Hebrides Suite The Peat-Fire Flame 1 Hebrides Suite The Peat-Fire Flame

Peat-Fire Flame By K. MacLeod 2 Far away and o'er the moor, Morar waits for a boat that saileth, Far away down Lowland way, I dream the dream I learned, lad, By the light o' the peat-fire flame, Light for love, for lilt o' grail-deeds, The light the hill-folk yearn for. Far away, down Lowland way, Grim's the toil, without tune or dream, lad, All you need's a creel and love, For the dream the heart can weave, lad Far away the tramp and tread, Tune and laughter of all the heroes, Pulls me onward o'er the trail Of the dream my heart may weave, lad, The light the hill-folk yearn for Peat-Fire Flame By K. MacLeod Performed by The Corries The Corries were a Scottish folk group that emerged from the Scottish folk revival of the early 1960s.

3 So What is Peat? ~ Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter * Soft and easily compressed * Stacks of drying peat can still be seen in some rural areas. ~ Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, mires, and peat swamp forests. ~ Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world. * Used at industrial levels in certain countries * Under the proper conditions, peat is the earliest stage in the formation of coal. ~ In many countries where trees are often scarce (including Ireland and Scotland), peat is traditionally used for cooking and domestic heating.

4 So What is Peat? Part II As previously mentioned, peat is an important source of fuel in countries, including Scotland. However, there are risks to having heaps of peat lying around! When dry, it can be a major fire hazard, as peat fires can burn almost indefinitely (or at least until the fuel is exhausted). Peat fires can even burn underground, reigniting after the winter, provided there is a source of oxygen. In other words, it would be just as devastating as a wildfire and continue to burn until all the peat has finished burning.

So What is Peat? Part II cont. 5 So What is Peat? Part II cont.

6 How does this help? Using our new understanding of “The Peat Fire Flame” and its origins, we can listen and see how the composer used the folk song in this different setting as well as bring out new elements of the work in our performance. Let’s now listen to our arrangement of The Peat Fire Flame.