Compositions

1. Champion of change [comp. Kevin Rowsome], jig
2. Well, fancy that [comp. Kevin Rowsome], reel
3. The black sheep [comp. Kevin Rowsome], jig
4. The lockdown waltz [comp. Kevin Rowsome]
   
5. Stretch in the evening [comp. Kevin Rowsome], jig
6. The fox in the garden [comp. Kevin Rowsome], reel
7. The Dunquin polka [comp. Kevin Rowsome]
8. Don't budge [comp. Kevin Rowsome], hornpipe
9. The choosy beggarman [comp. Kevin Rowsome], jig
10. The imperfect stoic [comp. Kevin Rowsome], reel
11. Left of centre [comp. Kevin Rowsome], reel
12. The halfpenny place [comp. Kevin Rowsome], air

LISTEN: An audio playlist of Kevin Rowsome playing his own compositions on the Uilleann pipes

LEARN: Interactive scores of Kevin Rowsome's compositions, with playback, ABC notation and more (see user guide for more details).

READ: Transcriptions of compositions, composed and transcribed by Kevin Rowsome

Champion of change [comp. Kevin Rowsome], jig

I composed this tune during the 2021 lockdown. At the time I was thinking about how everybody, especially musicians had to change and adapt to their new world.

Learn the tune:

Interactive Score, allowing you to switch between pipes and whistle recordings
Tune Transcription (PDF)

Well, fancy that [comp. Kevin Rowsome], reel

After finishing this tune, I listened back to it and really liked the melody. I was slightly surprised with myself, so I tried to capture that sense of surprise in the name.

Learn the tune:

Interactive Score, allowing you to switch between pipes and whistle recordings
Tune Transcription (PDF)

The black sheep [comp. Kevin Rowsome], jig

This was a tune that I wrote during the lockdown. I think it is a very traditional jig so I tried to come up with a name that matched to some extent.

Learn the tune:

Interactive Score, allowing you to switch between pipes and whistle recordings
Tune Transcription (PDF)

The lockdown waltz [comp. Kevin Rowosme]

Learn the tune:

Interactive Score, allowing you to switch between pipes and whistle recordings
Tune Transcription (PDF)

Stretch in the evening [comp. Kevin Rowsome], jig

This jig conveys a happy go lucky optimistic feeling to me, similar to the feeling that I would associate with the time of the year when the evenings are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer, so I tried to come up with a title that conveyed a similar feeling.

Learn the tune:

Interactive Score, allowing you to switch between pipes and whistle recordings
Tune Transcription (PDF)

The fox in the garden [comp. Kevin Rowsome], reel

After finishing this reel, I was playing it on the tin whistle and looking out on our back garden I noticed an uninvited visitor in the garden, so I decided to name the tune after him!

Learn the tune:

Interactive Score, allowing you to switch between pipes and whistle recordings
Tune Transcription (PDF)

The Dunquin polka [comp. Kevin Rowsome]

In 2006, after my composition "Cuisle Ceoil an Bhlascaoid" was chosen to commemorate the Blasket Islands, I got a great boost of creative energy and composed a number of pieces that reminded me of my annual trip down to spend the summer at my mother’s family home near Ballyferriter, Co Kerry.

The other tunes are "The road to Ventry", "The Hairpin Bends" (between Tralee and Dingle) and Gleann na nGealt (also between Tralee and Dingle).

Learn the tune:

Interactive Score, allowing you to switch between pipes and whistle recordings
Tune Transcription (PDF)

Don't budge [comp. Kevin Rowsome], hornpipe

This reel conveys a happy energy and a sense of frivolity to me. I tried to match the title that conveyed something in a similar context.

Learn the tune:

Interactive Score, allowing you to switch between pipes and whistle recordings
Tune Transcription (PDF)

The choosy beggarman [comp. Kevin Rowsome], jig

Learn the tune:

Interactive Score, allowing you to switch between pipes and whistle recordings
Tune Transcription (PDF)

The imperfect stoic [comp. Kevin Rowsome], reel

The melody of this tune attempts to convey a sense of integrity and purity to me, so I tried to think of a name for it that conveys something along the same lines.

Learn the tune:

Interactive Score, allowing you to switch between pipes and whistle recordings
Tune Transcription (PDF)

Left of centre [comp. Kevin Rowsome], reel

I was unsure to what extent this tune fits into the tradition, and the thought that came to mind was that it’s a bit left of centre, so I thought that would make a good name. Left of Centre is a phrase that I have often heard used in a comical, non political way to describe something that didn’t fit exactly into mainstream thinking.

Learn the tune:

Interactive Score, allowing you to switch between pipes and whistle recordings
Tune Transcription (PDF)

The halfpenny place [comp. Kevin Rowsome], air

The melody of this tune conveys a sense of optimism tinged with sadness to me, so I tried to come up with a title that conveyed a similar sense. I think that it also fits the "left of centre" category that I described in the previous tune!

Learn the tune:

Interactive Score, allowing you to switch between pipes and whistle recordings
Tune Transcription (PDF)

About Kevin Rowsome

Kevin Rowsome plays uilleann pipes, flute and tin whistle. He has been composing music for about 20 years. In 2006 he won a competition named "Cuisle Ceoil an Bhlascaoid" (the musical pulse of the Blasket Islands) which was set up to select the most suitable musical piece to commemorate the Blasket Islands, off the coast of County Kerry.

Kevin recorded two albums to date. His first album, titled ‘The Rowsome Tradition’ was released in 1999 and featured archive recordings of his father, uncle and grandfather. His second solo Cuisle Cheol na bPíob in 2016 was the culmination of over five years of research into archive traditional Irish music. The album also features some self-compositions including the air Cuisle Ceoil an Bhlascaoid.

Kevin is the fifth generation of uilleann pipers / pipe makers in his family. In keeping with his family tradition Kevin worked with his father learning the craft of pipe making. He also studied woodwind instrument making at the London College of Furniture in the 1980s. Kevin and his wife Lorraine Hickey have two daughters, Tierna and Naoise who are both highly accomplished multi instrumentalists and both are excellent uilleann pipers.

Kevin has taught music and performed at many festivals throughout the world and has tutored third level students at the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance, University of Limerick,

More of Kevin's compositions can be found at the following links:

• Traditional Compositions playlist
• Compositions (modern traditional) playlist
• Kevin Rowsome website

See also Leon Rowsome (1936-1994). Celebrating the life and musical times of a fourth generation uilleann piper and pipe maker: a blog by Kevin and Caitríona Rowsome.

Presented April 2022 by Treasa Harkin, with thanks to Kevin Rowsome