Prospectus
The naming
right.
A single composition from the archive of David Duncan Mackay, named by you, the patron, and entered permanently into the record.
The offer
What is being offered.
Among the archive of David Mackay's original compositions for Scottish fiddle, some thirty thousand in number and growing, many thousand remain without a name. A tune without a name is a tune without a home in the historical record. This offer gives a person, a family, or an occasion the right to name one of those tunes and to have that name entered into the permanent record of Scottish traditional music.
The named person or occasion is chosen by you, the patron. The composition is chosen by the composer, from the unnamed portion of the archive, to suit the sentiment or style indicated. You are consulted before the name is entered; once entered, the dedication is final and will not be reassigned.
Included in the naming right
What you receive, as patron.
The naming right.
The name is registered to the composition permanently in the archive manuscript and the working catalogue. No two compositions share a name; no name is reassigned. The dedication is entered as the composer intends and remains unchanged in all subsequent records, including the deposit with the National Library of Scotland.
The hand-written original manuscript.
The composition's original score, written by the composer's hand on heritage paper, signed and dated, with a dedication line if desired. Suitable for framing. This is the primary document of the naming: the physical inscription from which all subsequent records derive.
A recording of the tune.
A studio recording of the named composition, performed by the composer, delivered in both physical form and as a downloadable file. The family may hear the tune as it was intended to be played, in the year of its naming.
The process
How the naming works.
Confirm the name.
The patron supplies the name to be attached to the tune: a person, a family, a place, or an occasion. A brief note on the significance of the name is welcome and may inform the composer's selection.
Tune selection.
David Mackay selects a composition from the unnamed portion of the archive that best suits the sentiment. You, the patron, are consulted if a particular mood or style matters: a march, a strathspey, a lament, a reel, a slow air.
Manuscript preparation.
The composer writes the original manuscript on archival paper, signs and dates it, and adds a dedication line if desired. The manuscript is the primary document of the naming right.
Recording.
The composition is recorded by the composer and delivered in both physical and digital form.
Archive registration.
The name is entered into the master catalogue, the manuscript is copied and held for deposit, and the composition becomes permanently part of the archive destined for the National Library of Scotland.
Why this is unusual.
Many organisations offer to name things. Stars. Park benches. Bricks in a walkway. Those are commercial arrangements within a commercial life. A tune named in this archive enters the cultural record of Scotland itself, because the archive will, on the composer's death, be deposited with the National Library of Scotland and catalogued alongside the named works of every other Scottish composer in the Library's collection.
The tune outlives you, the patron. The name outlives you. And the named tune will still be played, taught, and recorded a century from now, by fiddle players and historians who will encounter the name in the archive and know the occasion of its naming. That is what a permanent inscription in a national archive means.
Correspondence
Terms and correspondence.
The archive does not publish a price list. Each naming right is discussed in correspondence, beginning with a brief conversation about the occasion, the name, and any preferences on mood or style. Terms are confirmed in writing before any work begins.
Payment may be made in two instalments if preferred: half on commencement, half on delivery of the manuscript and recording. All invoices are issued by Euterpia Ltd, Scotland, in pounds sterling.
Correspondence is welcomed by electronic mail or by post.
The Archive invites a small number
of patrons each year.
Correspondence may be directed to the office by electronic mail. Enquiries are answered personally by the composer.
Begin Correspondence