The Paisley weaver poet & songwriter: celebrating Robert Tannahill
17 May, Royal Society of Edinburgh – free
Dissenting from prevailing notions that label Robert Tannahill (1774–1810) as “sweetly sentimental”, Prof Fred Freeman's lecture positions Tannahill as a major poet who expanded the tradition of British “rationalist” pastoralism.
Time for another auld tune. Jack Lattin was once popular all across these islands. Composed in Ireland sometime in the early 1700s it quickly spread across the Irish Sea and appears in many music collections of the 18th century.
Always like stopping at Hamish Henderson's childhood home in Glenshee, which backs right onto the kirkyard.
Henderson was a major organiser of the Scottish Folk Revival in the 1950s-70s. Some of his interest in folk culture came from his upbringing here and around
Blairgowrie, where he heard his mother
and their neighbours singing traditional songs.
And now the last of my 40 settings from the manuscript. I enjoyed creating pipe friendly settings, I can't say I enjoyed recording them. I don't think recording tunes that I am unfamiliar with does the tunes or my piping justice.
A quick play through of my setting of Unfortunate Jock from The Drummond Castle Manuscript, Book 1, dated 1737.
Right, after a week at carnival in Portugal and a week recovering it's time to get back to the auld tunes. This is another from the manuscript that was already in my repertoire although I've always played it as a standard reel without those semi-quaver runs.
A Ranting Highland Man from The Drummond Castle Manuscript, Book 1, dated 1737.
In today's video, I'm playing the English cumulative folk song "Green Grow The Rushes, Oh" on twelve different instruments. Which one is your favourite?
Some snaps from our last session in The Oban Inn on Wednesday 3rd January 2024. We are having another session this afternoon if you happen to be in the area. #TraditionalMusic#FolkMusic#Sessions#TradMusic
Some more snaps from our last session in The Oban Inn on Wednesday 3rd January 2024. We are having another session this afternoon if you happen to be in the area. #TraditionalMusic#FolkMusic#Sessions#TradMusic
Sunday evening with Chris Foster’s arrangement of “The World Turned Upside Down“, from the album “All Things in Common”. One of my favourite performances of one of my favourite Leon Rosselson songs. Channeling Gerrard Winstanley and The Diggers. #nowPlaying#folkmusic#traditionalmusic#guitar