> Embro, Embro - the hidden history of Edinburgh in its music, > by Jack Campin (A CD-ROM of the music of Edinburgh.)
This, in my opinion, is a magnificent and important work from Jack Campin, who has been collecting and researching the songs and music from the wider Edinburgh area for years now. This is a project of no small ambition, as a city of such historical significance is bound to proffer a profusion of material. The scope is indeed huge, and Jack has brought it together and presented it in an exciting and fascinating way. Here is the story of Edinburgh through its riots, its courtships, and its crimes. The major historical events are explored and explained, while little-known, everyday incidents bring a whole different slant to the normal image of staid, middle-class Edinburgh. The technical aspect of this collection is worth commenting on. The format is plain HTML, which should be accessible to ANYONE with a browser, adhering to the original visions for HTML. This is good news in this world of proprietary software and its drive towards monopolies. The main contents page is the backbone of the collection, from which you can access the nineteen main chapters. It is very clear and easily navigated through; the songs and tunes are obtained by clicking on links; other links take you back to the main text, or the contents list. For the music, You are given a choice of formats: ABC, Midi, Quick-time movie files, or even a Gif file which will display staff notation on the screen. Jack has arranged the material into several sections: the people of Edinburgh, their trades, their distractions, love and sex, religion, war, politics, and so on. This is a well-tried and successful format allowing detailed explorations into background history and related topics. Sources are given for every item within the main text (although I would have liked these sources repeated on the song and tune pages), and a detailed glossary supplied. There are bonuses too: an Edinburgh-related chronology from when Agricola invaded the Lothians until the Foot and Mouth disease of 2001. Even Jack's "Music of Dalkeith" is here, a sister work this time concentrating on a smaller town within minutes of Edinburgh. The electronic format works extremely well; the only problem might be the way it will be perceived. If this were in printed book form I think it would be hailed as a monumental work, but I fear its impact on CDRom will not be as forceful. Pity, because on the strength of Embro, Embro, this is a contender for future publishing methods. -- Nigel Gatherer, Crieff, Scotland [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/ Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html