Roderick Cannon, 1948-2015

The Highland piping writer Roderick Cannon of England has died after a brief illness at the age of 77 after an illness, June 9, 2015.

He was most well-known for his academic contributions, and particularly aligned with the Piobaireachd Society as the organization’s de facto scholar and editor.

Educated at Oxford University with a major in chemistry, his background as a piper and enthusiasm for ceol mor earned him a membership with the Piobaireachd Society, where he was a regular at solo piping events that had a piobaireachd element.

His books on piping included A Bibliography of Bagpipe Music (1980), The Highland Bagpipe and Its Music (1988) and, as editor, Joseph MacDonald’s Compleat Theory of the Scots Highland Bagpipe (c.1760) and the two volumes of the Donald MacDonald Collection of Piobaireachd, and on science, Electron Transfer Reactions (1980).

His passing was almost coincident with the Clan Donald Quaich solo piping competition on June 5th, which pays homage to settings of piobaireachd by Donald MacDonald.

Our condolences go to Roderick Cannon’s surviving family and friends.