Roderick 'Roddy' (R.S.) MacDonald (born 1956) is a

pipe major The pipe major is the leading musician of a pipe band, whether military or civilian. Like the appointment of drum major, the position is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term sergeant piper was used ...

, living in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Australia, and a composer of tunes for the bagpipes. MacDonald hails from the Scottish town of

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

. His father is the renowned player, judge and composer of music, William MacDonald (of Gaelic-speaking

Benbecula Benbecula (; gd, Beinn nam Fadhla or ) is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2011 census, it had a resident population of 1,283 with a sizable percentage of Roman Catholics. It is in a ...

) and his grandfather, Donald MacDonald, was the

of the 1st Battalion the

Highland Light Infantry The Highland Light Infantry (HLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881. It took part in the First and Second World Wars, until it was amalgamated with the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1959 to form the Royal Highland Fusi ...

. He was originally taught by John Hunter, tutor with the Inverness

Boys Brigade The Boys' Brigade (BB) is an international interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by the Scottish businessman Sir William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values. Following its inception ...

Pipe Band, an ex- Cameron Highlander and veteran of the Somme. He was also influenced by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

through his school's music teacher. He later played with the Inverness British Legion,

Invergordon Distillery Invergordon distillery is a grain whisky distillery located at Invergordon in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. The distillery is operated by Whyte & Mackay, which Philippines-based Alliance Global owns. It was establi ...

and

British Caledonian Airways British Caledonian (BCal) was a British private independent airline which operated out of Gatwick Airport in south-east England during the 1970s and 1980s. It was created as an alternative to the British government-controlled corporation airlin ...

pipe bands. He also played for many years with the Balmoral Highlanders showband in London and toured extensively with them under the direction of his lifelong friend and pipe major, Willie Cochrane. In 1978,

UK Top 20 The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

single ''Scotch Machine'' by

Voyage Voyage(s) or The Voyage may refer to: Literature *''Voyage : A Novel of 1896'', Sterling Hayden * ''Voyage'' (novel), a 1996 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter *''The Voyage'', Murray Bail * "The Voyage" (short story), a 1921 story by ...

featured MacDonald's piping. MacDonald's compositions have featured in over fifty recordings to date, including those of The Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

, The 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band,

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) is a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and the senior Scottish regiment. The regiment, through the Royal Scots Greys, is the oldest surviving Cavalry Regiment of the Line in the Britis ...

, The Scots Guards,

Simon Fraser University Pipe Band The Simon Fraser University Pipe Band is a grade one pipe band affiliated with Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. It is led by pipe major Alan Bevan and leading drummer J. Reid Maxwell. History The Simon Fraser Uni ...

Shooglenifty Shooglenifty are a Scottish, Edinburgh-based six-piece Celtic fusion band that tours internationally. The band blends Scottish traditional music with influences ranging from electronica to alternative rock. They contributed to Afro Celt Sound S ...

The Tannahill Weavers The Tannahill Weavers are a band which performs traditional Scottish music. Releasing their first album in 1976, they became notable for being one of the first popular bands to incorporate the sound of the Great Highland Bagpipe in an ensemble ...

, MacUmba, Ceolbeg, Slainte Mhath,

Martyn Bennett Martyn Bennett (17 February 1971 – 30 January 2005) was a Canadian-Scottish musician who was influential in the evolution of modern Celtic fusion, a blending of traditional Celtic and modern music. He was a piper, violinist, composer and pro ...

, Gordon Duncan, The Finlay MacDonald Band, the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

and the

Red Hot Chilli Pipers Red Hot Chilli Pipers are a Celtic rock band from Scotland. Formed in 2002, they became popular internationally in 2007 after winning the BBC talent show ''When Will I Be Famous?'' The band's lineup features three highland bagpipers and trad ...

. In 1986 he published the ''Clanranald Collection'' of bagpipe music and in 2003 released his debut album ''Good Drying'' which has received a considerable number of rave reviews in the international music press. In 2001 MacDonald left London after 26-years and currently resides in Australia and Japan, where he is employed as a professional musician. In 2001 MacDonald was commissioned by the '' Piper and Drummer'' magazine and GHB Communications of Toronto to compose a modern

piobaireachd Pibroch, or is an art music genre associated primarily with the Scottish Highlands that is characterised by extended compositions with a melodic theme and elaborate formal variations. Strictly meaning "piping" in Scottish Gaelic, has for some f ...

. The piece was entitled ''Lament for Kenneth Alexander MacLennan of Connon Bridge'' and was published later that year. He commenced employment in February 2003 as the pipe major and music director of the Queensland Police Pipes and Drums, and went on to compose the tune named for the organisation's motto, ''With Honour We Serve''. On 15 March 2006 at

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

, the

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor Governors of the Australian states, performs c ...

appointed MacDonald as 'The Governor's Piper' and presented him with her personal standard, to be flown from his bagpipes during vice-regal occasions. As part of Homecoming Scotland 2009, two compositions were commissioned for the

Edinburgh Military Tattoo The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and international military bands, and artistic performance teams on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the capital of S ...

. ''Salute to Australia'' by MacDonald was also played at the Tattoo's 2010 Australian tour. McDonald is the only Australian to have been Lone Piper at the Tattoo in both Scotland and Australia. The year 2009 also saw the publication of sixty tunes, ''R S MacDonald: The collection''. In 2016 the

recorded MacDonald's composition ''The Fallen'' for charity. The accompanying video had in excess of two million views of the BBC. MacDonald is a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

and part of their reserve army band and the 1 RAA Pipes and Drums in

, Queensland.

References

External links

RS MacDonald – The Return of the King
article by Stuart Curnow, May 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Roddy Great Highland bagpipe players People from Inverness Living people 1956 births