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
[
edit
]
Stringed instruments
have been known in Scotland since at least the
Iron Age
. The first evidence of
lyres
was found in the
Greco-Roman
period on the
Isle of Skye
(dating from 2300 BCE), making it Europe's oldest surviving stringed instrument.
[1]
[2]
Bards
acted as musicians but also as poets, storytellers, historians, genealogists, and lawyers, relying on an oral tradition that stretched back generations in Scotland as well as Wales and Ireland.
[3]
Often accompanying themselves on the
harp
, they can be seen in records of Scottish courts throughout the medieval period.
[4]
Scottish church music from the later Middle Ages was increasingly influenced by continental developments, with figures like 13th-century musical theorist Simon Tailler studying in Paris before returning to Scotland, where he introduced several reforms of church music.
[5]
Scottish collections of music like the 13th-century 'Wolfenbuttel 677', which is associated with
St Andrews
, contain mostly French compositions but with some distinctive local styles.
[5]
The captivity of James I in England from 1406 to 1423, where he earned a reputation as a poet and composer, may have led him to bring English and continental styles and musicians back to the Scottish court on his release.
[5]
In the late 15th century, a series of Scottish musicians trained in the Netherlands before returning home, including John Broune, Thomas Inglis and John Fety. The latter became master of the song school in Aberdeen and then
Edinburgh
, introducing the new five-fingered organ playing technique.
[6]
In 1501, James IV refounded the Chapel Royal within
Stirling Castle
with a new and enlarged choir and it became the focus of Scottish liturgical music. Burgundian and English influences were probably reinforced when Henry VII's daughter Margaret Tudor married James IV in 1503.
[7]
James V (1512?42) was a major patron of music. A talented lute player, he introduced French
chansons
and
consorts of viols
to his court and was patron to composers such as
David Peebles
(c. 1510?1579?).
[8]
The
Scottish Reformation
, directly influenced by
Calvinism
, was generally opposed to church music, leading to the removal of organs and a growing emphasis on
metrical psalms
, including a setting by David Peebles commissioned by
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
.
[6]
The most important work in Scottish reformed music was probably
A Form of Prayers,
published in Edinburgh in 1564.
[9]
The return in 1561 from France of James V's daughter
Mary, Queen of Scots
renewed the Scottish court as a centre of musical patronage and performance. The Queen played the lute and
virginals
and, unlike her father, was a fine singer.
[10]
She brought many influences from the French court where she had been educated, employing lutenists and viola players in her household.
[11]
Mary's position as a Catholic gave a new lease of life to the choir of the Scottish Chapel Royal in her reign, but the destruction of Scottish church organs meant that instrumentation to accompany the mass had to employ bands of musicians with trumpets, drums, fifes, bagpipes and tabors.
[10]
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
[
edit
]
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
.
[14]
After the
Reformation
, the secular popular tradition of music continued, despite attempts by the
Kirk
, particularly in the Lowlands, to suppress dancing and events like
penny weddings
.
[15]
This period saw the creation of the ceol mor (the great music) of the bagpipe, which reflected its martial origins with battle tunes, marches, gatherings, salutes, and laments.
[16]
The Highlands in the early seventeenth century saw the development of piping families, including the
MacCrimmonds
, MacArthurs,
MacGregors
and Mackays of
Gairloch
. There is also evidence of the adoption of the fiddle in the Highlands, with
Martin Martin
noting in his
A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland
(1703) that he knew of 18 players in Lewis alone.
[17]
Well-known musicians included the fiddler Pattie Birnie and the piper
Habbie Simpson
.
[15]
This tradition continued into the nineteenth century, with major figures such as the fiddlers
Niel
and
Nathaniel Gow
.
[18]
There is evidence of
ballads
from this period. Some may date back to the late Medieval era and deal with events and people that can be traced back as far as the thirteenth century.
[19]
They remained an oral tradition until they were collected as folk songs in the eighteenth century.
[20]
The earliest printed collection of secular music comes from the seventeenth century.
[21]
Song collecting began to gain momentum in the early eighteenth century, and as the Kirk's opposition to music waned, there was a flood of publications, including
Allan Ramsay
's verse compendium
The Tea Table Miscellany
(1723)
[15]
and
The Scots Musical Museum
(1787?1803) by James Johnson and
Robert Burns
.
[22]
In the late nineteenth century, there was renewed interest in traditional music, which was more academic and political in intent.
[23]
In Scotland collectors included the Reverend James Duncan and
Gavin Greig
. Major performers included
James Scott Skinner
.
[24]
This revival began to have a major impact on classical music, with the development of what was in effect a national school of orchestral and operatic music in Scotland, with composers that included
Alexander Mackenzie
,
William Wallace
,
Learmont Drysdale
,
Hamish MacCunn
and
John McEwen
.
[25]
After World War II, traditional music in Scotland was marginalized but remained a living tradition. This marginal status was changed by individuals including
Alan Lomax
,
Hamish Henderson
and
Peter Kennedy
through collecting, publications, recordings, and radio programmes.
[26]
Acts that were popularised included
John Strachan
,
Jimmy MacBeath
,
Jeannie Robertson
and
Flora MacNeil
.
[27]
In the 1960s, there was a flourishing
folk club
culture and
Ewan MacColl
emerged as a leading figure in the revival in Britain.
[28]
They hosted traditional performers, including Donald Higgins and the
Stewarts of Blairgowrie
, alongside English performers and new Scottish revivalists such as
Robin Hall
,
Jimmie Macgregor
,
The Corries
and the
Ian Campbell Folk Group
.
[26]
There was also a strand of popular Scottish music that benefited from the arrival of radio and television, which relied on images of Scottishness derived from
tartanry
and stereotypes employed in
music hall
and
variety
. This was exemplified by the TV programme
The White Heather Club
which ran from 1958 to 1967, hosted by
Andy Stewart
and starring
Moira Anderson
and
Kenneth McKellar
.
[29]
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]
Celtic rock
developed as a variant of
British folk rock
by Scottish groups including the
JSD Band
and Spencer's Feat.
Five Hand Reel
, who combined Irish and Scottish personnel, emerged as the most successful exponents of the style.
[31]
From the late 1970s on, the attendance at and numbers of folk clubs began to decrease as new musical and social trends began to dominate. However, in Scotland, the circuit of
ceilidhs
and festivals helped sustain traditional music.
[23]
Two of the most successful groups of the 1980s that emerged from this dance band circuit were
Runrig
and
Capercaillie
.
[32]
A by-product of the
Celtic Diaspora
was the existence of large communities across the world that looked for their cultural roots and identity to their origins in the Celtic nations. From the US, this includes Scottish bands
Seven Nations
,
Prydein
and
Flatfoot 56
. From Canada are bands such as
Enter the Haggis
,
Great Big Sea
,
The Real McKenzies
and
Spirit of the West
.
[33]
Classical music
[
edit
]
The development of a distinct tradition of
art music
in Scotland was limited by the impact of the
Scottish Reformation
on
ecclesiastical music
from the sixteenth century. Concerts, largely composed of "Scottish airs", developed in the seventeenth century and classical instruments were introduced to the country. Music in Edinburgh prospered through the patronage of figures including the merchant Sir
John Clerk of Penicuik
.
[18]
The Italian style of classical music was probably first brought to Scotland by the cellist and composer Lorenzo Bocchi, who travelled to Scotland in the 1720s.
[34]
The Musical Society of Edinburgh was incorporated in 1728.
[35]
Several Italian musicians were active in the capital in this period and there are several known Scottish composers in the classical style, including
Thomas Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie
, the first Scot known to have produced a
symphony
.
[36]
In the mid-eighteenth century, a group of Scottish composers including
James Oswald
and
William McGibbon
created the "Scots drawing room style", taking primarily Lowland Scottish tunes and making them acceptable to a middle-class audience.
[37]
In the 1790s
Robert Burns
embarked on an attempt to produce a corpus of Scottish national songs, contributing about a third of the songs of
The Scots Musical Museum
.
[38]
Burns also collaborated with
George Thomson
in
A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs
, which adapted Scottish folk songs with "classical" arrangements. However, Burns' championing of Scottish music may have prevented the establishment of a tradition of European concert music in Scotland, which faltered towards the end of the eighteenth century.
[18]
From the mid-nineteenth century, classical music began a revival in Scotland, aided by the visits of
Chopin
and
Mendelssohn
in the 1840s.
[39]
By the late nineteenth century, there was in effect a national school of orchestral and operatic music in Scotland, with major composers including
Alexander Mackenzie
,
William Wallace
,
Learmont Drysdale
and
Hamish MacCunn
.
[25]
Major performers included the pianist
Frederic Lamond
, and singers
Mary Garden
and
Joseph Hislop
.
[40]
After World War I,
Robin Orr
and Cedric Thorpe Davie were influenced by
modernism
and Scottish musical cadences.
Erik Chisholm
founded the Scottish Ballet Society and helped create several ballets.
[41]
The
Edinburgh Festival
was founded in 1947 and led to an expansion of classical music in Scotland, leading to the foundation of
Scottish Opera
in 1960.
[40]
Important post-war composers included
Ronald Stevenson
,
[42]
Francis George Scott
,
Edward McGuire
,
William Sweeney
,
Iain Hamilton
,
Thomas Wilson
,
Thea Musgrave
,
Judith Weir
,
James MacMillan
and
Helen Grime
.
Craig Armstrong
has produced music for numerous films. Major performers include the percussionist
Evelyn Glennie
.
[41]
Major Scottish orchestras include the
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
(RSNO), the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
(SCO) and the
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
(BBC SSO). Major venues include
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
,
Usher Hall
, Edinburgh and
Queen's Hall, Edinburgh
.
[43]
[44]
[45]
Pop, rock and fusion
[
edit
]
Scotland produced few rock or pop bands of note in the 1950s or 1960s. Thanks to accolades from
David Bowie
and others, the Edinburgh-based band 1-2-3 (later known as
Clouds
), active between 1966?1971, were acknowledged as a definitive precursor of the progressive rock movement.
[46]
By the 1970s, groups such as the
Average White Band
,
Nazareth
and
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
began to gain international success. The most commercially successful Scottish pop act of the 1970s by sales was the
Bay City Rollers
, who sold over 120 million albums worldwide.
[47]
Pilot
, a band formed by former Bay City Rollers member
Billy Lyall
, also enjoyed some success. Their 1974 single "
Magic
" from their debut album
From the Album of the Same Name
(1974) reached number eleven on the UK Singles Charts
[48]
and number five on the
Billboard
Hot 100
in the United States.
[49]
Selling over one million copies, it was awarded a
gold disc
by the
R.I.A.A.
in August 1975.
[50]
The song "
January
" gave Pilot their greatest success in the UK, securing the number one spot in the
UK Singles Chart
on 1 February 1975.
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
The Exploited
,
The Rezillos
,
The Skids
,
The Fire Engines
, and the
Scars
. In the
post-punk
era of the early 1980s, Scotland produced bands like
Cocteau Twins
,
Orange Juice
,
The Associates
,
Simple Minds
,
Maggie Reilly
,
Annie Lennox
(
Eurythmics
),
Hue and Cry
,
Goodbye Mr Mackenzie
,
The Jesus and Mary Chain
,
Wet Wet Wet
,
Big Country
,
The Proclaimers
, and
Josef K
. Since the 1980s Scotland has produced several popular rock and
alternative rock
acts.
[55]
The growth of indie bands in Scotland during the 1980s was prominent with the arrival of the likes of
Primal Scream
,
The Soup Dragons
,
The Jesus and Mary Chain
,
The Blue Nile
,
Teenage Fanclub
,
18 Wheeler
,
The Pastels
and
BMX Bandits
. The following decade also saw a burgeoning scene in Glasgow, with the likes of
The Almighty
,
Arab Strap
,
Belle and Sebastian
,
Camera Obscura
,
The Delgados
,
Bis
and
Mogwai
.
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
[
edit
]
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
Free European Song Contest
in
2021
, a competition broadcast by German broadcaster
ProSieben
as an alternative to the main Eurovision Song Contest which had been cancelled in 2020 due to the
Covid-19 pandemic
. Singer
Amy Macdonald
represented Scotland and finished in 4th place with the song
Statues
.
[62]
Instruments
[
edit
]
Accordion
[
edit
]
Though often derided as Scottish kitsch, the accordion has long been a part of Scottish music.
Country dance
bands, such as that led by the renowned
Jimmy Shand
, have helped to dispel this image. In the early 20th century, the
melodeon
, a variety of
diatonic button accordion
was popular among rural folk and was part of the
bothy band
tradition. More recently,
Phil Cunningham
(of Silly Wizard) has helped popularise the accordion in Scottish music.
Bagpipes
[
edit
]
Many associate Scottish folk music with the
Great Highland Bagpipe
, which has long played an important part in Scottish music. Although this particular form of bagpipe was developed exclusively in Scotland, it is not the only Scottish bagpipe. The earliest mention of bagpipes in Scotland dates to the 15th century although they are believed to have been introduced to Britain by the Roman armies. The
piob mhor
, or Great Highland Bagpipe, was initially associated with both hereditary piping families and professional pipers to various clan chiefs; later, pipes were adopted for use in other venues, including military marching. Piping clans included the
Clan Henderson
,
MacArthurs
,
MacDonalds
,
MacKays
and, especially, the
MacCrimmon
, who were hereditary pipers to the
Clan MacLeod
.
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
Great Highland Bagpipe
, which was spread by the Highland regiments of the British Army. Historically, numerous other bagpipes existed, and many of them have been recreated in the last half-century. Also during the 19th century bagpipes were played on ships sailing off to war to keep the men's hopes up and to bring good luck in the coming war.
The classical music of the Great Highland Bagpipe is called
Piobaireachd
, which consists of a first movement called the
urlar
(in English, the 'ground' movement,) which establishes a theme. The theme is then developed in a series of movements, growing increasingly complex each time. After the
urlar
there is usually a number of variations and doublings of the variations. Then comes the
taorluath
movement and variation and the
crunluath
movement, continuing with the underlying theme. This is usually followed by a variation of the crunluath, usually the
crunluath a mach
(other variations:
crunluath breabach
and
crunluath fosgailte
) ; the piece closes with a return to the
urlar
.
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
pipe band
is another common format for highland piping, with top competitive bands including the
Victoria Police Pipe Band
from Australia (formerly), Northern Ireland's
Field Marshal Montgomery
, the
Republic of Ireland
's Laurence O'Toole pipe band, Canada's
78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band
and
Simon Fraser University Pipe Band
, and Scottish bands like
Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Band
and
Strathclyde Police Pipe Band
. These bands, as well as many others, compete in numerous pipe band competitions, often the
World Pipe Band Championships
, and sometimes perform in public concerts.
Fiddle
[
edit
]
Scottish traditional fiddling encompasses a number of regional styles, including the
bagpipe
-inflected west Highlands, the upbeat and lively style of Norse-influenced
Shetland Islands
and the
Strathspey
and slow airs of the northeast. The instrument arrived late in the 17th century, and is first mentioned in 1680 in a document from
Newbattle Abbey
in
Midlothian
,
Lessones For Ye Violin
.
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
Natalie MacMaster
,
Ashley MacIsaac
, and
Jerry Holland
have brought their music to a worldwide audience, building on the traditions of master fiddlers such as
Buddy MacMaster
and
Winston Scotty Fitzgerald
.
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
[
edit
]
| 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
cittern
and
bouzouki
introduced into Celtic folk music by folksinger Johnny Moynihan in the late 1960s.
[64]
The guitar featured prominently in the folk revival of the early 1960s with the likes of
Archie Fisher
, The Corries,
Hamish Imlach
, Robin Hall and Jimmie Macgregor. The virtuoso playing of Bert Jansch was widely influential, and the range of instruments was widened by The Incredible String Band. Notable artists include
Tony McManus
,
Dave MacIsaac
,
Peerie Willie Johnson
and
Dick Gaughan
. Other notable guitarists in Scottish music scene include
Kris Drever
of
Fine Friday
and
Lau
, and Ross Martin of
Cliar
,
Daimh
and
Harem Scarem
. Scotland has also produced several notable electric guitarists, including
Stuart Adamson
of Big Country (once referred to as "Britain's
Jimi Hendrix
"), Angus Young of
AC/DC
,
Jimmy McCulloch
of
Wings
,
Manny Charlton
of Nazareth,
Zal Cleminson
of The Sensational Alex Harvey band, and
Brian Robertson
of
Thin Lizzy
.
Gittern
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
Material evidence suggests that lyres and / or harp, or
clarsach
, has a long and ancient history in Britain, with
Iron Age
lyres dating from 2300 BC.
[1]
[2]
The harp was regarded as the national instrument until it was replaced with the Highland bagpipes in the 15th century.
[67]
Stone carvings in the East of Scotland support the theory that the harp was present in
Pictish
Scotland well before the 9th century and may have been the original ancestor of the modern European harp and even formed the basis for Scottish pibroch, the folk bagpipe tradition.
Barring illustrations of harps in the 9th century
Utrecht Psalter
, only thirteen depictions exist in Europe of any triangular chordophone harp pre-11th century, and all thirteen of them come from Scotland. Pictish harps were strung with horsehair. The instruments apparently spread south to the Anglo-Saxons, who commonly used gut strings, and then west to the Gaels of the Highlands and Ireland. The earliest Irish word for a harp is in fact
Cruit
, a word which strongly suggests a Pictish provenance for the instrument. The surname
MacWhirter
,
Mac a' Chruiteir
, means son of the harpist, and is common throughout Scotland, but particularly in
Carrick
and
Galloway
.
The Clarsach (
Gd.
) or Clairseach (
Ga.
) is the name given to the wire-strung harp of either Scotland or Ireland. The word begins to appear by the end of the 14th century. Until the end of the
Middle Ages
it was the most popular musical instrument in Scotland, and harpers were among the most prestigious cultural figures in the courts of Irish/Scottish chieftains and Scottish kings and earls. In both countries, harpers enjoyed special rights and played a crucial part in ceremonial occasions such as coronations and poetic
bardic
recitals. The
Kings of Scotland
employed harpers until the end of the Middle Ages, and they featured prominently in royal
iconography
. Several Clarsach players were noted at the
Battle of the Standard
(1138), and when
Alexander III of Scotland
(died 1286) visited London in 1278, his court minstrels with him, records show payments were made to one Elyas, "King of Scotland's harper." One of the nicknames for the Scottish harp is "taigh nan teud", the house of strings.
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 "clarsach" was and is still used in Scotland today to describe these new instruments. The modern gut-strung clarsach has thousands of players, both in Scotland and Ireland, as well as North America and elsewhere. The 1931 formation of the
Clarsach Society
kickstarted the modern harp renaissance. Recent harp players include
Savourna Stevenson
,
Maggie MacInnes
, and the band
Sileas
. Notable events include the annual
Edinburgh International Harp Festival
, which in 2006 staged the world record for the largest number of harpists to play at the same time.
[68]
Tin whistle
[
edit
]
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
Museum of Scotland
. Today the whistle is a very common instrument in recorded Scottish music. Although few well-known performers choose the tin whistle as their principal instrument, it is quite common for pipers, flute players, and other musicians to play the whistle as well.
Bodhran
[
edit
]
The Irish word bodhran (plural bodhrain), indicating a drum, is first mentioned in a document translated to English from Irish in the 17th century. The bodhran 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 bodhran features clearly.
[69]
The bodhran 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 Sean O Riada
[70]
Music awards
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
is performed by international armed forces bands. It is held in August at
Edinburgh Castle
as part of the
Edinburgh Festivals
.
Samples
[
edit
]
- 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
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
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.
- ^
a
b
J. Wormald,
Court, Kirk, and Community: Scotland, 1470?1625
(Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1991),
ISBN
0-7486-0276-3
, pp. 58 and 118.
- ^
a
b
M. Gosman, A. A. MacDonald, A. J. Vanderjagt and A. Vanderjagt,
Princes and Princely Culture, 1450?1650
(Brill, 2003),
ISBN
90-04-13690-8
, p. 163.
- ^
J. Patrick,
Renaissance and Reformation
(London: Marshall Cavendish, 2007),
ISBN
0-7614-7650-4
, p. 1264.
- ^
R. M. Wilson,
Anglican Chant and Chanting in England, Scotland, and America, 1660 to 1820
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996),
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.
- ^
M. Spring,
The Lute in Britain: A History of the Instrument and Its Music
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006),
ISBN
0-19-518838-1
, p. 452.
- ^
a
b
c
P. Le Huray,
Music and the Reformation in England, 1549?1660
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978),
ISBN
0-521-21958-2
, pp. 83?5.
- ^
T. Carter and J. Butt,
The Cambridge History of Seventeenth-Century Music
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005),
ISBN
0-521-79273-8
, pp. 280, 300, 433 and 541.
- ^
J. R. Baxter, "Music, ecclesiastical", in M. Lynch, ed.,
The Oxford Companion to Scottish History
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001),
ISBN
0-19-211696-7
, pp. 130?33.
- ^
a
b
c
J. Porter, "Introduction" in J. Porter, ed.,
Defining Strains: The Musical Life of Scots in the Seventeenth Century
(Peter Lang, 2007),
ISBN
3-03910-948-0
, p. 22.
- ^
J. E. A. Dawson,
Scotland Re-Formed, 1488?1587
(Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007),
ISBN
0-7486-1455-9
, p. 169.
- ^
J. Porter, "Introduction" in J. Porter, ed.,
Defining Strains: The Musical Life of Scots in the Seventeenth Century
(Peter Lang, 2007),
ISBN
3-03910-948-0
, p. 35.
- ^
a
b
c
J. R. Baxter, "Culture, Enlightenment (1660?1843): music", in M. Lynch, ed.,
The Oxford Companion to Scottish History
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001),
ISBN
0-19-211696-7
, pp. 140?1.
- ^
E. Lyle,
Scottish Ballads
(Edinburgh: Canongate Books, 2001),
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.
- ^
a
b
c
B. Sweers,
Electric Folk: The Changing Face of English Traditional Music
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005),
ISBN
978-0-19-517478-6
, pp. 31?8.
- ^
J. R. Baxter, "Music, Highland", in M. Lynch, ed.,
The Oxford Companion to Scottish History
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001),
ISBN
0-19-211696-7
, pp. 434?5.
- ^
a
b
M. Gardiner,
Modern Scottish Culture
(Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005),
ISBN
0-7486-2027-3
, pp. 195?6.
- ^
a
b
B. Sweers,
Electric Folk: The Changing Face of English Traditional Music
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005),
ISBN
978-0-19-517478-6
, pp. 256?7.
- ^
C. MacDougall,
Scots: The Language of the People
(Black & White, 2006), p. 246.
- ^
S. Broughton, M. Ellingham and R. Trillo, eds,
World Music: Africa, Europe and the Middle East
(London: Rough Guides, 1999),
ISBN
1-85828-635-2
, pp. 261?3.
- ^
P. Simpson,
The Rough Guide to Cult Pop
(London: Rough Guides, 2003),
ISBN
1-84353-229-8
, p. 140.
- ^
S. Broughton, M. Ellingham and R. Trillo, eds,
World Music: Africa, Europe and the Middle East
(London: Rough Guides, 1999),
ISBN
1-85828-635-2
, pp. 267.
- ^
C. Larkin,
The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music
(Guinness, 1992), p. 869.
- ^
B. Sweers,
Electric Folk: The Changing Face of English Traditional Music
(Oxford University Press, 2005),
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.
- ^
R. Cowgill and P. Holman, "Introduction: centres and peripheries", in R. Cowgill and P. Holman, eds,
Music in the British Provinces, 1690?1914
(Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007),
ISBN
0-7546-3160-5
, p. 4.
- ^
E. G. Breslaw,
Doctor Alexander Hamilton and Provincial America
(Louisiana State University Press, 2008),
ISBN
0-8071-3278-0
, p. 41.
- ^
N. Wilson,
Edinburgh
(Lonely Planet, 3rd edn., 2004),
ISBN
1-74059-382-0
, p. 33.
- ^
M. Gelbart,
The Invention of "Folk Music" and "Art Music"
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press),
ISBN
1-139-46608-9
, p. 30.
- ^
Donald A. Low, ed.,
The Songs of Robert Burns
(London: Routledge, 1993),
ISBN
0-203-99111-7
, p. 1054.
- ^
A. C. Cheyne, "Culture: age of industry, (1843?1914), general", in M. Lynch, ed.,
The Oxford Companion to Scottish History
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001),
ISBN
0-19-211696-7
, pp. 143?6.
- ^
a
b
C. Harvie,
No Gods and Precious Few Heroes: Twentieth-century Scotland
(Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1998),
ISBN
0-7486-0999-7
, pp. 136?8.
- ^
a
b
M. Gardiner,
Modern Scottish Culture
(Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005),
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
.
- ^
J. Clough, K. Davidson, S. Randall, A. Scott,
DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Scotland: Scotland
(London: Dorling Kindersley, 2012),
ISBN
1-4053-9355-6
, p. 108.
- ^
N. Wilson,
Edinburgh
(London: Lonely Planet, 2004),
ISBN
1-74059-382-0
, p. 137.
- ^
J. S. Sawyers,
Maverick Guide to Scotland
(London: Pelican, 1999),
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
.
- ^
Roberts, David (2001).
British Hit Singles
(14th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 45.
ISBN
0-85156-156-X
.
- ^
[Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002]
- ^
Murrells, Joseph (1978).
The Book of Golden Discs
(2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p.
362
.
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
- ^
O'Toole, Leagues (2006). The Humours of Planxty. Ireland: Hodder Headline.
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.
- ^
Glenday, Craig (29 April 2008).
Guinness World Records 2008
. Bantam Books.
ISBN
9780553589955
. Retrieved
19 September
2021
.
- ^
"Comhaltas: Bodhran: its origin, meaning and history"
.
Comhaltas.ie
. Retrieved
9 January
2021
.
- ^
Hast, Dorothea E. and Stanley Scott. Music in Ireland: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture Oxford University Press, New York, 2004.
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
[
edit
]
- 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
[
edit
]
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