Tune of the Month

Malcolm Dewar plays traditional Ottawa Valley music, but is best known for his Scottish tunes which have a great Cape Breton sound. He wrote The Eighth of Kenyon for the concession where he grew up.

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Margaret Nixon's Waltz

2011-08-02T23:55:00.004-04:00

Margaret Nixon, a musician, singer and dancer, was the mother of James Nixon and the grandmother of Ian MacLeod, both of whom are inductees into The Glengarry Celtic Music Hall of Fame. Click on their highlighted names to understand the influence Margaret had on their love of music. Don Pettigrew, the composer, was a close friend of James Nixon.

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Don Pettigrew's Jig

2011-07-01T07:32:00.003-04:00

A recent inductee into our Hall of Fame, James Nixon is a sought after musician for his versatile style of traditional music - Scottish, Irish, Old Time, Ragtime, Honky Tonk to name a few. In addition to his talent as a musician, he is also a respected composer; several of his compositions can be found in Canadian Fiddle Music Vol. II.

James met Don Pettigrew in 1982. Don was a great fiddler and a composer in his own right. He and James became great friends and spent many hours playing together. Don composed the "Margaret Nixon Waltz" for James' mother and James composed this tune in honour of his good friend .

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Garett Allen's Waltz

2011-06-07T22:12:00.003-04:00

Kathy Fraser Collins, a retired high school music teacher, taught in Toronto and Vankleek Hill. Also a piano accompanist for the Bobby Brown Scottish Band, her enjoyment of the music is contagious; any time she sits down at the keyboard she lifts her audience with her obvious joie de vivre.

Recently, she has also taken up the pipes and plays with the Glengarry Pipe Band. We are so lucky that with a talent such as hers, she elected to return from the big city to her country roots. She wrote this beautiful tune as a tribute to Garett Allen who died in a tragic accident well before his time.

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Ian MacLeod's Jig

2011-05-01T20:25:00.000-04:00

Kelsey McDonell is one of Glengarry's talented young fiddlers. She began her fiddle lessons with her uncle, Ian MacLeod; her talent was obvious from the beginning. Until she left for university, Kelsey played with The MacLeod Fiddlers; in addition, she entertained with her cousin Ashley and with other Glengarry musicians. She was recently asked to be the "guest" at the annual Glengarry Strathspey & Reel Fiddle Workshop. A big fan of her Uncle Ian, she wrote this tune as a tribute to him and presented it at the workshop. This year Kelsey will graduate with a BSc in Nursing from the University of Ottawa. We hope that she will continue to be active in our Glengarry fiddling community.

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The Road to Strathlorne

2011-04-01T15:06:00.000-04:00

Hugh Allan MacMillan, a fiddler, hails from Lochinvar, Lochiel Ward, North Glengarry. He is an original member of The Glengarry Strathspey & Reel Society.

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Colleen's Reel

2011-03-02T23:37:00.001-05:00

Ashley MacLeod is a talented Glengarry fiddler.

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Glengarry Highland Games March

2011-02-02T12:09:00.001-05:00

Ken MacRae composed this march in 1997 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Glengarry Highland Games. Be sure to get your tickets early for the 2011 Games on July 29th & 30th.

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Spring Creek Strathspey

2011-01-02T12:49:00.000-05:00

Ian lives on the Spring Creek road.

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Wee Deochan Bainne

2010-12-01T08:05:00.000-05:00

Another fine effort by Allan MacPhail. Allan recently donated one of his special fiddles to the Hall of Fame.

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Donaldson MacLeod's Reel

2010-11-01T21:37:00.000-04:00

This fine reel by Ian MacLeod also appears in the 2010 Highland Games souvenir program.

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An Old Glengarry Dance

2010-10-01T10:00:00.003-04:00

Ken McRae is also the author of Glengarry My Home.

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Donald Joseph & Ann MacPhee's March

2010-09-02T14:43:00.000-04:00

Ian wrote this tribute to Don and Ann MacPhee, both tireless contributors to the local Celtic music scene. Ann is the secretary of the Glengarry Celtic Hall of Fame and Don is a prominent fiddler and teacher.

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Sittingdale

2010-08-01T15:25:00.004-04:00

Donaldson MacLeod is the current President of the Glengarry Highland Games. The title comes from the MacLeod farm name. Many generations ago, the farm was a midway point between two cheese factories and there was much traffic of neighbouring milk rigs back and forth in front of the farm. A nice pastime was to spend a little time "sitting" on the front porch acknowledging the neighbours as they passed by.

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The Burning of St. Raphael's

2010-07-01T18:27:00.016-04:00

Rob Taylor and the Brigadoons have been tremendous supporters of the St Raphael’s ruins. Rob and Irene Taylor wrote this lovely ballad which is always in request at Glengarry events.

The St Raphael’s Galarama, a social and musical afternoon, is on July 25^th, 2010

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The Patience of Ian MacLeod

2010-06-13T20:42:00.005-04:00

Audrey Johnson MacDonald is the energetic and fun-loving emcee for the MacLeod School of Fiddling concerts. She wrote this tune in honour of the obvious patience that Ian has in teaching young students to play the fiddle.

Jean- Marie Lacombe, a member of the Lochiel Strings, submitted this tune.

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The Glenelg Road Jig

2010-05-04T14:33:00.003-04:00

Ian MacLeod is the President of the Glengarry Celtic Music Hall of Fame.

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Memories of Father John D MacPhail

2010-04-01T08:00:00.003-04:00

Bruce Ross played at several concerts with Father John MacPhail. Father MacPhail was a gifted violinist and organized several concerts always encouraging the local fiddlers to play.

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Stewart's Glen Reel

2010-03-03T12:09:00.008-05:00

Ashley MacLeod is a great young fiddler and music teacher. She plays throughout Canada and has often played in Europe and the United States.

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Visit Ashley's website for more information!

Mary Joe MacPherson

2010-02-01T14:41:00.008-05:00

Malcolm Dewar has transcribed many Glengarry tunes. Here is another from Cliff Britton.

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This February marks the first anniversary of Tune of the Month! Feel free to leave a comment and let us know how you're liking the tunes.

Kaelin McKie

2010-01-02T13:50:00.006-05:00

Clifton Britton was an excellent fiddler and a member of The Glengarry Strathspey and Reel Society.

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December Tune - My Grandparents

2009-12-04T20:13:00.004-05:00

Koryne Fraser of the MacLeod Fiddlers wrote this tune for her Grandparents.

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November Tune - Duncan and Mary's Golden Waltz

2009-11-03T22:01:00.005-05:00

Jean Duval, a member of the Lochiel Strings wrote this waltz in honour of the 50th wedding anniversary of Duncan and Mary MacDonald. Duncan (Dougie), a fine fiddler noted for his dance music, played for several Glengarry groups including the Lochiel Strings, The Glengarry Strathspey and Reel Society and The MacDonald Brothers Orchestra.

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October Tune - Braelyn

2009-10-05T16:36:00.003-04:00

Kelli Trottier wrote this tune for her niece Braelyn, a fine young fiddler and step dancer.

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September Tune - Tara's Jig

2009-09-03T20:42:00.004-04:00

Allan MacPhail wrote this tune for his granddaughter Tara.

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August Tune - Twisting River

2009-08-03T21:59:00.004-04:00

Reverend Bruce Ross was born in Glengarry and currently resides in Delta, Ontario. He is a gifted fiddler and a member of the Glengarry Strathspey and Reel Society. He has composed several tunes.

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July Tune - Taliban Rocket Man

2009-07-01T06:29:00.002-04:00

Colin Clansey has been Pipe Major of the Glengarry Pipe Band (Gr.2) since the fall of 2001. Warrant Officer Clansey was assigned to Headquarters, KAF, Joint Task Force Afghanistan from April 2008 until February 2009. He wrote "Taliban Rocket Man" in response to the 72 ill-aimed (thankfully) rockets that the Taliban lobbed into KAF during his deployment. Colin is currently assigned to CFB Petawawa but will soon be transferred to Kingston to attend Royal Military College. Colin and his wife Christina are celebrating the birth of their first child, Tianna, born on June 18, 2009. In 2007, Colin's mother Grace and his grandfather Reg, moved from British Columbia to south of Maxville. The Glengarry Pipe Band plays "Taliban Rocket Man" at the completion of it's 2009 competition medley.

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Thank you Bruce McCuaig for providing this month's tune and writeup.

June Tune - The Fiddlers' Induction

2009-06-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

Kelli Trottier is one of Glengarry’s best known musicians and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004. She wrote this tune to commemorate the induction of The Glengarry Old Time Fiddlers.

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May Tune - Kelsey McDonell's Jig

2009-05-03T22:49:00.010-04:00

Ian MacLeod was inducted into the Celtic Music Hall of Fame in 2007 as a fiddler and teacher. He wrote this tune for his niece, a very talented young fiddler.

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April Tune - Hugh Allan's Jig

2009-04-04T22:48:00.015-04:00

Malcolm, a fine fiddler and composer will be inducted into the Celtic Music Hall of Fame in 2009. He wrote this tune for his good friend Hugh Allan MacMillan, also a fiddler from Glengarry.

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March Tune - Christopher's Jig

2009-03-01T16:32:00.012-05:00

Allan MacPhail , a retired teacher and fine violinist, is a founding member of The Glengarry Strathspey and Reel Society. Christopher is his grandson.

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February Tune - Lorrie's Jig

2009-02-03T09:26:00.007-05:00

Lucien Ranger was noted for his large repertoire of tunes and also for the fact that, unlike many fiddlers, he knew their names. He played frequently with a group of fiddlers led by Fr. John D. MacPhail and was a founding member of the "The Glengarry Old Time Fiddlers Association" and "The Glengarry Strathspey and Reel Society."