Amazing Grace And Flowers Of The Forest...

[Gary Rice]

Being involved over the years with several Pipes and Drums units, I thought that it might be appropriate to provide a bit of background for Lakewoodites regarding these special songs, particularly as we remember our fallen first responders; as well as when we often recognize members of our military who have passed on.

First, a bit of background:

The Pentatonic scale in music essentially comprises the black keys of your piano. They are 5 notes out of a 12 tone scale. The Pentatonic scale is ancient in origin and can be found all over the world in traditional music forms, in both major and minor key signatures. Widely considered to be a "folk" or "primitive" or even pre-Christian (that is, not musically of Christian origin) sound, the scale's use in church music, for a long time (if at all) was generally restricted to the times of Advent or Lent.

One great exception to that rule came from the song originally titled "Faith's Review And Expectation". (known to us today as "Amazing Grace") Written by a Scotsman named John Newton, this pentatonic-scale song has touched the hearts of many over the years. Newton himself had been a captain of several slave ships, and indeed had also been a slave himself in his younger years. Giving himself to God, he became an abolitionist and firm Christian in his later years and wrote a number of famous hymns, while trying to abolish the slave trade.

At once a song of repentance and hope, "Amazing Grace" continues to be a favorite at funerals.

The song "Flowers of the Forest", (another pentatonic-scale song) has a fascinating, if murky history, and has a fairly strict, if unusual tradition among bagpipers: As it was explained to me, the song's melody is never supposed to be practiced or played or even written down (!) with the sole exception of being performed at the funerals of heroic fallen. "Flowers" was likely first composed in order to remember the tragic defeat of the Scottish army at the Battle of Flodden in September 1513.

So how would a new piper learn to play the tune, you might ask? Traditionally, only by listening, and attending funerals where another piper happened to be playing it!

Although the original lyrics of "Flowers" have been lost to time, several people have written words for the song, but it is seldom sung and is generally only played on the pipes at an appropriate occasion, and I believe too that it should most appropriately be mentioned, (as on this particular occasion) only during the hour of low 12. (note the time of this post-12:45 a.m.)

I could provide you with an internet link to a performance of that song, but in keeping with tradition, I won't. If you want to hear it from me, that can only happen at the appropriate time and place.

These two lines for the song were reportedly penned by Jean Elliot in the mid-1700's and they go a long way towards explaining why this mysterious and mystic song is so often still played for the heroic fallen:

"The Flooers o' the Forest, that fought aye the foremost,
The pride o' oor land lie cauld in the clay."

Back to the Great Highland War Pipes...

Yours Aye,

Gary Rice, Life Member;
Clan Buchanan Society
Pipe Drummer

(By the way, one thing more: If you've not noticed, a pipe-band drummer wears red and white checked headgear, but the piper's headgear is always full black, in recognition of their last important duty- to pipe the fallen home.)

[Patrick Wadden]

Brilliant. Good on ya Gary. Fair Play.