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Conference tallis::celt

Title:Celt Notefile
Moderator:TALLIS::DARCY
Created:Wed Feb 19 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jun 03 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1632
Total number of notes:20523

390.0. "Scottish Music" by CSC32::MA_BAKER () Wed Jun 08 1988 16:04

This is excerpted from a Brittish magazine - "Cream", September, 1973, p 12.

"The difficult thing now is knowing where to start when trying to turn someone
on to Scottish music.  You see there are dozens of different types of Scottish
music.  And different parts of Scotland produce different cultures.  For
example, there's a tradition of worksongs on the West Coast and particularly
in the islands, while on the East coast, there's a wealth of after work songs,
dirty drinking songs.

Still on the West Coast, there's another form of singing - mouth music.  And the
weirdness of the sound of it should freak you out.  The singers have a strange
technique of imitating the pipes by emitting the sound in gulps from the back
of the throat.

Pibrochs are one of the most beautiful mournful forms of the Scottish tradition.
Although they're more often played on the pipes, they can be sung with the 
singer imitating the pipe sound.  Basically, you can think of pibrochs as being
Scottish blues.  They're slow, melodic laments with a formalised progression...
The theme, or Urlar, is stated and there are ten or more set variations.  The 
catchy thing is the use of grace notes.  They give the slow drawn-out pibrochs
another dimension.

Pibrochs and laments comprise the piper's Ceol Mor (big music) and dance tunes
the Ceol beag (little music).  In the old days, pipers who were really into
it, wouldn't touch the Ceol beag, and they would concentrate on the big music.

The piping governors used to be the MacCrimmons of Boreaig, in Skye, who were
heriditary pipers to the MacLeods of Dunvegan.  Composing pibrochs and playing
them were their gig, and they specialised in it...

The funny thing about pipe music is that the older you get, the more respected
you seem to be.  In jazz, players seem to reach their peak when they're about
30 to 40 years old.  But pipers appear to hit it much later.

In the little music, there's a lot of swing.  No matter what tempo they're
playing, pipers - and this goes for Scottish musicians in general - consistently
sprinkle triplets throughout their music.  The result is that all tunes have
a feeling of excitement about them.

And when you get pipers and drummers together in a pipe band you just can't stop
them swinging....They're so crisp and continually they lift the music into the
air, and keep it bouncing there with grace notes, triplets, pressed rolls and
booming accents.

Scottish fiddlers ... have a jaw-dropping facility. Their command of the
fiddle is staggering, and once again you just can't help stomping your foot
the moment they begin to play.

Music of ... the North East ...  Here, in the country districts, there's a
tradition that's different from the gaelic one.  Sure, it's derived from
it - and constantly you'll hear older gaelic songs in a North East setting -
but it has come up with it's own identity.

For a start the language is different.  It's a mixture of  words derived
from gaelic and corrupted English.

A good example is the chorus of the most famous song from the North East -
The Mucking of Geordie's Byre.

	For the graip was tint,
	the besom was deen.
	The barra widna row
	its leen
	An siccan a soss it
	never was seen
	At the muckin o'
	Geordie's byre.

These songs are grouped under the heading of Bothy Ballads.  They're the
songs that were sung in the bothies - that's where the farm labourers
used to live - after the work was done.

These ... lads had a hard time of it.  The money was very bad and the
food was mainly oatmeal in various forms.  So to get away from it all,
the would gather round, get pissed and sing dirty songs, funny songs,
and play.  There were pipers, fiddlers and concertina players. Any cheap
instrument they could get their hands on was brought in ...

The music reflects the mood they must have been in.  It's swaying,
staggering, stirring stuff.  The high points of the songs are accented by
people hoochin' - shouting yelps.  ...the same sort of thing goes on [in
South Africa] when people get together for a kneesup.

There's a East coast equivalent of West Coast music ... diddling. It's a
wee bit like scat singing.  Imagine trying to sing a tune to somebody who's
never heard it before.  You want him to get the rhythm of the tihing, as
well as the melody, so you throw yourself into it with da's and dee's and
diddledum's.  That's diddling.

Now there are more sub-forms of Scottish music ... for example all those
plaintive gaelic lullabies ....

I'm telling you this to persuade you that you don't have to be Scottish to 
appreciate Scottish music."
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
390.1TSC01::MAILLARDDenis MAILLARDThu Jun 09 1988 05:464
    Re .0: Not to mention the incredible wealth of love and historical
    ballads (or combination of both), and many, many different kinds
    of dance music, and... (we could go on for hours).
    			Denis.
390.2Contemporary Scottish artists?MTWAIN::WARDPizzaholicFri Sep 30 1988 18:468
I've got my Jean Redpath album, and my Tannerhill Weavers album...but
what other contemporary Scottish artists are out there and where is their
stuff available in S. NH?

Also, where can I get some good bagpipe music?  (I realize that all pipe music
is good, but I need more for my car stereo!  It keeps my blood runnin' warm!)

Randy 8*)
390.3Some Scottish artistsDUB01::FARRELLMon Oct 03 1988 09:4511
    I dont kow where in your part of the world you can get these but
    some really good Scottish bands are
    
    Silly Wizard and The Battlefield Band. Battlefield have an excellent
    bagpipe player who makes the bagpipes sound really good (I meself
    am into the uileann pipes being Irish)
    The Boys of the Lough do a wide range of Irish and Scottish music
    and are well worth listening to. Also, the Corries do a lot of very
    nice Scottish ballads.
    
    - Joe
390.4The Seige of Guinness a.k.a. Burns' favorite ReelSTEREO::BURNSClare will be fine in 89'Mon Oct 03 1988 11:4116
    
    
    
    	re: .3 
    
    	Joe: Speaking of the Uileann Pipes, we went to see Liam Og'
    	     and Donal Lunny in Boston on Saturday night.
    
    
    		A true Master of the pipes.
    
    
    
    
    
    	keVin
390.5bagpipe music on tapeCSC32::MA_BAKERMon Oct 03 1988 15:0921
    Your local tape and record store should be able to get bagpipe tapes for
    you. Have them look at the Lismor label. A couple of recent good
    ones, "Grace Notes", "6 In a Row", "The 78th Fraser Highlanders
    Irish Tour"--all of these are bagpipes, some traditional band, some really
    modern stuff. There is a place called "Unicorn Tapes and Records"
    that is associated with the "Scottish American" publications folks,
    I don't have the address off hand but I can look it up.  Also if
    you ever are interested in attending any highland gatherings, the
    vendors, including the Unicorn, are always there with their tapes
    and records (and some cds too).  When I got the above tapes, they were
    $10. each.
    If you like piobaireachd (pibroch) solo classical bagpipe, on Lismor
    are a couple of tapes by Donald MacLeod, a noted premier piper of
    strictly pibroch.
    And if you want solo light bagpipe music, locally (Colorado Springs)
    there is a World Class piper named Gordon Speirs who has made a
    tape. It is unusual in that he introduces each set on the tape.
    Since I take lessons from Gordon, I can get you a copy if you would
    like. I think he is still charging $7.50 for the tape, I would have
    to double check that price, though, in case it has changed lately.
390.6Thanks!MTWAIN::WARDPizzaholicTue Oct 04 1988 15:403
Thanks for many good suggestions!  I'll be tryin' some of them soon!

Randy
390.7Some more suggestionsWELSWS::MANNIONA' for the girdin' o' it!Tue Oct 11 1988 08:3418
    Some other Scots you might try-
    
    Dick Gaughan
    Archie Fisher
     any of Archie Fisher's sisters:
    	Cilla (who sings with her husband Artie Tresize)
    	Ray
    	the whole family of six on an old Topic alum called The Fisher
    	Family
    Ewan MacColl
    Five Hand Reel (for Scottish "folk rock")
    The Easy Club
    Jock Tamson's Bairns (from whom the Easy Club developed)
    Rod Patterson (who sang with both the above)
    Hamish Moore (who plays the Scottish small pipes)
    
    
    Phillip
390.8EGAV01::DKEATINGRoamin' Cadillac Church SAVESTue Oct 11 1988 12:379
390.9Eric Bogle... Hamish Imlach...AYOV12::ASCOTTAlan Scott, FMIC, Ayr, ScotlandTue Oct 11 1988 13:271
390.10Hamish MooreCSC32::MA_BAKERTue Oct 11 1988 15:565
    Try Hamish Moore.
    I have  CAULD WIND PIPES and OPEN ENDED ...  these tapes
    are on the Dunkeld label.. these are lowland pipes, alone and in
    conjunction with other traditional and modern instruments, on
    traditional and modern tunes.
390.11CapercaillieRICKS::ANDERSONFri Oct 14 1988 15:374
Another great band is "Capercaillie" (sp?).  A bunch of youngsters but I saw
them in Cambridge and they were hot.  They have a couple albums/tapes out.

Walker
390.12MUSIC SOURCEBTO::BERGERON_MThu Oct 27 1988 14:247
    <ONE SOURCE OF CELTIC MUSIC IS ALCAZAR, A RECORD DISTRIBUTER FROM
    WATERBURY, VT.  I DON'T HAVE THE ADDRESS HERE BUT I THINK IF YOU
    JUST WRITE TO ALCAZAR, WATERBURY, VT IT SHOULD GET THERE.  THEY'LL
    SEND YOU A CATALOG WITH A WONDERFUL SELECTION OF CELTIC MUSIC.
    ANOTHER GOOD GROUP IS RELATIVITY.
                                                  KATHY
390.13HELPBOSOX::PLEVINEFri Sep 14 1990 14:223
    Can anybody give me any info on the PROCLAIMERS. Is their next album
    due soon. 
    Peter
390.14Chi mi'n Geamhradh: Traditional Scottish Gaelic albumSYSTEM::COCKBURNCraig CockburnTue Jul 23 1991 08:5744
All,
    I saw this excellent review for a Gaelic based album in last 
Saturday's "Scotsman" (20-Jul) in the folk section (P26 of the Weekend
supplement).

Shades of Gaeldom

Currently causing a big stir among Gaels and non-Gaels alike is a disc by
Catherine-Ann MacPhee "Chi mi'n Geamhradh" (=I see the winter -CC), 
published by Greentrax. The attention is well justified, for this is
contemporary Gaelic singing of a very high order indeed, with the added
appeal of top-quality instrumental backing from Savourna Stevenson, Jim
Sutherland, Jack Evans, Allan MacDonald, Neil Hay and Charlie McKerron.

The choice of a Runrig song (from their first album - Play Gaelic -CC)
as both opener and title track should do no harm at the sales counter;
it's a particularly bewitching number, with Savourna's harp in attractive
form. The bulk of the material is traditional, but Miss MacPhee's voice 
of many shades - intriguingly shadowy in many tracks but pouring out pure,
spring sunshine in "Tha na h-uain ain an tulaich" (The lambs are on the
hills)  - brings an intensely personal feeling across, as if these were
all her own songs.

The "Seathan" waulking song is taken as a slow solo - a sure sign that
Miss MacPhee is both capable and confident. Other delights include the
spinning song "O Hi Ri Lean", set to an irresistibly catchy jig by Jim
Sutherland and "'S Muladach mi's mi air m'aineol", where whistle, harp
and backing vocals are handsomely employed.


-- Does anyone know the address for Greentrax, I quite fancy writing
   off for a copy of their catalogue?

-- I also particularly enjoy the song "Chi mi'n Geamhradh", although
   I have only heard the Runrig version. It is a lovely ballad, and
   tells of "the return to insular island life in the winter after a
   summer of tourism". It is easily my favourite track on that album,
   and was played by the band for many years at their concerts long 
   after they became well known and started doing more rock-like 
   numbers. The song also appears on the band's live album "Once in
   a lifetime" and is the only track on that album to come from 
   the days of "Play Gaelic".

Craig
390.15SYSTEM::COCKBURNCraig CockburnWed Nov 27 1991 17:085
I have a couple of free spare Lismor music catalogues if anyone
would like one - they have quite a strong bias towards traditional
Scottish and Irish music and I have at least three albums from the catalogue.

Craig
390.16Capercaillie fan club infoMAJORS::COCKBURNCraig CockburnWed May 20 1992 14:2343
390.17SYSTEM::COCKBURNCraig CockburnFri Sep 18 1992 17:51306
390.18SYSTEM::COCKBURNCraig CockburnFri Sep 18 1992 22:38267
390.19TOPDOC::AHERNDennis the MenaceTue Apr 05 1994 17:0813
    
                         Jean Redpath in Concert
    
    
                    Saturday, April 16th at 8:00 p.m.
                                    at
                  Franklin Unitarian Universalist Church
    
    
    Tickets:  $12 in advance (by April 10)                    $15 at the door
    
    From: Franklin UU Church, PO Box 562, 206 Central St., Franklin, NH 03235
390.20Song named "Snowgoose"?STAR::YURYANFri Dec 08 1995 12:426
    Does anyone know where I might find the words to a song named 
    "Snowgoose" ? I heard it on a Jean Redpath album named "Leaving
    the Land" and it's written by Ralph McNeill. 
    
    thanks...
390.21BIS1::MENZIESUncle Blinkey!Fri Dec 08 1995 13:411
    Perhapps Ralph McNeill might have it......
390.22sorrySIOG::KEYESDECADMIRE Engineering DTN 827-5556Fri Dec 08 1995 13:488
    
    
    ..sorry haven't heard of it...Maybe try the MUSIC conference..might get
    a better chance of an answer
    
    rgs,
    
    mick
390.23Ralph McNeill ?STAR::YURYANFri Dec 08 1995 14:067
    re .21
    
    Ok, I've never heard of Ralph McNeill.  Where might I find anything by
    him ?  Is he on a specific record label ? or maybe writes for someone, 
    or sings with a group ? 
    
    thanks ....
390.24It's gotta be Canajun, eh!POLAR::RUSHTONMon Dec 11 1995 18:305
    Anne Murray (from Springhill, Nova Scotia) sings a song by that name. 
    You might want to try a newsgroup with "music" and "canada" in the
    title.
    
    Pat
390.25thanksSTAR::YURYANTue Dec 12 1995 13:002
    re .24
    Thanks I will give that a try...
390.26POLAR::FERGUSONRPROFESSORIWed Dec 13 1995 15:115
    Patty,
    
    I believe Ann Murray's song is titled "Snowbird" not Snowgoose...
    
    R.M.F.
390.27A fowl comment...POLAR::RUSHTONThu Dec 14 1995 17:0212
    >>I believe Ann Murray's song is titled "Snowbird" not Snowgoose...
    
    Gee, Bob, they're both about snowfowl, ain't they?
    
    Nit picking, etc, etc, ...
    
    I suppose now you're going to say I spelt her name incorrectly too, eh?
    Like, it's supposed to be Ann, not Anne.  Hell, the 'e' is silent anyway.
    
    Right, that does it then!  I'm going back into my snowdrift...
    
    Pat (from Ballyknockmedown)
390.28not the one STAR::YURYANFri Dec 15 1995 18:133
    I know the song "Snowbird" that you're referring to, and it's
    definitely not the song in question....  thanks anyway....
390.29"By the Wells of Weary"?STAR::YURYANThu Jan 25 1996 13:277
    Ok, here's another one.... 
    PBS (within the last 4 months or so) did a show with the Scottish 
    Fiddle Orchestra and one of the songs they did was called "By the 
    Wells of Weary" (I think).  Does anyone know where the words might 
    be found ? 
    
    tnx
390.30TAGART::EDDIEEasy doesn't do itThu Jan 25 1996 14:508
    Re -.1
    
    I think the song title you're looking for is "The Bonnie Wells O'
    Wearie"
    
    I can't help with the words though.
    
    Ed.