Re: [scots-l] 1964 Folk Song Festival

[Charles McGregor]

> From:  Nigel Gatherer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Date:  Wed, 11 Oct 2000 09:36:11 +0100
> Subject:   [scots-l] 1964 Folk Song Festival
> Reply-to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]

> I was looking through an old newspaper - The Perthshire Advertiser, May
> 1964 - when I found an article about "Scotland's First Folk Song
> Festival", which took place in my new home town, Crieff. There was a
> photograph of The Corrie Folk Four (who later became a duo known as The
> Corries) talking with the festival's organiser, Archie Gibson. I'm going
> to try to find out more about this - was it REALLY the first folk song
> festival? - but I thought there might be a slight chance of anyone on the
> list knowing anything.
> 
Well if it was, Blairgowrie must have run it damn close.  Having said 
that you'd expect the 'PA' to know.  (Sure it wasn't the Strathearn 
Herald? :-))

My first trip to Blairgowrie folk festival proper was in 1968.  I'm 
pretty sure of the date because the following year I had started 
working at a place where there was a chap called Brian Dingwall who 
was interested in folk, and he went with us that year for the first 
time.  He ended up being our lead singer.  Now 1968 wasn't the start 
of it, even the formal competition stuff had been going before that, 
but how long? I don't know, I was too young to go.  So I'd put it at 
least back to 1967.

I had gone up there with some school mates some Summers to 
earn money picking berries a couple of times before that and you 
could hear music coming from the pubs and hotels around the 
Wellmeadow even then (1962 ish), but whether it was a formal 
festival I don't know.  

I don't think it came out of the blue, I think it kind of evolved 
from travellers, hippies etc just enjoying themselves, and then the 
Stewart family started attracting attention and drawing folkies like 
Ewen McColl, Julie Felix etc along.  The competitions probably had a 
definite start date though.

Somebody told me there was a book about the Stewarts that may shed 
some light on it, but I don't have it.

Oh and there was aye a great kerry-on at the Braemar gathering there
which at the least would have 'primed' the local businesses to 
encourage any similar money earning opportunities that might arise.

> On another page was an advert for a variety show at a Perth theatre,
> featuring "Jock Morgan, The Fiddling Funster". One can only wonder...
>

Now 'Jack Morgan' and the mind would REALLY have boggled. :-)
 
regards
chic
Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Re: [scots-l] Strathspey King

[Nigel Gatherer]

In article <002301c0337a$88261e00$f59af7a5@celiawright>,
   Celia Wright <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Who owns the painting? If it's in a museum they're likely to sell prints
> through their shop, or to know where prints are sold.

Alas, I went into the museum and their shop, to be told that they've never
had a print of it for sale. They ventured that perhaps it's owned by
someone else and on 'permanent loan' to the museum, but not the copyright.
However, Alastair Hardie managed to obtain permission and a decent photo
of it, so it must be possible. I'll paint you a copy at a reasonable price
(thousands of pounds). Or someone with a scanner could scan it (from The
Caledonian Companion) and make a photo print of it.

-- 
Nigel Gatherer, Crieff  <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Scottish Music Pages:   
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/scottish/index.html

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

[scots-l] Re: Local Sessions

[Keith W Dunn]

>Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 20:31:52 -0700
>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: Re: [scots-l] Local Sessions.
>
>One point of clarification (without getting mired in this mess):
>>> Oh yes.the "Civil War" is actually referred to as "The War of
>> Northern Aggression" down here as we were not only attacked! But
weren't
>> allowed to "legally" succeed from the Union!.
>
>The word is "secede."  I will restrain myself from further commentary on
the rest >of this.
>
>Elizabeth Rider

Your correct.   
My apologies for the heat of the moment.
BTW, we didn't "succeed" either.  :-)


>> The word is "secede."  I will restrain myself from further commentary
on
>the rest of this.
>Not in the South. HAve you ever heard of Southbonics? It was the
precurser
>of Ebonics. Basically there is no correct way to spell any word, and
writing
>was only started in the general masses in the past 15 years or so.  If
it
>sounds right.

Atleast we use more than four letters & have more than 8 words in our
vocab.
Incorrect spelling most likely stems from immigration and the mix of
cultures and languages.  The huge influx of Scottish culture to the
Carolinas created havoc I'm sure!Lack of modern day education is the
current excuse in most parts of the country now it seems.  Pronunciations
and spellings of the Scots gaelic still evade  me.

>Just kidding!

O.Kwe can be nice now.

>Jeff (suffering the recent slings of an egomaniacle pompous bossy
fiddler)
>Friedman
>


YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk!  For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

[scots-l] Local Sessions.

[Timothy Jaques]

- Original Message -
From: Toby Rider

> I am looking forward to you proving me wrong Keith. I would be
> very pleased if the next time I visited Atlanta, you showed me to a
> gathering in someone's kitchen where there are bowls of furac on the
> table, the uisege beatha flows freely, and in between the sets of tunes
> a gaelic story-teller recounts the deeds of the epic heroes. That would be
> great.
>
>
> Le Meas,
>
> Toby


I am very pleased when anyone shows me to a gathering anywhere where the
uisege beatha flows free . . .


Timothy Jaques [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
519.254.6433 T
519.254.7990 F
13092767653 IF
"In the great conflict of life, conducting yourself with honour and
integrity may cost
you many battles, but will never lose you the war."






Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Re: [scots-l] Blind fiddlers et al.

[Jack Campin]

> What often set them apart was their ability to sing and play at the same
> time.  This has set Kath wondering about modern day players who do that.

I heard somebody doing it at Muchty this year - can't remember his name,
though.  The most spectacular performances of that type I've heard have
been Davie Robertson singing to the accompaniment of his smallpipes.

> ALP/ SMOG
> The Adult Learning Project's phone number is to be found in the Edinburgh
> phone book, lest anyone thinks they have been negligent in that area.
> Unfortunately it's obscurely buried in the entry for City of Edinburgh
> Council: Education: Community Education Service:  Offices and Centres -
> South West Edinburgh!

Perhaps the council could also engrave them a sign for the door saying
"Beware of the Leopard"?


-
Jack Campin  *   11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland
tel 0131 660 4760  *  fax 0870 055 4975  *  http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/
food intolerance data & recipes, freeware Mac logic fonts, and Scottish music


Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Re: [scots-l] Local Sessions.

[Wendy Galovich]

At 06:39 AM 10/11/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>
>Jeff (suffering the recent slings of an egomaniacle pompous bossy fiddler)
>Friedman

Ah, I know the one you mean.. one of our *local* experts :-)

Wendy

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

[scots-l] FOOT IN MOUTH DISEASE

[Jeffrey Friedman]

Greetings, I felt it important to point out that ego ridden fiddler had
nothing to do with anyone involved with this NewsGroup.
As a matter of fact I suspect that the woman would not know a Scottish Tune
if it was actually played for her.

Sorry for any misunderstandings this may have caused, and I truly regret any
hard feelings this may have brought up.
Jeff (attempting to remove foot from mouth) F.

> Another point of clarification:
>
> > > Oh yes.the "Civil War" is actually referred to as "The War of
> > > Northern Aggression" down here as we were not only attacked! But
weren't
> > > allowed to "legally" succeed from the Union!.
> The war formally started with the Confederate shelling of Fort Sumter (SP)
> in 1861. It was followed by the siezure of mant Federal facilities along
the
> southern coast.
> >
> > The word is "secede."  I will restrain myself from further commentary on
> the rest of this.
> Not in the South. HAve you ever heard of Southbonics? It was the precurser
> of Ebonics. Basically there is no correct way to spell any word, and
writing
> was only started in the general masses in the past 15 years or so.  If it
> sounds right.
>
> Just kidding!
>
> Jeff (suffering the recent slings of an egomaniacle pompous bossy fiddler)
> Friedman
>
>
>

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Re: [scots-l] Local Sessions.

[Toby Rider]

On Tue, 10 Oct 2000, Keith W Dunn wrote:

> 
> Oh yes.the "Civil War" is actually referred to as "The War of
> Northern Aggression" down here as we were not only attacked! But weren't
> allowed to "legally" succeed from the Union!.
>  and perhaps there were "Connecticut" plates on the Union horses!
> (  I had ancestors on both sides of the War of Northern Aggression and as
> I see it.it's all in the past atleast until some northerner ( or
> shall I say...YANKEE.).. brings it up.)
> It appears that Shermans decendants are still trashing the South.
> 


I think that this thread is going in the wrong direction.
Obviously regional bashing is not the discussion here.
The point is that Scottish music is not part of the cultural fabric of 
the Southeast, and that it probably will never be, because as a region, 
it's far too caught up in it's own short history to embrace outside
traditions to the point of assimilating them. It also doesn't have the prequsite
population of immigrants who still have some very direct ties to the
parent culture. 
These things have to be there in order for there to be broad enough 
interest and support to sustain sessions for any extended period. 
In order for any culture to really take root somewhere else,
you've either got to have a huge population of people who are descended from a
group of original immigrants, or a constant new arrival of people from the
source of the parent culture. Otherwise, it's just a few individuals
fighting against the grain :-) 
Some examples that immediately come to mind of cultures really
taking root somewhere else, to the point that they propel themselves
independently of the parent culture would be the Scottish Gaels on Cape Breton 
Island, The Irish in Boston, and The Chinese in Los Angeles and San
Francisco. 
In all these places, the cultures exist as whole. The language,
the food, the music, the folklore, are all one unified whole. Without the
whole, the pieces are not very strong. 
I am looking forward to you proving me wrong Keith. I would be
very pleased if the next time I visited Atlanta, you showed me to a
gathering in someone's kitchen where there are bowls of furac on the
table, the uisege beatha flows freely, and in between the sets of tunes
a gaelic story-teller recounts the deeds of the epic heroes. That would be
great.


Le Meas,

Toby 
 

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

[scots-l] BOUNCE scots-l@: Non-member submission from [John Erdman] (fwd)

[Toby Rider]

-- Forwarded message --
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 18:16:03 -0700
From: tarider
Subject: BOUNCE scots-l@:Non-member submission from [John Erdman
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>]   

>From [EMAIL PROTECTED]  Tue Oct 10 18:16:03 2000
Received: from avocet.prod.itd.earthlink.net (avocet.prod.itd.earthlink.net 
[207.217.121.50])
by argyll.wisemagic.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id SAA29680
for <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Tue, 10 Oct 2000 18:00:17 -0700
Received: from [63.24.104.247] (1Cust247.tnt2.portland.me.da.uu.net [63.24.104.247])
by avocet.prod.itd.earthlink.net (EL-8_9_3_3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id SAA12419
for <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; Tue, 10 Oct 2000 18:07:17 -0700 (PDT)
Mime-Version: 1.0
Message-Id: 
In-Reply-To: 
References: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
 
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 21:08:45 -0400
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: John Erdman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [scots-l] Strathspey King & SNPG
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

>The Scottish National Portrait Gallery has a comprehensive database of
>Scottish iconography and of anybody can answer this they can.  However,
>the information isn't on the Internet and *most of the gallery staff*
>have no idea either that it exists or who the right person to ask about
>such things might be.  Their phone number is (+44) 131 624 6200, but be
>prepared for a long and exasperating call.

I CAN tell you tho that they (the SNPG) have a very limited selection 
of portrait reproductions.  I was looking for museum quality copies 
of the Gow and Marshall painting there last June and found that they 
have reproduced very little of their collection.  But it IS possible 
to have them arrange for a professional photographer to make copies 
for you... but they'd be photos and not art prints. and the 
service is very pricey.  And they of course don't own any pix of JSS.

And Jack's right the staff doesn't seem to know what they have... the 
staff in the museum store anyway... some of the guides/guards seemed 
to know quite alot about the pictures

John

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

[scots-l] Blind fiddlers et al.

[David Francis]

Kath Campbell of the School of Scottish Studies is currently doing some
research into blind fiddlers, once apparently a common feature of town and
village life in Scotland.  What often set them apart was their ability to
sing and play at the same time.  This has set Kath wondering about modern
day players who do that.  In Scotland the only example we could think of was
Tam Spiers of the Gaugers, while the only other names that spring to mind
are furth of here: Tom McConville (who does an excellent song about a
fiddler called Blind Willie as it happens), Pete Cooper and Dave Swarbrick.
Seems like a case for the well-stocked minds of the scots-l group.

Picking up on one or two other points:

Early folk festivals
Was there a folk festival in Aberdeen that ran for two or three years in the
early sixties?  I seem to remember seeing some archive material when the
Folk Club there celebrated its 21st anniversary in 1983.

Minuets
Philip Whitaker can find the figures for a minuet, 'The Yellow Haired
Laddie', in one of the early RSCDS books.  I've seen members of the
Edinburgh Renaissance Dancers dancing minuets, so they would be able to
supply more info.

ALP/ SMOG
The Adult Learning Project's phone number is to be found in the Edinburgh
phone book, lest anyone thinks they have been negligent in that area.
Unfortunately it's obscurely buried in the entry for City of Edinburgh
Council: Education: Community Education Service:  Offices and Centres -
South West Edinburgh!   Presumably ALP has no control over that.

Local sessions
And we thought the rivalry between Edinburgh and Glasgow was bad.
David Francis

[EMAIL PROTECTED]

t/f (44) 131 557 1050 (o);  554 3092 (h)



Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Re: [scots-l] Little Jock Elliot II

[Nigel Gatherer]

David Kilpatrick wrote:

> Nigel Gatherer wrote:

> > I found this border ballad in an old scrapbook...Anyone know of it?

> ...Nigel, you quote her what are supposed to be the ONLY SURVIVING LINES
> of the lost ballad. If you have more than this, you're on to something,
> unless you have the 'reconsructed' version (see below)...

I'll need to check the scrapbook again. The first line in the cutting is
"There's freedom for me and my men" and the song has 7 verses of about
eight lines each (working on memory here). It mentions several place
names, such as  Liddesdale, Wheel - something; now my memory lets me down.

I think the date of the cutting is 1892, but I'll check. I'll probably be
back in the library on Saturday, when I'll copy the whole ballad. I got
the impression that it wasn't one of the over-ornate ballad imitations,
but as to whether it's the lost ballad, I can't say at this point. Watch
this space...

-- 
Nigel Gatherer, Crieff  <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Scottish Music Pages:   
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/scottish/index.html

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Re: [scots-l] Strathspey King

[Celia Wright]

Who owns the painting? If it's in a museum they're likely to sell prints
through their shop, or to know where prints are sold.

Celia Wright
Durham NC USA
-Original Message-
From: Timothy Jaques <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Monday, October 09, 2000 9:16 PM
Subject: [scots-l] Strathspey King


>Can't help you out there, but if you need a scanned jpg of the painting of
>Niel Gow, I'm your man!
>
>Timothy Jaques [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Windsor, Ontario, Canada
>519.254.6433 T
>519.254.7990 F
>13092767653 IF
>"In the great conflict of life, conducting yourself with honour and
>integrity may cost
>you many battles, but will never lose you the war."
>
>
>- Original Message -
>From: Keith W Dunn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2000 9:09 PM
>Subject: [scots-l] Strathspey King
>
>
>> Does anyone on the list know where I could find a print of the painting
>> of J. Scott Skinner titled "The Strathspey King"?
>
>
>Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to:
http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Re: [scots-l] Little Jock Elliot II

[David Kilpatrick]

Nigel Gatherer wrote:

> I found this border ballad in an old scrapbook (1890s) yesterday, and
> wondered if it's well known. it was collected from one Matthew Gotterson,
> and seems to me like a good ballad. The chorus is:
>
> Wha daur meddle wi' me?
> Wha daur meddle wi' me?
> Oh my name it is Little Jock Elliot
> And wha daur meddle wi' me?
>
> Anyone know of it? Dave Kilpatrick?

Yup - it's the motto (the first line/s) of the Elliot clan and thus of about
half the Borders - from the famous 'lost ballad', the story of Bothwell's
near-mortal wounding by Little Jock Elliot of the Park at the time when Mary
Q of S was staying at Jedburgh.

Nigel, you quote her what are supposed to be the ONLY SURVIVING LINES of the
lost ballad. If you have more than this, you're on to something, unless you
have the 'reconsructed' version (see below).

Bothwell had incarcerated a truckload of Elliots in Hermitage Castle. He
encountered 'John Elvat of the Park' on horseback, took him prisoner; Elliot
tried to escape by slipping down from his horse, Bothwell shot him and then
pursued him on foot. Unfortunately, Bothwell seems have slipped on a marshy
patch of ground, fallen and knocked himself unconscious - upon which Jock
Elliot, rather than continuing to make his escape, returned and stabbed him
in the body, slashed his face or head, and stabbed him in one hand. Bothwell
was roused by this and struck Elliot twice with his 'whinger' (I think
that's a rapier-like lightweight sword) which saw him off.

Bothwell was carried back to Hermitage, where he found that the imprisoned
Elliots had overcome their guards and taken over the entire castle. Whatever
might be said of Borderers at the time, they seem to have been pretty
reasonable, because after negotiation they allowed him into the castle to be
treated for his wounds (they were allowed OUT, and indemnified against
further action).

News was sent to Mary, who then performed her incredible ride - from
Jedburgh to Hermitage and back in a single day. In the process she nearly
lost her own life in a morass, and may have suffered subsequent near-fatal
illness as a result; this is disputed, as the symptoms may have been
porphyria, a congenital illness of that line. A few years ago her watch was
found in 'The Queen's Mire', authenticating the story (or vice-versa) and
the watch now lives in M Q of S House (museum) in Jedburgh.

In some versions, Jock Elliot is supposed to have heroically administered
the stab wounds when he lay dying and Bothwell came over to finish him off,
and to have died after doing so. The 'Diurnal of Occurents' for October 7th
1566 gives the account I have paraphrased above, which seems pretty clear
about Jock's survival and his lack of heroism (more a case of opportunism).
This was an official account, so the negative side is to be expected, but
had Jock been killed and not escaped, I feel sure this would have been
recorded.

John Marsden's coffee-table book, The Illustrated Border Ballads (Macmillan,
1990), is a journalistic work but based on sources which are clearly
identified in his writing and properly credited. He quotes the reconstructed
ballad as:

(1st verse as NG)

I ride on my fleet-footed grey
My sword hanging down by my knee
My name (etc)

In raids I ride always the foremost
My straik in first in the melee
My name (etc)

I ne'er was afraid of a foe
Or yield I liefer wad die
My name (etc)

I've vanquished the Queen's Lieutenant
A garr'd her troopers flee
(etc)

1st verse repeat

Personally I think the entire thing reads as a confection - there are too
many words here which just don't belong in the natural speech of the Borders
or of the time. The only line which looks unlikely to have been conconcted
in the 19th century is 'Or yield I liefer wad die', where the 'die' also
must rhyme with 'me', but even then the word-order is suspicious - 'I wad
liefer' or 'liefer wad I' are both more likely than 'I liefer wad' which
sounds like 'I rather would' getting translated into archaism. As for
fleet-footed grey, sword hanging down by knee and first in the melee - they
speak for themselves and I'm sure they are modern.

My view is that this version is not a ballad at all - it might possibly be
called a chorus song. Marsden quotes the sources for the different verses,
which in turn were filtered through two books written by members of the
Elliot family in 1897 and 1906. The oldest source is 1812, William Scott
(Hawick) 'The Border Exploits' (2nd and 5th stanzas) but Carre's 'Border
Memories' (James Thin, Edinburgh, 1876) is the source for the third verse.
The 'liefer' verse only arrives in 1906, which may confirm my suspicions.

So, Nigel, if your scrapbook is precisely dated in the 1890s, you can
compare with these dates. And if it's got a proper ballad in it... let's
have those words!

David Kilpatrick
Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Re: [scots-l] Local Sessions.

[Jeffrey Friedman]

Another point of clarification:

> > Oh yes.the "Civil War" is actually referred to as "The War of
> > Northern Aggression" down here as we were not only attacked! But weren't
> > allowed to "legally" succeed from the Union!.
The war formally started with the Confederate shelling of Fort Sumter (SP)
in 1861. It was followed by the siezure of mant Federal facilities along the
southern coast.
>
> The word is "secede."  I will restrain myself from further commentary on
the rest of this.
Not in the South. HAve you ever heard of Southbonics? It was the precurser
of Ebonics. Basically there is no correct way to spell any word, and writing
was only started in the general masses in the past 15 years or so.  If it
sounds right.

Just kidding!

Jeff (suffering the recent slings of an egomaniacle pompous bossy fiddler)
Friedman



Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Re: [scots-l] Re: Border Fiddlers CD launch

[Nigel Gatherer]

Eric Falconer wrote:

> We had the launch of this CD in the Cross keys pub in Denholm on Thursday
> night...

Sounds good, Eric. Ian Anderson had Dr Whatshisname on, talking about the
CD and playing tracks from it. I'm tempted to buy - Jimmy Nagle's
composition sounded rather nice. Do you know how much the CD is (you give
an address, but it'll take a letter to get info and another to send a
cheque).

-- 
Nigel Gatherer, Crieff  <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Scottish Music Pages:   
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/scottish/index.html

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

[scots-l] Magnus Brough, Shetland fiddler

[Nigel Gatherer]

I found a newspaper cutting in an old scrapbook (1890s) about one Magnus
Brough, who described as a genius "in his own way"; he built boats, made
spoons, was a good mason, a better tailor, but, more interestingly for us,
was "as a fiddler far superior to any in the whole islands. His love of
music was intense, and the whole of his leisure time was devoted to it..."
His wife could be a bit of a scold, and occasionally he'd get fed up of
this and take his fiddle, "...he drew from it the sharpest scolding
notes...then he would suddenly break out into the most violent sobbing
strains of weeping..." which would either subdue his wife or make her
stomp out of the room.

After his death it was discovered "...that he was not really dead, but had
been removed by the good folk... [1]" Someone was hired to see if they
could recover Magnus, but after three days they were informed that he
"...was sitting in an iron-bound chair playing on a magnificent fiddle in
a beautiful furnished house in the hill of Skellister, and his release was
impossible..." I expect poor Magnus is sitting there still, fiddling away
to the delight of the Trows.


[1] = The "good folk" refers to the Trows, the fairy folk of Shetland, who
preferred Shetland fiddlers to their own musicians so much that good
fiddlers going to and from parties etc would take a couple of friends with
them.

-- 
Nigel Gatherer, Crieff  <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Scottish Music Pages:   
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/scottish/index.html

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Re: [scots-l] MISS BAIRD OF SAUGHTONHALL

[Nigel Gatherer]

I was reading up about the Lee Penny, belonging to the Lockharts of Lee,
which I have had the fortune to hold in my hand. Simon Lockhart of Lee
carried Robert I's heart to Spain in 1329 and returned with the Lee Penny,
actually a semi precious blood-red stone subsequently set in an Edward IV
groat; it is said to have healing powers, and was the subject of Walter
Scott's The Talisman. 

Anyway, yesterday I came across an article which mentioned one Lady Baird
of Saughtonhall, near Edinburgh, who recovered from the effects of the
bite of a mad dog by drinking water into which the Lee Penny had been
immersed. She also bathed the affected parts in it, "...even though prior
to doing so she had already shown some of the distressing symptoms of
hydrophobia..."

-- 
Nigel Gatherer, Crieff  <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Scottish Music Pages:   
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/scottish/index.html

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

[scots-l] Little Jock Elliot II

[Nigel Gatherer]

I found this border ballad in an old scrapbook (1890s) yesterday, and
wondered if it's well known. it was collected from one Matthew Gotterson,
and seems to me like a good ballad. The chorus is:

Wha daur meddle wi' me?
Wha daur meddle wi' me?
Oh my name it is Little Jock Elliot
And wha daur meddle wi' me?

Anyone know of it? Dave Kilpatrick?

-- 
Nigel Gatherer, Crieff  <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Scottish Music Pages:   
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/scottish/index.html

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

[scots-l] 1964 Folk Song Festival

[Nigel Gatherer]

I was looking through an old newspaper - The Perthshire Advertiser, May
1964 - when I found an article about "Scotland's First Folk Song
Festival", which took place in my new home town, Crieff. There was a
photograph of The Corrie Folk Four (who later became a duo known as The
Corries) talking with the festival's organiser, Archie Gibson. I'm going
to try to find out more about this - was it REALLY the first folk song
festival? - but I thought there might be a slight chance of anyone on the
list knowing anything.

On another page was an advert for a variety show at a Perth theatre,
featuring "Jock Morgan, The Fiddling Funster". One can only wonder...

-- 
Nigel Gatherer, Crieff  <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Scottish Music Pages:   
http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/scottish/index.html

Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Re: [scots-l] Doings in Edinburgh

[David Kilpatrick]

> Hello All,
> It appears that I will be in Edinburgh this Sunday 15 October, on a brief
> holiday. Does anyone know of any doings in town that evening, that might be
> of interest to this American clarsair?
> Many Thanks in advance!
> --Cynthia Cathcart
> Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To
> subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to:
http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html

Here in Kelso (45 miles Edinburgh) we have a concert from 6.00pm to 9.00pm
with Jaleo Flamenco, Susannah Seivane (Galician smallpipes), and Eric Bogle.
After that we intend to have a session or two.

BUT OF MORE INTEREST to you is that at Kelso Town House, 2.30-3.30pm, the
brilliant young harp player Phamie Gow will be giving a recital (time slot
shared with my friend the Border piper Matt Seattle and Mr McFalls String
Quartet, doing their remarkable fusion of 18th c fiddle and pipe music).

There is an open session chaired by Walt Micheal at the Cobbles Inn from
11.30am to 1.30pm, too, mainly featuring Shetlands Heritage.

So if you can make it over to Kelso, and get out of Auld Reekie, there's a
full day you can take part in and one truly excellent clarsair - with every
chance of a little time, and space, to meet her personally (she's very
young, but composes as well as plays, and has worked with the BBC etc).

Be sure to bring your small wire-strung Ardival...

David Kilpatrick
Posted to Scots-L - The Traditional Scottish Music & Culture List - To 
subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html