The annual MacCrimmon Memorial Piobaireachd Recital for that much-coveted trophy, the Silver Chanter, is always a splendid feast of music. This year the 41st annual recital took place, as always, at Dunvegan Castle, on August 1. It is organised by the John MacFadyen Memorial Trust with generous support from William Grant & Sons Ltd.

The recital was held, as usual, in the drawing room of the castle, which used to be the castle's hall before it was turned into an elegant drawing-room in the 19th century. In that hall, many of the tunes composed by the MacCrimmons were heard for the first time.

This year, the recital was presided over by Hugh MacLeod, 30th Chief of MacLeod.

The first recital, in 1967, was under the aegis of Dame Flora MacLeod of MacLeod, 28th Chief, and the tradition was carried on by her grandson, John, 29th Chief, whose recent death was much lamented.

This year six pipers, instead of the usual five, were invited to play. All had won important awards during the year since the last Silver Chanter recital. As is the custom, each had to play a tune composed by, or associated with, the MacCrimmons, who were hereditary pipers to MacLeod of MacLeod from 1620 to 1825. This year, all the tunes were MacCrimmon compositions.

The first to play was Jack Lee, from British Columbia, the winner of the Bratach Gorm in London in November 2006. He played The Lament for the Earl of Antrim. We were told by Allan Beaton, Fear-cathrach for the evening, that this tune was by Donald Mor MacCrimmon (1570-1640), the first of the MacCrimmon hereditary pipers, on the death of the first Earl of Antrim. There is a certain amount of dispute about this, however.

This was followed by Simon McKerrell, who won the Colonel Jock MacDonald Clasp at the Skye piping competition in 2006. His tune was Mrs MacLeod of Talisker's Salute, which was composed by Donald Ruadh MacCrimmon in about 1820, on the MacLeods of Talisker departing from Skye.

Roderick MacLeod, who won the Senior Piobaireachd at the Argyllshire Gathering in August 2006, gave a splendid performance of the formidable tune, The Earl of Ross's March, another composition by Donald Mor MacCrimmon in about 1600. But the name of the tune is questionable, since the Earldom of Ross fell into abeyance at the end of the 15th century.

Richard Hawke, from New Zealand, won the Dunvegan Medal at Portree last year. He played that very famous tune, I Got a Kiss of the King's Hand. There is disagreement about the composition of this tune as well. It seems to have been by either Patrick Mor MacCrimmon, or by John MacCrimmon, in or about 1651.

The fifth tune was played by Angus MacColl, who won the 2006 Glenfiddich Championship. He gave a beautiful performance of The Lament for the Children. This was the composition of Patrick Mor MacCrimmon (hereditary piper from 1640 to 1670) after the death of seven of his eight children from smallpox all in the same year.

Lastly, Euan MacCrimmon, the winner of last year's Silver Chanter, played MacLeod of MacLeod's Lament , another Donald Mor composition, on the death of Rory Mor MacLeod. It is said that he also wrote the famous song, Tog orm mo phiob, 's theid mi dhachaidh (Hand me my pipe, and I shall go home), the tune of which is based on the ground of the piobaireachd.

Among those six superb performances, two were outstanding: those of Roderick MacLeod and Angus MacColl. It can have been no easy task for the Adjudicator, Andrew Wright, to decide between them. He awarded the Silver Chanter to Roderick MacLeod, who thus won it for the fourth time.