Philip Whittaker wrote: > >> Thomas the Rhymer - who was a real scholar who probably went off to Italy, > giving rise to alegend that he lived in fairy land for this time. As i > recall he entered he entered after meeting the Fairy Queen by the "Eildon > Tree" - presumeably near the three Eildon Hills, by Melrose. > I cannot recall whether I have heard this sung, but no tune comes to mind.
Steeleye Span's version is a nice tune but not sure how it could be treated. > > Tam Linn, has a similar theme but the fairy queen is more malign this > time. She keeps the young man in Fairy land against his will. It is > through the bravery of his lover that he escapes. He rides out in a fairy > troupe on horseback on Hallowe'en. She follows his instructions, pulling > him from the horse and wrapping him in her cloak while he changes shape > into "an adder and and asp" - a red hot coal. She holds on through all > this and the spell is broken. I think this is in Scott's Border > Minstrelsey. Again no tune comes to mind. I have heard it recited to the > reel of this name, but that's not much use to you. > Matt Seattle has produced some sheet music for Tam Lin (the tune and reel) and we'll be printing that with the notes for the CD on which the recitation appears. Try: http://www.mp3.com/melbournescottish for the Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Orchestra's version > In general there are plenty of songs of the borders - the Border Widow's > lament which has a simple effective tune and then there's The Twa Corbie's > sung , I think, to an African tune. Again very effective. The tune is An Alarch, a Breton tune, adapted by Archie Fisher for the use. He qualifies as Melrosian I suppose... too. And of course you could try Jock o'Hazeldean - there's at least one housing estate road by that name nearby... David Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
