“Tarbert Castle”: an exclusive Christmas present from the great Jock McLellan

It’s uncanny to us that, even 150 years after his birth, unknown compositions by the great John “Jock” McLellan of Dunoon are still being discovered.

This Christmas, we’re pleased to bring pipes|drums readers an exclusive gift: “Tarbert Castle,” a four-part 2/4 march by one of the greatest and most popular composers of Highland bagpipe music in history.

Thanks to the love and commitment of McLellan’s relatives, chief among them Duggy McGregor, Jim Henderson, and Alasdair Henderson, 2025 has been a year of commemoration, culminating with a July 31st celebration at Dunoon’s Burgh Hall, and a focus on his life and music at the Cowal Gathering.

There are different tacks composers take. Some produce new music from their pores and then publish with unabridged abandon. Other prolific writers are more selective, releasing only their best work. In the minority are those who, by all accounts, the muse strikes rarely, and they publish even more judiciously.

McLellan was in the last category. He lived a long life, his known repertoire is relatively small, and almost every piece is a banger.

“Tarbert Castle” is a welcome addition to the McLellan collection. The piece comes from the family archives, and we are honoured once again to present its exclusive first publication, which we offer in both Jock McLellan’s original hand-penned manuscript and a typeset transcription.

Tarbert Castle is located on the southern shore of East Loch Tarbert, at Tarbert, Argyll, Scotland, at the north end of Kintyre. As with pieces such as “Lochanside,” “Inveraray Castle,” and “My Dream Valley on the Road to Glendaruel,” the muse inspired McLellan with memories of his beloved Argyllshire.

We don’t know when he composed the march, or whether it coincided with any occasion beyond an apparent musical epiphany. It’s the fifth exclusive first-time pipes|drums publication of a McLellan composition this year.

One thing is sure: the addition of a new piece by the great Jock McLellan is a fitting final gift to celebrate his 150th birthday as we bring the year to a close.

McLellan’s original handwritten manuscript of “Tarbert Castle.”

Typeset for today (click to open the full pdf):