Traditional Music
One of the most charming and entertaining modes of expression of Scotland's national character is its traditional music and song. Although the Gaelic language is spoken by a very small percentage of the population, its haunting and lively melodies captivate people the world over, not least in Scotland.
Our national bard, Robert Burns was not a Gaelic speaker but the language would not have been totally foreign to him. Indeed, the last native Gaelic speaker in Ayrshire died when Burns was two years old in 1761. As the many Ayrshire place-names testify, Gaelic had been strong in the region for centuries and the legacy would have left an understanding and appreciation of Highland culture. As well as writing poetry, Burns of course wrote many songs, often setting them to bagpipe or Highland fiddle tunes.
Fiddle
The greatest exponent of the fiddle was Niel Gow (1727-1807) of Perthshire whom Burns met once on the latter's tour of the Highlands. Gow was a notable composer of jigs, reels and strathspeys but is probably best remembered for his slow airs, often commemorating the passing of a loved one, friend or even whisky! In 1799 the barley crop failed in Scotland so no barley was permitted to be used in distilling.
The fiddle features prominently in paintings of rural life such as village weddings or fairs. The close link to dancing is brought to life at Culzean Castle where the fiddle once owned by Robert Burns' dancing teacher can be seen. In mid-19th c. Aberdeenshire another dancing teacher (and gardener) William Skinner, taught his son James fiddle playing. James Scott Skinner (1843-1927) went on to become Scotland's "strathspey king".
Lute
The first historical mention of the lute in Europe is in Scotland, probably as a result of a returning Mediæval Crusader with his war booty. It is no surprise then to find the lute illustrated in Renaissance painted decoration (as shown above) and that there is such a rich corpus of work by Scottish composers, not least among them, the manuscripts from Rowallan Castle, Ayrshire. Today one of the finest exponents of the instrument in Scotland is Rob MacKillop. You can download his music for free there, but making a donation is the courteous way of doing it. Further information on Rob can be found by clicking here.
Below: Rob MacKillop with theorbo
For CDs of Scottish lute music by Ronn McFarlane including tunes written in Rowallan Castle, click here.
Guitar
As the son of a Scots fiddler, Ian Melrose had been exposed to traditional music from a very early age. Nowadays he is based in Berlin but he has not forgotten his Scottish roots. Melrose, an internationally recognised maestro of finger-picking guitar playing, has produced a CD of Scottish fiddle tunes on acoustic and slide guitars featuring compositions by both Gow and Skinner. The actual CD (shown above) is probably the only one in the world to be illustrated with a mason's mark from Crossraguel Abbey!
Celtic Connections
Scotland's premier winter music festival takes place in Glasgow each January. Now in its 16th year, it features artistes from across the world. http://www.celticconnections.com/
The Early Music Forum of Scotland
For more information click here.
Maggie's Music
We were honoured when dulcimer player Maggie Sansone asked to use an image of Baltersan for her CD Merrily Greet the Time. Copies are available from http://www.maggiesmusic.com/
