Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In the final quarter of the 19th century and the beginning years of the 20th century light music was becoming popular even with the master players. Light music appealed to a wider audience and was encouraged by the army and by non-piping employers of pipers.
Into this period of pipe music renaissance was born John McLellan, August 8, 1875 in Dunoon, Actually little is known about the early part of his life. He was the fourth child in a family of six children born to Neil McLellan (Islay) and Mary nee Darroch (Jura). At the young age of seven he suffered the death of his father. His mother moved the family back to her native isle of Jura for an unknown period of time. It is presumed during this time that John and his younger brother Neil first learned to play, but we know nothing further about their tuition. Later the family returned to Dunoon.
At the young age of 16 at his home in Dunoon, John composed a tune he called 'The Bens of Jura.’ We know the tune more commonly today as ‘The Road to the Isles.’ This was the first of the popular tunes for the bagpipe in the sense that it appealed broadly to the general public. It was seized on by other instrumentalists and when words were added, it became a hit song of the day.
Many, if not most, of our popular pipe music composers achieved fame through their competitive achievements. John McLellan was an exception. Rather, he spent his prime competitive piping years of his young manhood in the army, most of those years serving overseas. At the age of 17 he enlisted in H.L.I. At 19 he went with his unit to serve first in Malta and then Crete. Starting in 1899 he served in South Africa for the duration of the Boer War, being awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for gallantry on the field at Magersfontein (a battle he commemorated by his tune ‘The Highland Brigade at Magersfontaein' Dec. 11, 1899). In 1903 he left the army after 11 years and returned to civilian life. He played for a year with the Govan Police Pipe Band and then returned to Dunoon.
John earned his living as a house painter. He was an extraordinarily talented man. He had a gift as a musician, playing not only the pipes, but also the piano, the fiddle and penny whistle. He composed songs and wrote poetry. He was gifted as an artist in both oils and water colors. He also began teaching piping in Dunoon, and compiled the first of the Cowal piping books.
In 1912 John reenlisted and joined the 8th Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders in Dunoon. Two years later (John is now 39 years old) at the start of World War One the regiment was mobilized and sent to France. In 1915 at the time that William Lawrie was taking over the band, John was wounded and away from the band while recuperating. We do not know the specifics of the wounds suffered. He wrote a number of poems as well as music while in France. One of his poems is inscribed on the war memorial at Buzancy in France.
John is remembered as a shy and quiet individual not given to pushing his accomplishments or promoting the great talent he possessed. This modesty of his personality goes a long way to explain the often overlooked and underappreciated musical talent he possessed and achievements he accomplished. He excelled in composing marches, not only competition marches, e.g. ‘South Hall’ and ‘The Taking of Beaumont Hamel,’ but many simple melodies requiring no elaborate fingering technique — ideal for soldiers to march. He virtually established the 3^4 retreat idiom of pipe music. How many bands have we seen march up to the line playing the melodic strains of “Lochanside.”
There have been few composers of pipe music who were so prolific in their compositions as John McLellan. He achieved success with all types of tunes. In 1931 the Cowal highland Gathering organized a competition for an original march to be entitled ‘The Cowal Highland Gathering.’ The best 20 from these (235 submitted) tunes were published in 1932 as the 4th Cowal Collection. Seven were John McLellan compositions, including the 1st prize winning tune.
John McLellan will always be remembered as a great composer of marches and retreats who brought forth original compositions of some of the most beautiful and stirring melodies of which the bagpipe is capable.
In the piping world we know him as John McLellan (Dunoon) to distinguish him from Capt. John A. MacLellan of the Army School of Piping in Edinburgh Castle. He came to be identified closely with the Cowal Games. John passed away suddenly in 1949 one week short of his 74th birthday. He is buried in his town of Dunoon. In Dunoon a public plaque reads:
In the final quarter of the 19th century and the beginning years of the 20th century light music was becoming popular even with the master players. Light music appealed to a wider audience and was encouraged by the army and by non-piping employers of pipers.
Into this period of pipe music renaissance was born John McLellan, August 8, 1875 in Dunoon, Actually little is known about the early part of his life. He was the fourth child in a family of six children born to Neil McLellan (Islay) and Mary nee Darroch (Jura). At the young age of seven he suffered the death of his father. His mother moved the family back to her native isle of Jura for an unknown period of time. It is presumed during this time that John and his younger brother Neil first learned to play, but we know nothing further about their tuition. Later the family returned to Dunoon.
At the young age of 16 at his home in Dunoon, John composed a tune he called 'The Bens of Jura.’ We know the tune more commonly today as ‘The Road to the Isles.’ This was the first of the popular tunes for the bagpipe in the sense that it appealed broadly to the general public. It was seized on by other instrumentalists and when words were added, it became a hit song of the day.
Many, if not most, of our popular pipe music composers achieved fame through their competitive achievements. John McLellan was an exception. Rather, he spent his prime competitive piping years of his young manhood in the army, most of those years serving overseas. At the age of 17 he enlisted in H.L.I. At 19 he went with his unit to serve first in Malta and then Crete. Starting in 1899 he served in South Africa for the duration of the Boer War, being awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for gallantry on the field at Magersfontein (a battle he commemorated by his tune ‘The Highland Brigade at Magersfontaein' Dec. 11, 1899). In 1903 he left the army after 11 years and returned to civilian life. He played for a year with the Govan Police Pipe Band and then returned to Dunoon.
John earned his living as a house painter. He was an extraordinarily talented man. He had a gift as a musician, playing not only the pipes, but also the piano, the fiddle and penny whistle. He composed songs and wrote poetry. He was gifted as an artist in both oils and water colors. He also began teaching piping in Dunoon, and compiled the first of the Cowal piping books.
In 1912 John reenlisted and joined the 8th Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders in Dunoon. Two years later (John is now 39 years old) at the start of World War One the regiment was mobilized and sent to France. In 1915 at the time that William Lawrie was taking over the band, John was wounded and away from the band while recuperating. We do not know the specifics of the wounds suffered. He wrote a number of poems as well as music while in France. One of his poems is inscribed on the war memorial at Buzancy in France.
John is remembered as a shy and quiet individual not given to pushing his accomplishments or promoting the great talent he possessed. This modesty of his personality goes a long way to explain the often overlooked and underappreciated musical talent he possessed and achievements he accomplished. He excelled in composing marches, not only competition marches, e.g. ‘South Hall’ and ‘The Taking of Beaumont Hamel,’ but many simple melodies requiring no elaborate fingering technique — ideal for soldiers to march. He virtually established the 3^4 retreat idiom of pipe music. How many bands have we seen march up to the line playing the melodic strains of “Lochanside.”
There have been few composers of pipe music who were so prolific in their compositions as John McLellan. He achieved success with all types of tunes. In 1931 the Cowal highland Gathering organized a competition for an original march to be entitled ‘The Cowal Highland Gathering.’ The best 20 from these (235 submitted) tunes were published in 1932 as the 4th Cowal Collection. Seven were John McLellan compositions, including the 1st prize winning tune.
John McLellan will always be remembered as a great composer of marches and retreats who brought forth original compositions of some of the most beautiful and stirring melodies of which the bagpipe is capable.
In the piping world we know him as John McLellan (Dunoon) to distinguish him from Capt. John A. MacLellan of the Army School of Piping in Edinburgh Castle. He came to be identified closely with the Cowal Games. John passed away suddenly in 1949 one week short of his 74th birthday. He is buried in his town of Dunoon. In Dunoon a public plaque reads:
