Celtic harp (Karen Marshalsay) & percussion (Peter Anderson) will be added later. Photo by Stuart Eydmann (concertina). Photo shows us playing 'The Kist o' Whistles' which I composed for The Whistlebinkies & Michael Bonaventure.

Thanks. When we get copies of the Mode Records DVD (Scottish Circus & 4'33'') we'll have a 'launch' - hopefully in the autumn & will let you know about that.

Thanks. In anticipation of the release of the DVD of Scottish Circus and 4'33'' (for ensemble) we issued a leaflet, attached. We'll have a launch gathering when we recieve copies of the disc, hopefully in the autumn. The substantial booklet will have a fuller explanation.

The Whistlebinkies DVD recording on Mode Records of the John Cage piece that Claire describes will be issued later this year - that's 'Scottish Circus' as well as 4'33'' (John Cage's version for folk ensemble). The photo shows John Cage with The Whistlebinkies at the Fruitmarket Gallery in 1984.

Although James Iliff was my composition teacher at the Royal Academy of Music, my orchestration lessons were with Leighton Lucas.

Just noticed you were on this site as well as 'X' - so I'll thank you here as well for listing my 1980 piece 'Euphoria'!

Anyway, congratulations on your creative work and I hope it gets published sometime - I'll look out.

In otherwords a beggar minstrel. Similar to the German 'der bänkelsänger' or French troubadour 'saltimbanc'. Another explanation is it's derived from 2 Scots Gaelic words 'uasal' (noble) & 'being' (bench) - 'g' more of a 'k' sound - referring to the ancient chieftain giving up his seat to a harpist

That book was called 'Whistlebinkie: Songs for the Social Circle' which has a long introductory essay titled 'A Disertation on Whistlebinkies'. The word is actually in Chambers Scots Dictionary which describes the meaning as 'one who plays a whistle on a bench ('bink') for his supper'.