Duncan Johnstone (25 July 1925 – 14 November 1999) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

bagpiper and composer. He was born in Glasgow. His parents were Alexander Johnstone (born MacMillan) from Benbecula and his mother Kate MacMillan from Craigston, Barra. His mother was the sister of Father John MacMillan of Barra for whom the 2/4 march piping tune was named. Upon leaving school, he was apprenticed as a cabinetmaker. During World War II, Duncan served with the Submarine Surveillance Mine Sweeping Service in the

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and Aegean Seas. On his return from the war, he became a

joiner A joiner is an artisan and tradesperson who builds things by joining pieces of wood, particularly lighter and more ornamental work than that done by a carpenter, including furniture and the "fittings" of a house, ship, etc. Joiners may work in ...

for the Clan Line and Stephen shipyards, whilst taking piping lessons in his free time. He was the first piper to win the Scottish Pipers' Association Knockout Competition in 1964. In 1974, he moved on to be a bagpipe instructor full-time at the

College of Piping The College of Piping was founded in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1944 by Seumas MacNeill and Thomas Pearston to pass on the art of the Great Highland Bagpipe to all who wanted to learn Scotland's national instrument. As well as teaching, the College ...

in Otago Street,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

; a position he held until 1978 when, he founded his own piping school in Robertson Street. Duncan taught

Finlay MacDonald (musician) Finlay MacDonald (born 1978) is a Scottish musician and composer. He was one of the first pipers to receive a BA in Scottish music and piping from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. MacDonald is head of piping studies at the National ...

, one of the first pipers to receive a BA in Scottish Music from the

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and ...

. He published three books of traditional and modern pipe music and three solo albums. He was awarded the Balvenie Medal by Messrs Wm Grant & Son in 1996 for his piping achievements. After his death the Duncan Johnstone Memorial Competition was set up by the

National Piping Centre The National Piping Centre is an institution in Glasgow, Scotland, dedicated to the playing of the bagpipes, to include not only the Great Highland Bagpipes, but also the Scottish smallpipes and Irish uileann pipes, as well as other traditional ...

References

5. Great Highland bagpipe players Scottish composers 1925 births 1999 deaths Scottish sailors Royal Navy personnel of World War II Musicians from Glasgow 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century British composers 20th-century Scottish musicians {{authority controlhttps://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/view-image/nrs_stat_births/41914935 mothers birth