Roderick Cannon (ed)
Joseph MacDonald’s Compleat Theory of the Scots Highland Bagpipe (c.1760)
Piobaireachd Society, 1994
Joseph MacDonald was a piper from the far north-west of Scotland; he was also an accomplished fiddle player. He was the first to ever write down about Gaelic piping or pibroch. Unfortunately his manuscript was not published until after his death, and when it was printed there were many errors. This edition of the original manuscript presents both a facsimile and an edited printed text, with copious annotations and footnotes explaining all of the curious technical contents. There are also sections by Cannon on the Gaelic and English musical terminology, and a good general introduction.
The book itself covers the musical style and technique of pibroch, with general comments about style and idiom as well as detailed fingering charts for various pipe ornaments and gracenotes.
This book is essential reading for anyone interested in historical Gaelic music performance practice. It has long been out of print but was re-printed in a second edition in 2010. Extra-large format paperback, 160 pages. The front cover illustration of a piper is a drawing from the manuscript.
£29 + £8.00 (UK only - select for overseas postage) £12.00 (Airmail within Europe) £19.00 (Airmail outside Europe)

Patrick McDonald
Collection of Highland Vocal Airs
Taigh na Teud, 2000
this is a new edition of the original published in 1784. The new edition presents all of the musical content of the original, newly typeset, as well as the original introduction. For a full description and partial index of this key source, please visit my Sources page.
£16 + £3.50 (UK only - select for overseas postage) £5.50 (Airmail within Europe) £7.50 (Airmail outside Europe)