Malcolm MacDonald (17502 – 1790s)
Musician and Composer ‘at Dunkeld’
by Charlie Gore
Of all the talented musicians of Highland Perthshire, both contemporaries of and successors to Niel Gow of Inver, Malcolm Macdonald seems to be the one most continuously connected with Dunkeld and by association with the old maestro himself. Yet nobody appears to have remembered or recorded much about his life and we can only draw on hearsay. What inferences can be drawn from his published work and what was known of life in the region in his time. There is no record that he was born there and the general view seems to be that he came from the district of Breadalbane, to the west, probably to find work. If he lived rent-free (as workers on the Atholl Estate often did) his name not appearing on the rent-roll, no trace would remain in any case. Charles Macintosh (1797-1867), a musician native to Inver, passed down the information that Macdonald lived on the west side of the village, now largely demolished.
Malcolm was a ‘cello player and there is a note on Page 9 of ‘The Beauties of Niel Gow’ (1819) that, “He played Bass to Niel after Donald’s death”. The strathspey to which the note attaches, Lady Haddo, is attributed to MacDonald, but it adds, ‘see Page 6’. Here, under the tune ‘Niel Gow’s Lamentation for the Death of his Brother Donald’ is another footnote: “Donald Gow was the Favourite Bass, and it was only by the Solicitations of respected Patrons that Niel could be prevailed upon to perform after his Brother’s Death”. So maybe Malcolm’s playing helped to win him round to the idea that life and the Maestro’s unique talent were ‘for the living’ and that thus a crisis was averted. He died a year or so before Niel (1807), but there is no record of his death because the Parish Records were destroyed around 1900, for reasons apparently connected with the age of volunteers for the local militia. They were inclined to offer themselves at too early an age, though whether the lack of records was for the benefit of the recruits or the recruiters is not stated!
The celebrated picture ‘The Highland Dance’ in which David Allan depicts a social occasion at Blair in 1780, shows Niel Gow playing precisely in the way he is portrayed in Raeburn’s painting at Blair Castle, with a figure beside him (who must be assumed to be his elder brother, Donald) ‘playing bass’, playing like the old violers with his bow lodged in the crook of his thumb and forefinger and gripping the ‘cello with his knees. There are no precise dates so the figure might equally be Donald’s successor, Malcolm MacDonald; who knows? ‘Auld Abercairny’ (James Moray of that Ilk), who was a devoted fan and patron of Gow, is also thought to feature in the painting, a kilted figure with flowing white locks, seated taking snuff and enjoying the scene. He died in 1777, but the artist may well have ‘revived’ him for the painting.
So, apart from the Gow footnotes, the four collections of music are really the most reliable memory we have of ‘Malcolm MacDonald at Dunkeld’ (this was how he chose to describe himself in Books 2 – 4). They were all printed in Edinburgh (1788, 89, 92 and 97) and are dedicated to (1) Mrs. Baird of Newbyth (Sir David Baird of Newbyth, East Lothian was a celebrated soldier) (2) The Earl of Breadalbane (3) Miss Drummond of Perth and (4) The Countess of Breadalbane. It’s a temptation to relate Malcolm’s background, via via the titles he gave his music and the voluminous lists of subscribers printed in the collections, to the Breadalbane district. However, since Niel Gow was famed throughout Scotland, and Malcolm ‘played bass’ to him, it seems just as likely that the ‘cellist was widely known for that reason. The books contain 153 tunes and there are one or two further pieces attributed to him (including Lady Haddo) scattered about the repertoire. Book 1 is regarded as containing more of his own compositions than the other three, which draw quite randomly from many sources. The 6/8 Mrs. Muir Mackenzie’s Delight in Book 3 was published by James Oswald in the 1740s as Scotch Collops. The 6/8 are of outstanding quality in all the books, but Miss Graham’s Delight in Book 2 is one that demands closer scrutiny. It is note-for-note the same tune as the old Irish air Kitty Tyrrel, which was published in several collections including Gow and Petrie. It is therefore far from unique to MacDonald but when compared with Niel Gow’s Lament for the Death of his second Wife, it would seem that the startling similarities in both halves of the tunes cannot be entirely coincidental. Furthermore, Irish listeners acquainted with the air Kitty Tyrrel have been known to say, on hearing Gow’s lament; “That’s and Irish tune, surely?” Both are quite exceptional melodies and we’ll never know for certain if there’s any connection. What is certain is that MacDonald’s contribution to the repertoire was considerable and that he richly deserves to be better known for it.
Box and Fiddle
March 2002
Malcolm was a ‘cello player and there is a note on Page 9 of ‘The Beauties of Niel Gow’ (1819) that, “He played Bass to Niel after Donald’s death”. The strathspey to which the note attaches, Lady Haddo, is attributed to MacDonald, but it adds, ‘see Page 6’. Here, under the tune ‘Niel Gow’s Lamentation for the Death of his Brother Donald’ is another footnote: “Donald Gow was the Favourite Bass, and it was only by the Solicitations of respected Patrons that Niel could be prevailed upon to perform after his Brother’s Death”. So maybe Malcolm’s playing helped to win him round to the idea that life and the Maestro’s unique talent were ‘for the living’ and that thus a crisis was averted. He died a year or so before Niel (1807), but there is no record of his death because the Parish Records were destroyed around 1900, for reasons apparently connected with the age of volunteers for the local militia. They were inclined to offer themselves at too early an age, though whether the lack of records was for the benefit of the recruits or the recruiters is not stated!
The celebrated picture ‘The Highland Dance’ in which David Allan depicts a social occasion at Blair in 1780, shows Niel Gow playing precisely in the way he is portrayed in Raeburn’s painting at Blair Castle, with a figure beside him (who must be assumed to be his elder brother, Donald) ‘playing bass’, playing like the old violers with his bow lodged in the crook of his thumb and forefinger and gripping the ‘cello with his knees. There are no precise dates so the figure might equally be Donald’s successor, Malcolm MacDonald; who knows? ‘Auld Abercairny’ (James Moray of that Ilk), who was a devoted fan and patron of Gow, is also thought to feature in the painting, a kilted figure with flowing white locks, seated taking snuff and enjoying the scene. He died in 1777, but the artist may well have ‘revived’ him for the painting.
So, apart from the Gow footnotes, the four collections of music are really the most reliable memory we have of ‘Malcolm MacDonald at Dunkeld’ (this was how he chose to describe himself in Books 2 – 4). They were all printed in Edinburgh (1788, 89, 92 and 97) and are dedicated to (1) Mrs. Baird of Newbyth (Sir David Baird of Newbyth, East Lothian was a celebrated soldier) (2) The Earl of Breadalbane (3) Miss Drummond of Perth and (4) The Countess of Breadalbane. It’s a temptation to relate Malcolm’s background, via via the titles he gave his music and the voluminous lists of subscribers printed in the collections, to the Breadalbane district. However, since Niel Gow was famed throughout Scotland, and Malcolm ‘played bass’ to him, it seems just as likely that the ‘cellist was widely known for that reason. The books contain 153 tunes and there are one or two further pieces attributed to him (including Lady Haddo) scattered about the repertoire. Book 1 is regarded as containing more of his own compositions than the other three, which draw quite randomly from many sources. The 6/8 Mrs. Muir Mackenzie’s Delight in Book 3 was published by James Oswald in the 1740s as Scotch Collops. The 6/8 are of outstanding quality in all the books, but Miss Graham’s Delight in Book 2 is one that demands closer scrutiny. It is note-for-note the same tune as the old Irish air Kitty Tyrrel, which was published in several collections including Gow and Petrie. It is therefore far from unique to MacDonald but when compared with Niel Gow’s Lament for the Death of his second Wife, it would seem that the startling similarities in both halves of the tunes cannot be entirely coincidental. Furthermore, Irish listeners acquainted with the air Kitty Tyrrel have been known to say, on hearing Gow’s lament; “That’s and Irish tune, surely?” Both are quite exceptional melodies and we’ll never know for certain if there’s any connection. What is certain is that MacDonald’s contribution to the repertoire was considerable and that he richly deserves to be better known for it.
Box and Fiddle
March 2002