by Angus Macpherson
Pibrochs-the word is familiar enough, but how many listeners south of the Border Jcnow exactly what they are ? They are the highest form of bagpipe music and they are usually martial in character. They consist of variations on a theme, and demand unusual efficiency in the players. Frequently they are named after historical, characters and events, and some of them date hack hundreds of years. William Ross , who was piper to Queen Victoria, issued a collection of pibrochs in 1869, which still forms the basis of many a piper's repertoire.