The Armistice of 1918

      Important moments in history are often memorialized in bagpipe tunes, sometime a jaunty march and to often an emotional dirge for someone lost. As a bagpiper, if can help to understand how to play pipe tunes by knowing the history behind it. Bagpipe music is very subjective on how it is stylized, which makes it very enjoyable as a musician. 
​      The Armistice of 1918 is an important part of world history and as such a WWI piper commemorated that time in a tune. G.S. McLennan, who is considered one of the top pipers period, served in the Great War with the Gordon Highlanders. He served gassing, and seeing things no one should be forced to. He wrote his famous 2/4 march shortly after the signing but debuted it in 1922 in Aberdeen, Scotland. I have quickly learned to love this tune and his style of writing music. I have learned this tune specifically of the time we are in.
​      I hope you go out and research tunes you enjoy and find some new information out about it. Don't take the title for granted as many tunes have alternate titles that shine a new light on its past. Sometime tunes where written for a competition, to memorialize a person or time and more than once it came out of a few too many drams of single malt. Knowing your history is important and if you'd like to learn more about G.S., visit this website his decedents created to honor him and teach others ​http://gsmclennan.co.uk/