Music of Scotland
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Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, which remained vibrant throughout the 20th century and into the 21st when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music. Despite emigration and a well-developed connection to music imported from the rest of Europe and the United States, the music of Scotland has kept many of its traditional aspects and influenced many other forms of music.
Music is celebrated in Scotland through annual award ceremonies, including the Scottish Music Awards, Scottish Album of the Year Award, the Scots Trad Music Awards, and BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician.
Early music
In 1501, James IV refounded the Chapel Royal within
The
The outstanding Scottish composer of the era was Robert Carver (c. 1485–c. 1570) whose works included the nineteen-part motet 'O Bone Jesu'.[7] James VI, king of Scotland from 1567, was a major patron of the arts in general. He rebuilt the Chapel Royal at Stirling in 1594, and the choir was used for state occasions like the baptism of his son Henry.[12] He followed the tradition of employing lutenists for his private entertainment, as did other members of his family.[13] When he came south to take the throne of England in 1603 as James I, he removed one of the major sources of patronage in Scotland. The Scottish Chapel Royal was now used only for occasional state visits, as when Charles I returned in 1633 to be crowned, bringing many musicians from the English Chapel Royal for the service, it began to fall into disrepair.[12] From now on the court in Westminster would be the only major source of royal musical patronage.[12]
Folk music
There is evidence that there was a flourishing culture of popular music in Scotland during the late Middle Ages, but the only song with a melody to survive from this period is the Pleugh Song.
The earliest printed collection of secular music comes from the seventeenth century.
After World War II, traditional music in Scotland was marginalized but remained a living tradition. This marginal status was changed by individuals including
The fusing of various styles of American music with British folk created a distinctive form of fingerstyle guitar playing known as folk baroque, pioneered by figures including Davey Graham and Bert Jansch. Others such as Donovan and The Incredible String Band abandoned the traditional element and have been seen as developing psychedelic folk.[23] Acoustic groups who continued to interpret traditional material through into the 1970s included The Tannahill Weavers, Ossian, Silly Wizard, The Boys of the Lough, Battlefield Band, The Clutha and the Whistlebinkies.[30]
Classical music
The development of a distinct tradition of
In the mid-eighteenth century, a group of Scottish composers including
From the mid-nineteenth century, classical music began a revival in Scotland, aided by the visits of
After World War I,
Pop, rock and fusion
Scotland produced few rock or pop bands of note in the 1950s or 1960s. Thanks to accolades from
Several members of the internationally successful rock band AC/DC were born in Scotland, including original lead singer Bon Scott[51] and guitarists Malcolm and Angus Young, though by the time they began playing, all three had moved to Australia.[52] Angus and Malcolm's older brother, George Young, found success as a member of the Australian band The Easybeats and later produced some of AC/DC's records and formed a songwriting partnership with Dutch ex-pat Harry Vanda. Musicians Mark Knopfler and John Martyn were also partly raised in Scotland.
During the 1960s, two innovative rock musicians from Scotland became central to the international rock scene – Donovan and Jack Bruce. Traces of Scottish literary and musical influences can be found in both Donovan's and Bruce's work.[53][54] Donovan's music on 1965's Fairytale anticipated the British folk rock revival, and his musicianship is said to have pioneered psychedelic rock with Sunshine Superman in 1966. Donovan is said to be an early influence on Marc Bolan, founder of T. Rex.[53] Jack Bruce co-founded Cream along with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker in 1966, debuting with the album Fresh Cream. Fresh Cream and the launch of Cream are considered a pivotal moment in blues-rock history, introducing virtuosity and improvisation to the form. Bruce, as a member of The Tony Williams Lifetime (along with John McLaughlin and Larry Young) on Emergency!, similarly contributed to a seminal jazz-rock work that predated Bitches Brew by Miles Davis.[54]
Scotland produced a number of punk bands which achieved mainstream success, namely
.In 1990, Scottish band Aztec Camera released a protest song against Margaret Thatcher and her government entitled "Good Morning Britain", with lyrics referencing the social unrest evident in the country during the 1980s.[56] The late 1990s and 2000s saw Scottish guitar bands continue to achieve critical or commercial success. Examples include Franz Ferdinand, Frightened Rabbit, Biffy Clyro, Texas, Travis, KT Tunstall, Amy Macdonald, Paolo Nutini, The View, Idlewild, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Glasvegas, We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Fratellis, and Twin Atlantic. Scottish extreme metal bands include Man Must Die and Cerebral Bore. Successful electronic music producer Calvin Harris is also Scottish.[57] The Edinburgh-based group Young Fathers won the 2014 Mercury Prize for their album Dead. With the arrival and increasing popularity of musical talent television shows throughout the 2000s, notable Scottish acts include Michelle McManus (winner of Pop Idol, 2003), Darius Campbell Danesh (3rd, Pop Idol, 2001–2002), Leon Jackson (winner, The X Factor, 2007), Nicholas McDonald (runner-up, The X Factor, 2014) and Susan Boyle (runner-up, Britain's Got Talent, 2009).
Artists to achieve international and commercial success through the 2010s and 2020s include Calvin Harris, Susan Boyle, Lewis Capaldi,[58] Nina Nesbitt, The Snuts, Nathan Evans, Gerry Cinnamon and Chvrches. Susan Boyle achieved international success, particularly with her first two studio albums, topping both the UK Album Charts and the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, [55] becoming the first female artist in history to have a number one album simultaneously in both the United Kingdom and the United States within the space of a year. In 2011, Boyle made UK music history by becoming the first female artist to achieve three successive album debuts at No.1 in less than two years.[59] Her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream (2009), is one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century, having sold over 10 million copies worldwide, and it was the best-selling album internationally in 2009.[60]Calvin Harris Invaded Pop Culture in the 2010s with songs with Billions of views on YouTube and Spotify such as: How Deep Is Your Love, This Is What You Came For and One Kiss
Scotland in Eurovision
As part of the United Kingdom, Scotland does not compete separately in the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Edinburgh hosted the contest in 1972.
Scotland entered the Eurovision Choir 2019, a European Broadcasting Union competition for choral singers. This marked the first time that Scotland had entered a Eurovision or European Broadcasting Union competition separately from the United Kingdom. The choir, Alba, performed three songs in Scottish Gaelic; Cumha na Cloinne, Ach a' Mhairead and Alba. The choir competed in the first round and did not advance to the second and final round.[61]
Scotland competed in the second
Instruments
Accordion
Though often derided as Scottish kitsch, the accordion has long been a part of Scottish music.
Bagpipes
Many associate Scottish folk music with the
Though bagpipes are closely associated with Scotland, the instrument (or, more precisely, family of instruments) is found throughout large swathes of Europe, North Africa and South Asia. The most common bagpipe heard in modern Scottish music is the
The classical music of the Great Highland Bagpipe is called
Bagpipe competitions are common in Scotland, for both solo pipers and pipe bands. Competitive solo piping is currently popular among many aspiring pipers, some of whom travel from as far as Australia to attend Scottish competitions. Other pipers have chosen to explore more creative usages of the instrument. Different types of bagpipes have also seen a resurgence since the 70s, as the historical border pipes and Scottish smallpipes have been resuscitated and now attract a thriving alternative piping community.[63] Two of Scotland's most highly regarded pipers are Gordon Duncan and Fred Morrison.
The
Fiddle
Scottish traditional fiddling encompasses a number of regional styles, including the
In the 18th century, Scottish fiddling is said to have reached new heights. Fiddlers like William Marshall and Niel Gow were legends across Scotland, and the first collections of fiddle tunes were published in the mid-century. The most famous and useful of these collections was a series published by Nathaniel Gow, one of Niel's sons, and a fine fiddler and composer in his own right. Classical composers such as Charles McLean, James Oswald and William McGibbon used Scottish fiddling traditions in their Baroque compositions.
Scottish fiddling is most directly represented in North America in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, an island on the east coast of Canada, which received some 25,000 emigrants from the Scottish Highlands during the Highland Clearances of 1780–1850. Cape Breton musicians such as
Among native Scots, Aly Bain and Alasdair Fraser are two of the most accomplished, following in the footsteps of influential 20th-century players such as James Scott Skinner, Hector MacAndrew, Angus Grant and Tom Anderson. The growing number of young professional Scottish fiddlers makes a complete list impossible.
The Annual Scots Fiddle Festival which runs each November showcases the great fiddling tradition and talent in Scotland.
Guitar
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
The history of the guitar in traditional music is recent, as is that of the
Classification |
Chordophone ) |
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Developed | 13th century |
Gittern
Stringed instruments similar to that of modern guitars have appeared in Scottish folk music for centuries. The Gittern, an ancestor to the modern guitar, featured in medieval Scottish appearing from at least the 13th century and was still around in Scotland 300 years later.[65]
Harp
Material evidence suggests that lyres and / or harp, or
Barring illustrations of harps in the 9th century
The Clàrsach (
Three medieval Gaelic harps survived into the modern period, two from Scotland (the Queen Mary Harp and the Lamont Harp) and one in Ireland (the Brian Boru harp), although artistic evidence suggests that all three were probably made in the western Highlands.
The playing of this Gaelic harp with wire strings died out in Scotland in the 18th century and in Ireland in the early 19th century. In the late 19th century Gaelic revival the instruments used differed greatly from the old wire-strung harps. The new instruments had gut strings, and their construction and playing style was based on the larger orchestral pedal harp. Nonetheless, the name "clàrsach" was and is still used in Scotland today to describe these new instruments. The modern gut-strung clàrsach has thousands of players, both in Scotland and Ireland, as well as North America and elsewhere. The 1931 formation of the
Tin whistle
One of the oldest tin whistles still in existence is the Tusculum whistle, found with pottery dating to the 14th and 15th centuries; it is currently in the collection of the
Bodhrán
The Irish word bodhrán (plural bodhráin), indicating a drum, is first mentioned in a document translated to English from Irish in the 17th century. The bodhrán originated in southwest Ireland, probably in the 18th century, and was known as the "poor man's tambourine". Made from farm implements and without the cymbals, it was popular among mummers or wren boys. A large oil painting by Irish artist Daniel Maclise (1806–1870) depicts a large Halloween house party in which a bodhrán features clearly.[69] The bodhrán in Scotland and also Cape Breton, the northern mainland of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island is an import from Ireland due to its popularity in the 1960s because of the music of Seán Ó Riada[70]
Music awards
The Scottish Music Awards, Scottish Album of the Year Award, the Scots Trad Music Awards and the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award each recognise musical talent in Scotland annually from both Scottish and international artists.
Music festivals
Scotland has long had a number of festivals that celebrate music of Scottish and international origin on an annual basis. T in the Park (1994–2016) was one of Scotland's largest music festivals,[71] drawing crowds annually during the second weekend of July since its inception in 1994. Featuring a lineup of some of the globe's biggest and most successful artists and bands, it held a special place in the hearts of music enthusiasts. T in the Park was replaced by TRNSMT (2017–present) which similarly takes place in the second weekend of July and is held in Glasgow Green.
Other festivals include the Aberdeen and NE Scotland Music Festival, Big Burns Supper Festival, Callander Jazz and Blues Festival, Connect Music Festival, the Darvel Music Festival, Eden Festival, the Glasgow International Jazz Festival, Glasgow Summer Sessions, Let's Rock, the Leith Festival and the Skye Live Festival.
The Glasgow Bandstand at Kelvingrove Park hosts the annual Summer Nights festival with artists such as KT Tunstall, Anastacia, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Belinda Carlisle, Rick Astley and The Jesus & Mary Chain being past performers.[72]
Former major festivals include Wickerman Festival, Big in Falkirk, RockNess and Be in Belhaven.
Celtic Connections started in 1994 and celebrates Celtic music. It is held annually in Glasgow, for 18 days in January and February.
The
Samples
- Download recording of Na cuperean, a traditional Scottish song from Nova Scotians in California from the Library of Congress' California Gold: Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collection; performed by Mary A. McDonald on 11 April 1939 in Berkeley, California
See also
References
Notes
- ^ a b "'Europe's oldest stringed instrument' discovered on Scots island". News.stv.tv. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Skye cave find western Europe's 'earliest string instrument'". BBC News. 28 March 2012.
- ^
M. J. Green, The Celtic World (London: Routledge, 1996), ISBN 0-415-14627-5, p. 428.
- ^
W. McLeod, Divided Gaels: Gaelic Cultural Identities in Scotland and Ireland, C.1200-c.1650
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004),
ISBN 0-19-924722-6, p. 102.
- ^ a b c
K. Elliott and F. Rimmer, A History of Scottish Music (London: British Broadcasting Corporation, 1973), ISBN 0-563-12192-0, pp. 8–12.
- ^ ISBN 0-7486-0276-3, pp. 58 and 118.
- ^ ISBN 90-04-13690-8, p. 163.
- ISBN 0-7614-7650-4, p. 1264.
- ISBN 0-19-816424-6, pp. 146–7 and 196–7.
- ^ a b A. Frazer, Mary Queen of Scots (London: Book Club Associates, 1969), pp. 206–7.
- ISBN 0-19-518838-1, p. 452.
- ^ ISBN 0-521-21958-2, pp. 83–5.
- ISBN 0-521-79273-8, pp. 280, 300, 433 and 541.
- ISBN 0-19-211696-7, pp. 130–33.
- ^ ISBN 3-03910-948-0, p. 22.
- ISBN 0-7486-1455-9, p. 169.
- ISBN 3-03910-948-0, p. 35.
- ^ ISBN 0-19-211696-7, pp. 140–1.
- ISBN 0-86241-477-6, pp. 9–10.
- ^ "Popular Ballads" The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century (Broadview Press, 2006), pp. 610–17.
- ^ M. Patrick, Four Centuries of Scottish Psalmody (Read books, 2008), pp. 119–20.
- ^ M. Gardiner, Modern Scottish Culture (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005), pp. 193–4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-517478-6, pp. 31–8.
- ISBN 0-19-211696-7, pp. 434–5.
- ^ ISBN 0-7486-2027-3, pp. 195–6.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-517478-6, pp. 256–7.
- ^ C. MacDougall, Scots: The Language of the People (Black & White, 2006), p. 246.
- ISBN 1-85828-635-2, pp. 261–3.
- ISBN 1-84353-229-8, p. 140.
- ISBN 1-85828-635-2, pp. 267.
- ^ C. Larkin, The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Guinness, 1992), p. 869.
- ISBN 978-0-19-517478-6, p. 259.
- ^ J. Herman, "British Folk-Rock; Celtic Rock", The Journal of American Folklore, 107, (425), (1994) pp. 54–8.
- ISBN 0-7546-3160-5, p. 4.
- ISBN 0-8071-3278-0, p. 41.
- ISBN 1-74059-382-0, p. 33.
- ISBN 1-139-46608-9, p. 30.
- ISBN 0-203-99111-7, p. 1054.
- ISBN 0-19-211696-7, pp. 143–6.
- ^ ISBN 0-7486-0999-7, pp. 136–8.
- ^ ISBN 0-7486-2027-3, pp. 193–8.
- ^ Mark, Gasser (1 January 2013). "Ronald Stevenson, composer-pianist: an exegetical critique from a pianistic perspective". Theses: Doctorates and Masters.
- ISBN 1-4053-9355-6, p. 108.
- ISBN 1-74059-382-0, p. 137.
- ISBN 1-56554-227-4, pp. 176–7.
- ^ The Encyclopaedia of Popular Music (Muze publications)
- ^ McEwen, Alan (21 January 2023). "Surviving Bay City Rollers at war over 'unpaid tour earnings'". Daily Record.
- ISBN 0-85156-156-X.
- ^ [Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002]
- ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ "Bonfest: AC/DC fans set to flock to Scottish home of late singer Bon Scott for music festival | The Scotsman".
- ^ Sloan, Billy. "INTERVIEW: AC/DC's Angus Young on how the wise words of a lost brother have helped keep enduring rockers in the studio and, hopefully, on the road".
- ^ a b The Autobiography of Donovan; The Hurdy Gurdy Man
- ^ a b Jack Bruce; Composing Himself by Harry Shapiro
- ^ a b "Top 25 Most Popular Scottish Singers". 4 February 2023.
- ^ Canty, Ian (23 August 2021). "Aztec Camera: Backwards And Forwards - album review".
- ^ Mason, Stewart. "Calvin Harris Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ^ "Lewis Capaldi: How success affected his mental health". BBC News. 3 April 2023.
- ^ "Facts & Stats". www.susanboylemusic.com. Susan Boyle. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ Kisiel, Ryan (2 May 2016). "Tragedies, feuds and public tantrums: Is the dream finally over for Susan Boyle?". news.com.au.
- ^ "🏴 Scotland: BBC Alba to Decide on Eurovision Choir 2023 Participation by End of January". January 2023.
- ^ "Ireland emerges as winner of Free European Song Contest 2021". 16 May 2021.
- ^ Hamish Moore of Dunkeld – maker of Scottish smallpipes and Highland bagpipes Archived 13 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0-340-83796-9.
- ^ "Renovata Cythara". Theater of Music (theaterofmusic.com). Plucked, fretted instruments in Medieval and Renaissance Scotland.
... articles about the history of wire string instruments ...
- ^ Caldwell, D.H. (ed). Angels Nobles and Unicorns: Art and Patronage in Medieval Scotland. Edinburgh: NMS, 1982
- ^ Henry George Farmer (1947): A History of Music in Scotland London, 1947 p. 202.
- ISBN 9780553589955. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
- ^ "Comhaltas: Bodhrán: its origin, meaning and history". Comhaltas.ie. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ISBN 0-19-514554-2
- ^ Barry Nicolson (10 July 2016). "T in the Park review". The Guardian.
Whatever its faults, [T in the Park] remains the biggest – and best – party on Scotland's cultural calendar.
- ^ "Summer Nights at Kelvingrove Park Bandstand 2022 - eFestivals". www.efestivals.co.uk.
Further reading
- Emmerson, George S. Rantin' Pipe and Tremblin' String – history of Scottish dance music. Second edition 1988. Galt House, London, Ontario, Canada. ISBN 0-9690653-3-7
- Eydmann, Stuart "The concertina as an emblem of the folk music revival in the British Isles." 1995. British Journal of Ethnomusicology 4: 41–49.
- Eydmann, Stuart "As Common as Blackberries: The First Hundred Years of the Accordion in Scotland." 1999. Folk Music Journal 7 No. 5 pp. 565–608.
- Eydmann, Stuart "From the "Wee Melodeon" to the "Big Box": The Accordion in Scotland since 1945." The Accordion in all its Guises, 2001. Musical Performance Volume 3 Parts 2 – 4 pp. 107–125.
- Eydmann, Stuart The Life and Times of the Concertina: the adoption and usage of a novel musical instrument with particular reference to Scotland. PhD Thesis, The Open University 1995 published online at www.concertina.com/eydmann Stuart Eydmann: The Scottish Concertina
- Hardie, Alastair J. The Caledonian Companion – A Collection of Scottish Fiddle Music and Guide to its Performance. 1992. The Hardie Press, Edinburgh. ISBN 0-946868-08-5
- Heywood, Pete and Colin Irwin. "From Strathspeys to Acid Croft". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 261–272. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
- Gilchrist, Jim. "Scotland". 2001. In Mathieson, Kenny (Ed.), Celtic music, pp. 54–87. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-623-8
External links
- Five Centuries of Scottish Music a high-quality, free digital resource hosted by AHDS Performing Arts.
- BBC Radio Scotland online radio: folk music on Travelling Folk, bagpipe music on Pipeline, country dance music on Reel Blend and Take the Floor. (RealPlayer plugin required)
- Scottish Music Centre music archive and information resource.
- Gaelic Modes Web articles on Gaelic harp harmony & modes