Scots Gaelic Song

SITE MOVE

2014-02-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

UPDATE:
This BLOG about Scots Gaelic has moved to the following site:

http://scotsgaelicsong.wordpress.com

Waulking Songs - Oran Luadhaidh

2014-02-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

Waulking songs (Oran Luadhaidh) are so much fun!!!
They are songs that have an alternating chorus and solo lines - with the solo lines frequently improvised - sung by women in the West Highlands when 'waulking' (shrinking) cloth.

The custom no longer survives as modern methods have overtaken the tweed industry. The original method was to soak the tweed in human urine and thump it on a board or table rhythmically with feet or hands, with the cloth being passed round as it was worked on. This could take up to half an hour. The quality of the cloth was much better preserved by the method.

I'll be performing several Waulking songs at the Scots Gaelic song and pipe music concert series in April. I will also be teaching one at the workshop held in St. Paul.

Ticket information on Eventbrite

Working with a piper

2014-01-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

Dick and I have been hard at work preparing an all Scots Gaelic Song & Pipe music concert for the people of Minnesota. It is exciting to be involved in this type of project! Scotland’s Western Isles have preserved a wealth of traditional Scots Gaelic songs, as well as music for the pipes. As a duo, we combined these two ancient musical traditions.

Working with a piper has made me think even more about the long tradition these tunes hold. What an honor it is to have the opportunity to be a part of preserving tradition.

Dick Hensold during our most recent rehearsal playing the Northumbrian small pipes.

Dick Hensold is the leading Northumbrian smallpiper in North America, and for the past 20 years has performed and taught in England, Scotland, Japan, Canada, and across the United States. Based in St Paul, MN, he is a full-time musician, passionately presenting the traditional music of Scotland, Cape Breton Island, and Northumberland, as well as Nordic folk music, early music, and traditional Cambodian music. He is also an active composer, studio musician and theater musician, and his solo Northumbrian smallpipes CD Big Music for Northumbrian Smallpipes was released in 2007.

More information on Dick go to www.dickhensold.com

I see the big mountains!

2014-01-23T11:16:00.003-08:00

Another song we are going to feature in our Scots Gaelic Song & Pipe music concert is "I Will See The Big Mountains".

Here is just a chorus and verse of the song and then I sing some mouth music.

Don't miss the beauty of the full song at our concert window program which you can see live online: April 5th with piper Dick Hensold!
www.concertwindow.com

Chi mi na mor-bheanna

{translation below lyrics}

O Chi, Chi mi na mor-bheanna,

O Chi, Chi mi na corr-bheanna,

O Chi, Chi mi na coireachan

Chi mi na sgoran fo cheo

Chi mi gun dail an t-site san d’rugadh mi

Cuirear orm falte sa chanain a thuigeas mi

gheibh mi ann aoidh agus gradh nuair riugeam

nac reicinn air tunnachan oir

chi mi na coilltean , chi mi na doireachan,

chi mi na maghn bana as toraiche

chi mi na feidh air lar nan coireachan

falaicht an trusgan de cheo

failt air na gorm mheallaibh tholmach thulachnach

failt air na corr bheannaibh more mulanach

failt air na coiltean, us failt’ air na h-uile

O! s’ona bhi ‘fuireach ‘nan coir.

{Translation}
O I will see, see the big mountains

O I will see, see the big mountains,

O I will see, see the corries,

I will see the misty peaks

I will soon sore the place where I was born

I will be given a welcome in the language I understand,

I will receive joy and love when I arrive

That I would not seel you futons of gold

I will see the woods, set he groves

I will see the fair and beautiful plains

I will see the deer at the foot of the cores

Enshrouded in a mantle of mist

Hail to the many green hillocks

Hail to the many great mountain

Hail to the forest and hail to all

O what happiness to live newer to them.

Dirty old man

2014-01-22T12:04:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite things about puirt a beul (mouth music) is that most of the time the words are silly and fun. The main emphasis is the rhythm that the lyrics create. So I thought I would share an example of silly and fun lyrics. I pasted the lyrics to this tune in Gaelic and then the english translation below.

To hear the tune you can come to one of my Scots Gaelic Song concerts in April tune in online at www.concertwindow.com to watch our April 5th performance live in Winona, MN.

Nam biodh agam giobal bodaich

bhogainn anns an allt e

nam biodh agam giobal bodaich

bhogainn anns an allt e

nam biodh agam giobal bodaich

bhogainn anns an allt e

{If I had a dirty old man, I'd thrown him in the river}

’S mur biodh e glan nuair bheirinn as e Bhogainn rithist ann e

{When he was clean I'd take him out and thrown him in again}

Gum bogainn e, ’s gun toga inn e

’S gum bogainn anns an allt e

Gum bogainn e, ’s gun toga inn e

’S gum bogainn anns an allt e

Gum bogainn e, ’s gun toga inn e

’S gum bogainn anns an allt e

{I'd throw him in, then I'd take him out}

’S mur biodh e glan nuair bheirinn as e Bhogainn rithist ann e

{When he was clean I'd take him out and thrown him in again}

They just don't write lyrics like this anymore! HA!

Who Will Have Fun With Me - Co ni mire rium

2014-01-20T10:46:00.006-08:00

Apologies that I can't seem to get grave accent marks on this keyboard for the Gaelic letters! They make a difference but after an hour of trying to figure it out, I realized I had better things to do with my time. So I will carry on minus the grave marks!

I want to share some of the music we (piper Dick Hensold and I) will be performing at our upcoming concert series in April.

One of the pieces that I've wanted to perform for quite a while is a waulking song called 'Co ni mire rium'. It has been recording by several Scots Gaelic singers, so it is always important to make a new arrangement while keeping the traditional sound in tact. In our arrangement, Dick has written some really nice instrumental breaks which I believe keeps the tune interesting. I can't wait to perform it!

This is a waulking song by a young man who is wondering who will flirt with him. He meets a young girl one day when walking on the moors: she is picking flowers by the side of a pool. He went over to her and asked who she belonged to - she told him she was a Chisholm girl and he in turn told her that she was also a Chisholm. She said that she would have nothing to do with him, that a MacLean was her preference and a MacDonald is to meet her.

Here is the translation for those interested:

Who Will Have Fun With Me?

Who will flirt with me?

Who will be nice to me?

Who will, unless the young men will?

One day I took off into the mountain moors

I came across a nice young lass

I went over and got her to talk with me

And I asked her what her surname was

She said, "I'm a Chisolm"

And I told her that that was my clan

She said to me, "I'll have nothing to do with you I prefer MacLeans

And a MacDonald will be coming to see me"

Scots Gaelic Waulking Song: Uamh an Òir

2014-01-17T14:51:00.003-08:00

Scots Gaelic Song - Uamh an Òir

I recorded this song as the title track of my first CD:
Cave of Gold (Uamh an Òir ).

I learned the song as a waulking song back when I was studying Scots Gaelic in Scotland. The story is of a piper who went into a cave. His music became fainter and fainter. The piper never came back. Some say that his dog came out hairless. Some versions of the song and story tell of the piper being attacked by fairy hounds.

Here is my version and the translation is pasted below:

Uamh an Oir (Cave of Gold)

Traditional Waulking Song
Every woman with her coat soaking taking the sand-eels from the shore
***
Before I come, before I return, before I come out of the Cave of Gold
Before I come, before I return, before I come out of the Cave of Gold
***
The little calves will be mart-cattle before I come out of the Cave of Gold
The little calves will be mart-cattle before I come out of the Cave of Gold
***
Before I come, before I return, before I come out of the Cave of Gold
Before I come, before I return, before I come out of the Cave of Gold
***
The little children will be householders before I come out of the Cave of Gold
The little children will be householders before I come out of the Cave of Gold
***
Before I come, before I return, before I come out of the Cave of Gold
Before I come, before I return, before I come out of the Cave of Gold
***
Every woman with her coat soaking taking the sand-eels from the shore
Every woman with her coat soaking taking the sand-eels from the shore
***
Taking the sand-eels, taking the sand-eels, taking the sand-eels from the shore
Taking the sand-eels, taking the sand-eels, taking the sand-eels from the shore

Every woman with her coat soaking taking the sand-eels from the shore

I love having this online resource of tobar and dualchais to further learning and growth in Scots Gaelic song from my home. Here is another version of the story which different lyrics and tune - which is common with traditional music!

http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/fullrecord/68553/2;jsessionid=993174261939D2331E5BBBB21D87E82B

Scots Gaelic Song Workshop in St. Paul

2014-01-17T09:27:00.002-08:00

I am So excited to be bringing a Scots Gaelic song workshop to St. Paul, MN!
April 26th, 2014 @ 9:30 AM at the Celtic Junction

No previous Scots Gaelic language knowledge is needed. The study focus is on the music and the purpose of the song. Although, one should expect a few language explanations as needed for the singing. The workshop provides students with the experience of learning the musical purpose of each song. Before a dance tune is learned, the dance step is demonstrated to visually see how the tune rhythm matches with the dance step. As a work song is learned, work song motions are made while singing in order to feel the emphasis on the beat and understand the rise and fall of the song.

I began competitive Scottish Dance at the age of 9 and competed as a premier Highland Dancer until age 22. I also hold a BA in Music Education and I've been teaching Celtic cultural arts through music and dance in school settings since 2003.

I can't wait to share my love of this music with others!

Planning to attend? Click here to reserve a space

Bha Sneachda - Scots Gaelic Christmas Song

2014-01-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Christmas songs in Scots Gaelic.

Puirt a beul with the Jennifer Licko Band

2014-01-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

In this video I perform a strathspey and a reel in Scots Gaelic.

Strathspeys and Reels are types of dance tune in 4/4 time - sometimes reels are in 2/4 time. Reels tend to follow strathspeys with a quicker tempo.

Scots Gaelic Concerts coming up in Minnesota during the month of April 2014! Early Bird Tickets are available now until the end of January at a discounted price!

Jennifer Licko Tour Schedule

Mouth Music: puirt a beul

2014-01-10T12:37:00.001-08:00

Puirt a beul was intended for dancing, it was most popular in the 19th century when the destruction of musical instruments was common.

The thought among the good ministers and elders in the 19th century was that the songs and stories, the music and dancing, the sports and games perverted the minds. Therefore, they preached about people discarding their sports and pastimes, making people burn their pipes and fiddles, This left no music of dancers so puirt a beul originated for dancing purposes.

Most Puirt a beul have actual words but they are nonsensical, ludicrous, humorous or satirical.

All About This Blog! #scotsgaelic

2014-01-09T12:32:00.005-08:00

I am so excited about 2014! This year brings on this new blog to help promote Scots Gaelic song from the Western Isles of Scotland! Having received a folk and traditional arts grant from the MN State Arts Board for 2014, I will be posting all about the grant project. My posts will included information about Scots Gaelic, how to learn more, get involved and enjoy more Scots Gaelic related activities.

Here is a little music to get things started!

If you are a tweeter, please use #scotsgaelic to help promote the language!

Joining me on this tour is Northumbrian pipers Dick Hensold. The concerts will represent music & dance from the Western Isle of Scotland.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota state arts board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.