Scotlands Music - New BBC Television Series Catriona Mckay
Commencing Saturday 3 November 2007, Phil Cunningham is presenting a Series of six hour-long programmes on Scotland's Music. He will visit a number of locations including Donegal, Cape Breton, the Appalachians to illustrate how "our" music has influenced these cultures.
This will probably prove to be another series not to be missed. For those with hectic social lives, the programmes will be repeated on Tuesday nights.
Catriona Mackay was on last week: See her profile here!It was wonderful to see "bells" recognised for what I always thought it was, "Folk scene central"
My dad was born in the flat upstairs. I always knew I had previous when I first walked into that pub.
Yep. I really enjoyed the programme - lots of great music and interesting facts. Seeing Dick Gaughan was also superb... ...I must see him live!
Highly recommended, can't wait till the next one!
j
Am looking forward to seeing these (the folks are recording them for me)
In the meanwhile the BBC website has lots of extra video clips with some full length songs that I gather were clipped for the documentary.
Worth checking out!
For those of us in exile south of the border - will we ever get chance to see this on freeview? The video clips look so good and English traditional music doesn't seem half as much fun.
You may have noticed I put up that tune I've been playing under "Gaelic Air". In reality in my dim and distant past I got this from My brothers playing in 18oatcake. It actually came from Phil's album recorded with his brother "Against the Storm" It went under the title Lamachree and Megrum. Peter see the link above for the words.
http://ingeb.org/songs/lamachre.html
The Teuchiest place that ere I gaid
its a great line....
I believe the programmes are repeated on Tuesdays on beeb4. Correct me if I am wrong anybody
i watched this and cant remember what islands the christian chanting still happens. I am an artist intertested in scoittish hertiage and would love to experience this for myself. Can anyone help me?
contact me on travellingtink@hotmail.com
Hi Emma,
Well I didn't see the particular program with "christian chanting", but I presume that this refers to Gaelic psalm singing - which is a remnant of passing scripture via an aural rather than written tradition. The psalm singing is extraordinary and unique gaelic music. Usually someone leads the chant and the congregation than responds - somehow they all know the tunes. This still occurs over a few areas in the north west coast of scotland and in the islands, but i'm particularly aware of it in North Uist.
Hope that helps,
Jamie
The programme in question did feature Gaelic psalm singing and the precentor in question was a wonderful singer.
Some clips from that show and others can be seen at:
[Scotland's Music]
There is none of the psalm singing on the web site but if you click on the "All Artists" clip then you will see him singing in it (unsurprisingly he is the one in the suit!). Great series all round.
On the topic of the psalm singing there was something on the tv a while back linking it with some black Gospel singers in America - suggesting that the tradition had found its way over there from its Western Isles origins.
More here:
[youtube]
Interesting stuff.
If someone could get rid of the underlining that would be great - it really shouldn't be doing that!
(At least the links still work)
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