THE MUSIC OF SCOTLAND

BAGPIPES CLARSACH FIDDLE ACCORDION Scottish instruments

Choose from: Bagpipes, Clarsach, Fiddle, Accordion WHICH INSTRUMENT DO YOU HEAR?

Scottish Dances Folk music - The traditional music of the people, performed by themselves in their own communities Scottish Music

Bothy Ballad Bothy – Basic shelter or house Scottish folk songs, sung by farm workers, about work and poor living conditions. Scots ballad – A slow Scottish song which tells a story. Here is a song called ‘the Muckin O Geordies Byre’

Bothy Ballad Noo when I want taw lauchin' I think on the scene When a'body roub' aboot cam; ower tae clean, And clairted themsel's richt up taw the e'en At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre. Wi Robbie the Rochie and Willie the Doo, The auld wife hersel' an' Teeny McCrew; And a'body else the left aff the pleugh For the muckin' o' Geordie's byre. Oh! Siccan a sotter was a'body in, Five mile awa' ye could hear the din; Even the vera coo had to grin At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre. Noo the bobby cam' roun' tae quell doon the soun' The cratur got lost whaur the rucks hae their foun' He feel in the midden and was like taw droon At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre. The weicht o' him syne sent the barrow in bits, The wheel cairred on and the auld wife it hits; Losh! ye should hae seen how she did the splits At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre. Oh the whisky gaed roun' Tammy flein' the doo' And aye as they drank, the mair they got fou' The only anes sober, the calf an' the coo At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre. Tammy roared oot "Ring the bell noo for mair" Syne tuggit the coo's tail, and pu'd oot a hair; When she kickit oot he gaed up in the air At the muckin' o' Geordie's byre.

Gaelic Psalm These were improvised songs of worship with ‘leader’ and congregation, which are sung in Gaelic. They often sound out of time due to the ‘free’ way they are sung. Gaelic psalm – Slow, unaccompanied Gaelic church tune, heard mostly in the Western Isles of Scotland.

Mouth music - port à beul This is a vocal performance used when no instruments were available to provide music for a dance. The words were often improvised (made up on the spot). Mouth music – Gaelic nonsense words sung in imitation of the sound of bagpipes as an accompaniment to dancing.

Waulking Song A traditional Scottish song (in Gaelic) sung by women during repetitive work e.g beating the cloth. Sung during beating tweed to make the fibers mesh together H0 H0

Waulking Song Waulking song – A rhythmic song sung in Gaelic by the women in the Western Isles of Scotland while they ‘waulked’ the woollen cloth to soften and shrink it. Sometimes the singing is led by a soloist with a response from the rest of the women. Usually individual lines and then a sung line by everyone, for example: Jock - Hello, my name is Jock Everyone - Yes yes hello Jock Jock- I like learning Everyone- Yes yes hello Jock