Nine Notes and more... by Stuart Robertson
Mark SAul
PIPING TODAY • 30
O
UR featured composer for this edition is Mark Saul. Mark is one of the most well known contemporary bagpipe music
composers. Throughout the 1990s his composi- tions shaped the musical identity of the Victoria Police Pipe Band, helping to define modern piping genres and also creating new ones. Many young composers now cite him as an inspiration. Mark eventually left the Victoria Police and began
a journey to expand his musical experience through electronic, rock, pop and even club performances. When he stepped away from the band scene, Mark worked professionally as a composer and a performer. He wrote soundtracks for film and television, advertis- ing jingles and computer games.
He returned to pipe bands in 2003, starting the Presbyterian Ladies Pipe Band in Melbourne, and play-
ing as guest piper with the Grade 1 Western Australia Police Pipe Band at the 2004 Worlds. He is currently pipe major of the Hawthorn City Pipe Band, winners of the Grade 2 event at the most recent Australian Pipe Band Championships. In 2004, he released Myxolydian, a solo CD that gave the piping community a taste of his musical vision, combining his pop and rock influences with traditional Celtic flavours. With the Mark Saul Band, he has taken this music around the world, including memorable live performances in Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations. Mark has had three collections of his music pub- lished. His first two books were released in 1993 and the latest instalment was released in December 2011. Today, his compositions are sought after by some of the world’s top bands, including Simon Fraser Univer- sity, and last August ScottishPower unveiled his latest
NEW MUSIC Photo: Derek Maxwell
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