Gordon Duncan (14 May 1964 – 14 December 2005) was a Scottish
bagpiper,
low whistle
The low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of British and Irish artists such as Tommy Mak ...
player and composer.
Early life
Duncan was born in
Turriff, Aberdeenshire on 14 May 1964. His parents were tenant farmer and
bothy ballad singer
Jock Duncan
Jock Duncan (1925 – 25 March 2021) was a Scottish singer from Gelliebrae near New Deer in Aberdeenshire, known for singing many songs and bothy ballads from Aberdeenshire. He had performed at bothy ballad competitions since 1975 and made recor ...
and Frances Duncan.
Jock Duncan joined the
North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board
The North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board (1943–1990) was founded to design, construct and manage hydroelectricity projects in the Highlands of Scotland. It is regarded as one of the major achievements of Scottish politician Thomas Johnston, ...
shortly after Duncan's birth and the family moved to
Thurso
Thurso (pronounced ; , ) is a town and former burgh on the north coast of the Highland council area of Scotland. Situated in the historical County of Caithness, it is the northernmost town on the island of Great Britain. From a latitudinal s ...
then to
Pitlochry
Pitlochry (; or ) is a town in the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. It is historically in the county of Perthshire, and has a population of 2,776, according to the 2011 census.Scotland's 2011 census. (n.p. ...
.
Initially taught by his father, Gordon began his piping career at the age of 10, winning many junior competitions under the tuition of Walter Drysdale,
but started to lose interest in competition piping by the age of 18, at which point he was an apprentice
joiner
Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, ...
.
Career
He attracted attention from
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk horror
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Fo ...
bands, touring the US and Europe with the
Tannahill Weavers,
Wolfstone
Wolfstone are a Scottish people, Scottish musical group founded in 1989, who play Celtic rock. Their repertoire consists of both original songs and traditional folk pieces. They have released seven studio albums, the latest, ''Terra Firma (Wol ...
and
Ceolbeg and became associated with
Dougie MacLean
Dougie MacLean, OBE (born 27 September 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Described by AllMusic as "one of Scotland's premier singer-songwriters", MacLean has performed both under his ow ...
, playing
low whistle
The low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of British and Irish artists such as Tommy Mak ...
on his albums.
He began composing soon afterwards, having travelled across Europe and been exposed to other traditions, especially
Breton music
Since the early 1970s, Brittany has experienced a tremendous revival of its folk music. Along with flourishing traditional forms such as the bombard- biniou pair and fest-noz ensembles incorporating other additional instruments, it has also branc ...
.
He was a very influential piper who broke the boundaries of traditional piping music. He was a member of the
Vale of Atholl Pipe Band and also performed with the
Atholl Highlanders
The Atholl Highlanders is a Scottish private infantry regiment. A ceremonial unit, it acts as the personal bodyguard to the Duke of Atholl, chief of the Clan Murray, a family that has lived in Perthshire for roughly seven centuries. Although ...
, as well as being signed by
Greentrax as a solo artist.
Duncan also taught pipers Ross Ainslie and Ali Hutton, who have gone on to have musical careers with some acclaim.
Duncan created a new style of
idiosyncratic
An idiosyncrasy is a unique feature of something. The term is often used to express peculiarity.
Etymology
The term "idiosyncrasy" originates from Greek ', "a peculiar temperament, habit of body" (from ', "one's own", ', "with" and ', "blend ...
bagpipe music.
He also incorporated the bagpipes into a rendition of
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
's
Thunderstruck.
His work was heard at
T in the Park
T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused ...
,
Celtic Connections
The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of trad ...
,
Celtic Colours in Canada, the
Lorient festival in Brittany, where he was the two-time winner of the MacAllan Trophy and the
Fleadh Cheoil
The Fleadh Cheoil (), or "music festival" in English, is an annual Ireland, Irish arts festival and competition run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (Irish pronunciation: Help:IPA/Irish,
Compositions
Duncan composed over one hundred tunes in his lifetime, with perhaps his most famous work, ''Andy Renwick's Ferret'', being performed and recorded internationally.
pipe bands.
Death
On 14 December 2005, Duncan was found dead at his home in Perthshire following a long struggle with alcoholism.
His funeral was held at Pitlochry Church of Scotland and was attended by hundreds of pipers.
In his memory, the ''Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust''
was set up early in 2006 to support good causes in piping.
In 2007, ''A National Treasure'' concert was staged in
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
by the Trust, and for the following four years, with the BBC airing the 2011 concert.
In January 2016, a gig was at the
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall is a concert and arts venue located in Glasgow, Scotland. It is owned by Glasgow City Council and operated by Glasgow Life, an agency of Glasgow City Council, which also runs Glasgow's City Halls and Old Fruitmarket ...
as part of
Celtic Connections
The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of trad ...
.
Personal life
He had a wife, Mary, and a son, Gordon, two sisters, and his brother, Ian Duncan, is also a piper.
Discography
He recorded three solo albums, and a further album was compiled after his death from previously recorded material.
References
External links
Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust
* (BBC Alba documentary on Gordon Duncan's life)
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Gordon
1964 births
2005 deaths
Scottish composers
Great Highland bagpipe players
The Tannahill Weavers members
Wolfstone members
People from Turriff
Scottish tin whistle players
Scottish bagpipe players