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Scottish Music |
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Introduction Traditional Scottish music is rich and varied. Scottish music includes music for fiddles, (violins) accordions, clarsach (a small harp), bagpipes, Ceilidh bands, or Scottish Dance Bands, and of course, vocal music. This unit examines different kinds of Scottish music under the following headings: Instrumental Music: Scottish Dance Bands; Clarsach; Bagpipes; and Vocal Music: Waulking Song; Bothy Ballad; Classic Ballad; Lullaby; Mouth Music. Instrumental Music Scottish Dance Bands The Terms Scottish Dance Bands and Ceilidh Bands are often used interchangeably. Traditionally, the word 'ceilidh' (pronounced kaylee) described an evening consisting of music, singing, piping, dancing, and whatever else was available on the occasion, but nowadays the term is often used to mean an evening of Scottish music and dancing. These bands commonly consist of three to five musicians, playing such instruments as accordion, fiddle, piano, double bass and drums. Some modern ceilidh bands include guitars, flute, whistle and other instruments. Often there is a dance 'caller' who briefly instructs the guests in each dance. Sometimes the caller is a band musician, sometimes a separate dance caller/Master of Ceremonies is used, depending on the band and the occasion. Popular dances include The Dashing White Sergeant, Strip the Willow, Waltzes, The Gay Gordons, Eightsome Reel etc. and the music used for these dances are usually traditional Scottish Dance Tunes such as reels, strathspeys, jigs and waltzes. Reels One of the oldest types of Scots dance is a reel. Reels are also found in English, Irish and American folk music. Characteristically, reels are often 16 bars long and are in two sections. Music in two sections is often called binary form and the sections are described as section A and section B - or AB form. Each section in a reel is usually repeated (described as AA, BB) and often several reels are played one after the other to create a longer dance. They are usually played at a fairly fast tempo.
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Strathspey
The strathspey is one of the most distinctive kinds of Scottish
music as it frequently uses dotted rhythms, both
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Jig The jig is a dance shared by Scottish and Irish traditions alike. Jigs are often written in either 6/8 or 9/8 and are quite fast.
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Waltz The waltz is not native to Scotland and was brought to Britain from Europe in the 19th Century. The time signature of a waltz is usually 3 /4. A Scottish waltz is simply a waltz danced to a set of Scottish tunes or songs, which have 3 beats to a bar. Waltzes are often in ternary form, which means music in 3 sections, the 3rd section being a repetition of the 1st section. Using letters this would be described as ABA form. Westering Home, printed below is a very popular Scottish song about somebody travelling home to the island of Islay, off the West Coast of Scotland.
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Clarsach The clarsach is a Scottish folk harp with a very pleasant and quite plaintive sound. The clarsach is smaller than the concert harp and is ideal for delicate music for small functions, receptions and dinners. The 'clarsair' (the person who plays the clarsach) sits on a low stool with the harp held between the knees. The instrument usually has about thirty gut or metal strings. Pipe Bands Pipe bands can still be heard in many Scottish towns today. Pipe bands consist of pipes and drums and usually play a repertoire that includes marches, strathspeys and reels. Pibroch The word pibroch comes from the Gaelic, "piobaireachd", meaning pipering. Pibroch is sometimes described as the classical music of the Highland Bagpipe. The pibroch repertory includes official Salutes, Laments and Gatherings, all composed in theme and variation form, or A, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 A6 etc. Listen to the pibroch piece The MacGregor's Gathering, also known as the MacGregor's Salute, which is the ceremonial rallying tune of the MacGregor clan.
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Vocal Music Waulking Song People in every culture around the world have used music to help them in their work, especially work involving a lot of physical effort. A typical example in today's society is the use of fast music played in many gyms to encourage people to work out more energetically! You may have heard of rowing songs; song used to help people maintain a steady beat when rowing a boat. In Scotland, work songs often accompanied manual tasks. The term 'waulking' refers to the practice of shrinking tweed. The waulking of the cloth was done by soaking it, then beating it with feet or hands until it would shrink, making the tweed much stronger and more waterproof. The work often took place on a waulking board on which a number of women were seated. The length of cloth was then pounded on the board by stamping on it. This method of shrinking cloth passed out of use in the Hebrides around the time of the Second world War and the songs are now sung at ceilidhs. 'Waulking songs', therefore are songs which were sung to help with the physical exertion of 'waulking the tweed'. The lyrics often concerned husbands, sweethearts or heroes and the verses were often improvised with a traditional refrain (or chorus) which often contains words such as "hi ri o etc". Here is an example of a working song called Tha Mulad. The song is in Gaelic but an English translation is shown. Can you identify the Scots Snaps?
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v.1 There is sadness, sadness There is melancholy on me Hi ri hoireann o, Hi ri hoireann There is so much discontent on my mind A thing that my mouth will not confess Hi ri ri ri, o ho, ro ho ri hoireann o
v.2 About the fine youth Young rider of steeds About this time last year you preferred my welcome before that of hundreds
v.3 I am no more to you this year than The wild birds of the sky. There is a heavy load in my heart That the fiddle strings cannot lift.
v4. I wouldn't tell my sister The greatness of my lamenting after you Nor to the mother who bore me I put a heaviness in her step. Etc.... Bothy Ballad If you go into the countryside in many areas of Scotland, but particularly the north-east of Scotland in Aberdeenshire, you may come across several small buildings called 'bothies'. Nowadays these buildings are used by hill-walkers to rest over night in when walking the hills. They usually contain beds and other very basic facilities and it does not cost anything to stay there. However, the buildings were originally built to house farm labourers during the late 19th and early 20th century as their work was often too far away from a town to allow the workers to travel home for the evening. Bothy workers often made their own entertainment, telling stories, singing songs and playing musical instruments such as mouth organs and fiddles. They also used to make up songs about the farms on which they worked, girls they were courting and sometimes their employers. These songs have become known as 'Bothy Ballads' and are now sung as entertainment at ceilidhs and folk evenings. The Bothy Ballad shown below is about a farm called Rhynie.
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v.2 Rhynie's wark it's ill tae wark Rhynie's wages is but sma' An Rhynie's laws are double strict A that does grive me warst of a'
v.3 Rhynie it's a caul' clay hole It's far fae like ma faither's toun An Rhynie it's a hungry place It disna suit a Lowlan' loon
v.3 But sair I've wrocht an sair I've focht And I hae won ma penny fee An I'll gang bach the gate I cam An a better bairnie I will be.
Explanation of some terms! v.1'hairst' - harvest, meaning a young sheep first sheared at harvest time 'fit o' Bennachie' - foot of the hill of that name in Aberdeenshire 'ill tae fit' - hard to please 'laith' - loath v.2'wark' - work v.3'toun' - ferm- toun, farm and it's buildings 'hungry' - mean, difficult'Lowlan' loon' - lad from the Lowlands Classic Ballad A classic ballad is a ballad that tells a story. The story is told through a mixture of narrative and dialogue. We get to know the different characters in the story and follow their fortunes as events unfold. Ballads are often very long compared to other songs and require sustained listening. Stanzas usually contain two or four lines and there may be a refrain, which could be the last line of each verse.
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v.2 Said William to John "I cannot throw a stone Nor little can I play at a ball But if you come down tae yon merry green woods I'll try a wrestlin' fall, 'll try a wrestlin' fall.
v.3 So they cam doon tae yon merry green woods Beneath the spreading moon And the little pen-knife slipped out of Williams pocket And gave John his deadly wound And gave John his deadly wound
v.4 "Oh you'll take off your white holland shirt And tear it fae gore to gore And you will bind my deadly wounds And they will bleed no more And they will bleed no more
v.5 So he took off his white holland shirt And he tore it fae gore to gore And he did bind his deadly wounds But they bled ten times more an more But they bled ten times more
v.6 "Oh what will I tell tae your sister dear This night when I go home" "You can tell her I'm away tae a London school And the good books I'll bring home, And the good books I'll bring home"
v.7 "An what will I tell tae your stepmother dear This night when I go home?" "You can tell her I'm dead and in graves laid For she prayed I might never come home. She prayed I might never come home." Lullaby Lullabies are sung in many different cultures. The words of lullabies often concern a father or sweetheart, or may express the mother's hopes for her child when it reaches adulthood. The majority of lullabies are in 3 /4 time or 6 /8.
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v.2 Your mild and gentle eyes proclaim The loving heart with which you came A tender helpless tiny babe With boundless gifts of Grace.
v.3 King of Kings, Most Holy One God the Son, Eternal One You are my God and helpless son High Ruler of Mankind. Mouth Music When there were no instruments available, people often sang tunes for dancing. This music is called 'Mouth Music'. In Gaelic society, mouth music is called called 'puirt a beul' and is usually nowadays only heard as listening music. The singers often sing dance tunes with word in Gaelic. It is essential to keep the rhythmic pulse constant when singing in order not to interrupt the flow of the dancers. Another type of mouth music can be found in the Lowlands of Scotland. One form of mouth music used is called 'diddling'. Popular reels and jigs tunes are 'diddled' for the dancers and again it is important not to interrupt the rhythmic flow when breathing, when singing this kind of music
Acknowledgement to Jo Millar - Director of Scottish Music, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Scottish Music Questions
Put the title 'Scottish Music' in your exercise books, then answer the following questions in sentences. 1.Name four instruments commonly used in Scottish Music. 2.What was traditionally the meaning of the word 'ceilidh' and how is the word often used now? 3.How many and which instruments could a Scottish Dance Band commonly consist of? 4.Name four popular dances often danced at Ceilidhs. 5.Write four short paragraphs detailing the musical characteristics of a Reel, a Strathspey, a Jig and a Waltz. 6.Write the term 'Scots Snap' in your exercise book and then draw some notes that could be described as representing this rhythm. 7.Copy the following sentence, inserting the correct missing word:- A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is a Scottish folk harp with a very pleasant and quite plaintive sound. 8.What kinds of music do pipe bands often play? 9.What word is sometimes used to describe the classical music of the Highland bagpipes? 10.To what does the term 'waulking' refer? 11.What are 'Bothy Ballads'? 12.Describe a 'Classic Ballad'. 13.Name two time signatures that are often used for lullabies. 14.What do the words of lullabies often concern? 15.What was 'Mouth Music' originally composed for? Name two types of mouth music. Extra Task Using the CD-ROM 'Musical Instruments', look up 3 instruments commonly used in Scottish music. Read the information, listen to the examples and draw and label the pictures.
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and 
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The second of these rhythms is very characteristic of Scottish music
and is known as a 'Scots Snap'. Strathspeys are usually played slower
than reels but usually have 4 beats to the bar. They are also usually
in binary form.
