Scottish musical history 2013 Strathclyde University lecture 1

Scottish Musical History

6 Lectures by Dr Karen McAulay

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6 lectures on Scottish music:

• Today 7/3 Looking at research in Celtic music• 14/3 Overview of Celtic music• 21/3 18th Century Scottish music• 28/3 19th Century Scottish music• 18/4 Reading between the lines:

interpreting compilers' intentions• 25/4 Celtic Twilight and 20th Century

Revival

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General ‘stuff’

• Choice of 2 essays, set by Dr Argondizza & myself.• Reading list – modern texts, old sources. Dip into both.• Celtic – or Scottish? Sometimes I’ll refer to Celtic

music – that’s so I can draw in Irish and Welsh where I feel it’s appropriate.

• My research: late 18th/19th century Scottish music• Me: musicologist; music librarian; in RCS - a place

focusing on performance. These circumstances inevitably affect my approach!

Research in Celtic Music

An IntroductionDr Karen McAulay

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The beginning of a research journey

• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The librarian, the line-manager and the cupboard)

• Alice in Wonderland’s cake (“Eat me”)• Rudyard Kipling’s questions:-• “I keep six honest serving-men

(They taught me all I knew);Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who.”

• - No wonder journalists are taught the rhyme!

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What - Why – When - How – Where - Who

James Simpson’s signature

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What - Why – When - How – Where - Who

James Simpson’s Dalfield Walk address (Book 1)

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What - Why – When - How – Where - Who

James Simpson’s Myrekirk address (Book 3)

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What - Why – When - How – Where - Who

James Simpson’s flute chart (back of Book 1)

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What - Why – When - How – Where - Who

What kind of music? Flute ensemble

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What - Why – When - How – Where - Who

Psalm tune (by a local precentor)

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What - Why – When - How – Where - Who

Anthem/choral item from a published collection

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Six Questions

• What• Why• When• How• Where• Who

• Three weeks’ study leave … the deal …

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Aims

• Find answers to some of the questions• Publish findings appropriate places• Presentation to BA (Scottish Music) students

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Realities of research

• Libraries: Glasgow, Dundee, Perth, British Library• Archives &c: Dundee Archives & Registrar• People: Charlie Gore (The Scottish Fiddle Music

Index); Peter Harrison (Concert Royal); Myrekirk’s owner

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That was Myrekirk house – These are Myrekirk Cottages!

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Outcomes (1)

• Six answers (briefly!)

• What• Why• When• How• Where• Who

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Outcomes(2)

• Box and Fiddle article (Oct 2002)• The Scots Magazine (Nov 2002)• Brio Vol.40 no.1 (Spring/Summer 2003)• RMA Chronicle Vol.38 (2005)

• Not to mention The James Simpson Show (Feb 2003)• And …

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One thing led to another

• My doctoral research• Q: Where are the research centres? (and it’s

not just in universities – private researchers, too.)

• Q: How do research findings get disseminated?

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WARNING! Research as varied as the people doing it!

• Q: Big question: Mine is historical research – but what other kinds of research might be conducted into Scottish music?

• Some examples …• Q: Even bigger question: What is Scottish

music?• Discuss …!

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Interdisciplinarity

• Which means, precisely?

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Examples of interdisciplinarity• Musicology combined with ethnomusicology (eg Edinburgh –

School of Scottish Studies, now Department of Celtic and Scottish Studies http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/literatures-languages-cultures/celtic-scottish-studies

• Musicology combined with literature – eg Dr Kirsteen McCue’s work (Scottish literature and music) in University of Glasgow’s School of Critical Studies http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/critical/staff/kirsteenmccue/

• University of Edinburgh’s Centre for the History of the Book http://www.hss.ed.ac.uk/chb/

• Aberdeen’s Elphinstone Institute – postgrad research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology http://www.abdn.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-research.php?code=elph_int

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Resources

• Historical sources: musical and non-musical• Modern resources: books, journals, databases

(general and musical) • Question: What have I used?

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Resources

• Answer: depending on what you’re researching, you could use a very wide range of resources!

• Music (for my research) EASMES database; Wighton Database, RILM abstracts and indices. Some people rely heavily on RISM, too. Digitised journals eg JSTOR

• General (for my research) ECCO; others covering other periods or subjects eg EEBO

• What if a resource goes ‘down the plughole’?!• General principles of research – being able to back up

statements, cite references, summarise existing research, explain and defend your own position.

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Back to the James Simpson MSS

• Take a look• (Does anyone play the flute? Lead a church

choir?)

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Some interesting links

• Flautist Peter Harrison’s Concert Royal – 18th century performance practice http://www.classical-artists.com/concertroyal/

• Peter Harrison and his present research project http://www2.hull.ac.uk/scarborough/campus-departments/sse/staff/peter-harrison.aspx

• Dundee – Wighton Heritage Centre at Dundee Central Library http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/wighton/heritage.htm

• EASMES (Early American Secular Music and its European Sources, 1589-1839) http://www.colonialdancing.org/Easmes/Index.htm

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Summary

• Research into Scottish music:-• Historical• Interdisciplinary• Modern• Resources• Research dissemination• The biggest question: what is Scottish music?!

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Next week

• Overview of Celtic music