VETERAN Hebridean musician Duncan Morison, MBE, has died in Stornoway at the age of 92.

A friend of the Queen Mother and a Freeman of the Western Isles, ''Major'' Morison, as everyone knew him, was probably

best known as accompanist to

the well-known tenor, Father

Sydney MacEwan.

He was also a legend known to generations of islanders as a fine pianist and a music teacher visiting the island's schools.

He had been ill for some weeks in Western Isles Hospital, where he died in the early hours of April 21.

His father was from Breascleit and his mother from the Ness area of Lewis where he kept a house until recently, gifting it last year to the local comunn eachdraidh (historical society).

His father worked at the Lews Castle and the young Morison was named after Major Duncan Matheson, owner of Lewis between 1901 and 1918, who lived there.

He first took tuition in the piano in Edinburgh. In 1933 he was awarded a music scholarship sponsored by An Comunn Gaidhealach music which took him to London. There he became a protege of the Marchioness of Londonderry and quickly became so adept that he became part of the inner circle of friends of many of the notable personalities of the day.

He struck up a strong friendship with the Queen Mother during that time. She was taken with his musical skills and ''the Hebridean lilt''.

The bond was formed when he dedicated a collection of his Hebridean music Ceol Mara (Music of the Sea) to her when she was still the Duchess of York.

''I am still on Ma'am's Christmas card list and she on mine,'' he remarked a few years ago.

Before the war Mr Morison began to appear regularly in the country's most prestigious venues as the regular accompanist to Father MacEwan. He obviously influenced MacEwan's repertoire in which soon appeared the Lewis Bridal Song (Morag Bheag) and Island Moon, both specially arranged by Morison.

The pair toured Australia, New Zealand, and India and he also did concert tours with the tenor Robert King and Michael O'Duffy.

Two years ago, after being honoured with the freedom of his home islands, he recalled that on a short tour to Germany he was summoned to play for the founder of the Gestapo, Hermann Goering.

''He seemed to like us. Then he insisted that he wanted us to meet Hitler.

''Fortunately we had a prior engagement to play for the ladies' guild of Reverend Donald Caskie, who later became the Tartan Pimpernel when he took charge of the Scots' Kirk in Paris,'' said Mr Morison.

He and Robert King joined ENSA and were in heavy demand to entertain the troops. They had to leave Dunkirk just as it came under fire.

After the war he returned to Lewis and became the islands' first travelling music teacher.

''In those days there were no pianos in any island schools and I carried around a small xylophone,'' he said.

He helped train many other budding singers and musicians on Lewis - including Mod Gold medallist Calum Kennedy.

Major Morison retired from teaching in 1978 and received the Royal Jubilee Medal. He was awarded the MBE in 1984.

Two years ago he became one of the few to receive the Freedom of the Western Isles. In recent years the only others to get the honour were in 1988, the late MP Donald Stewart and his wife Chrissie, and in 1994 the Queen's Own Highlanders just before

their amalgamation with the

Gordon Highlanders.

An old friend, Sandy Matheson, chairman of the island health board and harbour commission in Stornoway, said: ''Duncan Major was a wonderful character. Everything he did was with great style and compassion.

''He was a grand ambassador for Stornoway and for Lewis and while we are sad at his passing, we rejoice for having known him.'' The women's gold medallist of 1958, Alma Jamieson (nee Kerr), told how she owed him so much through his patient tuition.

''He gave his whole life to music. I never once heard him say a bad word about anyone - even in his schooldays when there were some right scallywags to moan about,'' she said.

Mr Morison had remained unmarried and lived in the former Lady Matheson's Seminary For Young Ladies on Keith Street in Stornoway where he had amassed a magnificent collection of artefacts and antiques.