irland. You noticed my last name Tooley is Irish? It's beautiful!
I almost cried when I heard it. Thanks for playing it bagpipe and pipe
organ style. Now I have something else to try on the church's pipe
organ.

Judy tooley:)
 

bwv582

New member
Kohlhaus/Spelmans Score?

I own a copy of LC 1083. I had no idea the CD was so rare until I ran across this thread. My Dad bought a few of these discs the first time he heard "Highland Cathedral" on Wisconsin Public Radio a number of years ago. Unfortunately, I have none for sale.

Ever since I heard that recording, though, I've been looking for the sheet music to the arrangement played by Musica Variata. I have never been able to get my hands on it. Does anyone know if it is actually in print or is it just a manuscript somewhere? I tried writing to Spelmans several years ago, but I never got a response. Perhaps my German was so poor he didn't know what I was asking!
 

methodistgirl

New member
This scottish folksong sounds very special. I have all ready played this at
my church using certain stops to create the illusion of having bagpipes.
I'm going to try it again since the tune has been playing in my head after
hearing it. I go try out for the church choir tomorrow before hand. Mr.
Magle, if you want to see what my church looks like, look up my profile.
There is a picture of the methodist church I go to along with anyone else
who would like to see. Thanks for this new folksong. That is what my
state of Kentucky is all about is folk music or we wouldn't be called the
Blue Grass State.
judy tooley:grin:

Ps. Why is the sheet music so smudged?
 
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jvhldb

New member
This is a query related to the whole series of posts on Highland Cathedral. Thanks for all the useful and correct information. A very good forum!

I would like to buy the Koch Swann 1988 CD "Musica Variata" for my own use, but have had no luck so far. It seems to exist in a music store in South Africa but, "due to international licensing law, we can't sell it to anybody who isn't local..." I do see it on NPR play lists, so somebody must have a copy...

I have even tried EBay.

Any further leads to purchase of this CD would be most appreciated.

Thank you,

Bonnie


I find it strange that we have something in South Africa that can't be found anywhere else:grin:. Can you remember which store had the copy? As far as I know there is no problem exporting music from South Africa, the problem arrises with banking and foreign currency control, most companies use the international licensing law to skip all the paper work. If they still have a copy I can find out from our local customs and forex offices what the procedure would be to get it to you.
 

bcrobins

New member
Hello Simbra,

Afraid I am the perpetrator of the South African idea...

I did an exhaustive search a few weeks ago, and located a reference to a music store in that country. After reading their statement about not selling internationally, I became discouraged and didn't bookmark the site. I might have realized that some people in an international music forum would live there, avoiding the whole problem. I'm sorry to say that I now can't find the listing. Probably someone bought the only one.

I do see it on sale, used, on Amazon for $149 dollars US. Our currency isn't doing well, so this might not seem too bad to people in other countries??? It is definitely more than I can manage. Wish the company owning the rights would take a hint and provide a new edition! Couldn't we all write and ask them?

Reference international licensing laws, I have no expertise in the area, but have definitely run into this before, couldn't buy a CD or sheet music from the UK, etc. Please notice that I quoted the web site itself where they said "we do not sell internationally." Music licensing is a current topic, I know, with large fines being imposed on people performing illegal downloads, etc.

Wish I had better news, but I will keep looking.

Very enjoyable forum!

Bonnie



I have listened to this particular recording via a local radio station - and would like to obtain a copy of the CD...A previous writer commented that it seemed to be available in South Africa - which is where I am!

If anyone knows where, or from which SA store one can get hold of this CD I would appreciate the info...

Contact me at hans.lombard at telkomsa.net :)

Regards

Simbra
 
Highland Cathedral

Greetings, everyone!
I was wondering if any of you have had the chance to hear or play a piece for organ and bagpipes called The Highland Cathedral. It is my favorite piece of classical music but sadly is not very well known and the only good recording that I have located of it is currently "out of print". It is so beautiful and I'm wondering really how famous it is among other organists. The only good recording I know of is owned by our state's radio station, so I have to content myself with that. Looking foward to your anwers! Bill

Hi Bill, I have heard a beautiful version on South African Radio. I will try to locate it's source and let you know.
Sheldon
 

bapyper

New member
I have a curiosity question regarding the notation of the bag pipe. I am an amateur organ player, but have no experience with bag pipes. When I read the score as posted by ecnice, it seems to me that the bag pipe notes are written in a strange key.
They are marked with the symbol for "normal piano right hand key" (this is called the G key in danish, don't know the english term). In this key, the first notes read: a - d - e - f - e - d... which would sound like a minor chord, but listening to the recordings, it is certainly a major chord (the "tonic" i believe it's called, it must be an E-flat, to match the organ).
:confused:
What is going on here? Is this common notation for bagpipe music?


I know this is not a bag pipe forum, but maybe somebody could still provide a hint?

Regards
OleMik

Here is the deal. The great highland bagpipes sound their tonic between an a and b flat, with a little wiggle room for tuning by changing the lengths of the drones and setting the chanter reed deeper in its hole. (As you can imagine, it makes it very difficult to play band or orchestral music with the pipes, especially for folks who really care about intonation, and it gets harder the more pipers there are.) Anyway, to simplify things for the piper, their music is just written in the key of C in treble (G) clef. This makes everything sound about a half step above what the piper's music says, usually. With this scale, then, all bagpipe tunes in major keys are using either the A or the D on the piper's music for the tonic, the 1st and 5th degrees of the pipe's scale. So if you're playing the pipes with an orchestra or band, and you want a major key, you can either play in concert Bb or Eb, basically.
To further complicate things, the flatted seventh of the pipe's scale gives everything a mixolydian flavor. And the grace notes used to decorate and allow for repeated notes to be articulated on the pipes take some getting used to when reading pipe music.
From a piper and amateur organist...

And thanks for the mp3 and .gif of the sheet music. I have played this tune many times always wishing for the chance to do it with the organ accompanying. The university here has an organ festival coming up and the director of organ studies here is going to do it with me on the school's rufatti organ in the main concert hall. My joy is indeed great.
Best,
bapyper
 
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