No other event captures the essence of traditional Scotland quite like Edinburgh’s magnificent Military Tattoo, the unique blend of music, ceremony and theatre which has been delighting capacity crowds for the past 50 years. In Edinburgh, Angus Urquhart spoke with the man who brings it all together, the Tattoo’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Brigadier Melville Stewart Jameson, CBE.

No theatre anywhere in the world has a more dramatic, a more romantic, a more authentic, or a more emotionally-charged backdrop than the ancient sandstone ramparts of Edinburgh Castle. They rise up, on this warm August evening, in a proud and jagged silhouette, stark against the golden light of the westering sun. In the blackness of the Castle’s forecourt, 10,000 people are sitting, waiting, holding their collective breath in anticipation of the blood curdling bellow from the Pipe Major which will signal the beginning of what must surely be the greatest show on earth. Nothing stirs Scottish blood like the sound of the massed pipes and drums and there is a rapturous, spontaneous applause as the pipes howl, the drums crash and the spotlights fall upon the immaculate kilted soldiers parading out of the Castle gates, crossing the drawbridge and marching with absolute precision out onto the Esplanade.

The Tattoo’s Producer, Brigadier Melville Jameson, feels the goose-bumps rising: the unmistakeable sign that, thanks to painstaking rehearsals, everything is exactly as it should be. In the seven years that he has been responsible for the Tattoo, Brigadier Melville has seen countless performances and yet he never fails to feel that shiver of joy at the sight and the sound of the world’s best military musicians performing in this magnificent setting.

Each year over 200,000 people come from all over the world to see the Tattoo and over 100 million more watch it on television. I asked the Brigadier to explain the Tattoo’s enduring appeal. Was it simply a “good entertainment” or was it something much more profound ?

“Oh, I think it is much more profound that just entertainment,” he said. “There is an element of magic in the superb setting which really is unique. The backdrop of Edinburgh castle floodlit at night is absolutely stunning. It must be one of the finest settings in the world for such an event. It’s son et lumiere. The audience is seated facing west and as the sun sets behind the Castle it creates an incredibly magical atmosphere. You just can’t duplicate that in a theatre”.

The Brigadier says there are four pillars underpinning the Tattoo’s extraordinary success. “First and foremost”, he says, “is, without doubt, the spectacle of the massed pipes and drums. That’s what people come for, year after year. Although there are obviously fewer pipes and drums in a peacetime army, I try to put together a minimum of 10 bands. Seeing the pipes and drums emerge from the Castle’s drawbridge is one of the great sights. Since I’ve been Producer I’ve encouraged pipes and drums from all over the world, and they’ve come from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa. But bigger isn’t necessarily beautiful. In Edinburgh, the quality of the piping is what’s important. There are massed pipes and drums at other tattoos elsewhere in the world but no where do they come close to Edinburgh for quality music and precision in drill. That’s something the Director of Army Bagpipe Music, Major Gavin Stoddard, who is known as God among pipers, is absolutely fanatical about. The bands invited to take part in the Edinburgh Tattoo are the best around but once they get here, Major Stoddard drills and drills and drills them until they perform like a well-oiled machine.

“The second pillar has to be the massed military bands. People love to see the spectacle of those bands and to listen to wonderful traditional music. The third pillar is the variety and spice in the middle. That can be anything from home-bred Highland dancing to Scottish Country Dancing, military pageantry, historical vignettes, or action items. This year we have traditional South Pacific dancers from the Cook Islands but in the past we have had steel bands, flag wavers, cavalry, motor cyclists and even elephants and camels. The fourth pillar is the finale, where we bring everything together. The combined sound of the massed pipes and drums and all the other performers is for me, and I think for many people, the most emotional moment. I go to a lot of trouble in selecting the music for that particular part of the performance. They are generally emotional big numbers and they indicated that the show is coming to a close. We always do Auld Lang Syne of course and finally there’s the Lone Piper on the battlements. That’s very much Edinburgh tattoo. Many people come year after year, just to see and hear the Lone Piper. Then there’s the communal singing of the evening hymn, ‘Abide with me’. It’s very emotional, very moving, very Edinburgh”.  

Brigadier Jameson explained that the word Tattoo is derived from the cries of the innkeepers in the Low Countries in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. At closing time, the fifes and drums of the local regiment would march through the streets, their music signalling a return to quarters, and the shout would go up, “Doe den tap toe” (turn off the taps). From this beginning a ‘tattoo’ became a ceremonial performance of military music by massed bands. The massed display of pipers at Edinburgh usually come from the regular infantry battalions of the Scottish Regiments. The pipers and drummers are regular soldiers for whom piping comes second to combat duty.

In a world in which so many traditions are daily being swept aside, it is reassuring that in the month of August each year for the past half century men and women have come together to celebrate their Scottish heritage in a way which speaks most eloquently to the rest of the world. Long may that tradition endure.

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