Matt wrote:
>As I understand it - and I haven't researched this extensively - there
>are 2 main versions, one is very old and much simpler than the rest,
>and is from a 1600s Scottish mandour tablature book. It's recorded by
>Rob MacKillop on mandour on his Greentrax album called - Flowers of
>the Forest. I think it's also this version ('The Liltin') that's
>played by the brass band at the Selkirk Common Riding.
Yes 'The Liltin' as it is known in Selkirk is the ancient, simple and very
beautiful, poignant tune played by the Selkirk Silver Band at the climax of
the Common Riding after the ''casting of the colours''. (By co-incident I
played the video to Matt on Thursday). The tune is pretty well as it is
written in Alastair Macrae's article (''Illustration 1 in the last
magazine vol 28 2007).
But the best information about all of this is in Wikipedia
http://en.wikidedia.org/wiki/Flower_of_the_Forest
This shows the manuscript of the Skene Manuscript c.1615-25 plus an mp3
recording of it played on an early clarsach. Again and rather remarkably,
this is what you hear played by the Selkirk Silver Band in the Market Place
on the CR day.
As Wikipedia mentions the more modern version of the tune is also played as
a march earlier in the procession at Selkirk. (Similarly at Langholm
Common Riding).
As for what Julia wrote about the GHB tune:
>... It was a Border tune, and a ballad / song, long
>before the modern form of it was adapted (bodged, in fact) for the
>GHB. Using the modern GHB pipe march as a basis would be the worst
>possible option.
>Its a good tune which doesn't have to be linked to funerals, though I
>appreciate it often is.
To my knowledge it's never played as a ''march'' by Highland pipers. It's
only ever played as a lament and by a solo piper solo at funerals and
memorial services.
As Wikidedia says ''due to the content of the lyrics and the reverence for
the tune, it is one of the few tunes that many pipers will only perform at
funerals or memorial services, and only practiced in private or to instruct
other pipers.''
In this light Barry might have a point where he writes:
>in this particular case
>I think we should look to the 'official' (military?) Scottish version
>and publish that.( stripping all the grace notes).
However I find the ancient tune, 'The Liltin' so fascinating and remarkable
I'd like to hear it more often sung and played. I cant at the moment lay my
hands on the album with Ray singing accompanied by Colin (on an open-ended
NSP chanter) but as I recall its basically the more modern version of the
tune, but with the Jean Elliot's 'Liltin' lyrics. Often even local singers
in the Borders tend to sing the Alison Cockburn lyrics ''I've seen the
smiling of fortune beguiling....''. Indeed I've never heard it sung to the
ancient tune, or even if it can be sung using either the Elliot or
Cockburn lyrics. Maybe singers (or Selkirk native) could advise. Certainly
again Wiki must be right, the original words have been lost.
Bill
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: 06 April 2008 10:51
To: Matt Seattle; NSP group
Subject: [NSP] Re: Flowers of the Forest
On 5 Apr 2008, Matt Seattle wrote:
> I think this is the Scots Musical Museum version, located from JC's
> tune finder http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/tmp/Tune078862.gif it's in B
> flat rather than A flat,
Thanks, Matt. I didn't want to fork out all this year's birthday
money on a copy if I can avoid it.
The transcription has a couple of anomalous bar lengths, so to be
handled with a little caution.
I think the peculiar time intervals on postings may have been my ISP
(tiscali), since downloading web pages and mail last evening was
moving at the speed of a glacier before global warming.
Obviously (to get back to Flowers of the Forest) I'm in a minority,
and the time sig is C or 4/4. I'll have to try playing it with a
metronome to "get it".
All info still welcome!
Cheers
Julia
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