Monday, August 25, 2008

Yet more insights into our tunes.

Kate Dalrymple.
A traditional tune with words added by William Watt ( circa 1792). Very popular as a dance tune with folk groups and pipers alike. The words tell the tale of a less than pretty lady, doomed to spinsterhood, with nothing going for her at all until she falls heir to a friend’s estate. Then the wooers start coming thick and fast. A typical bit of Scots humour.


The Bonnie Lass O’ Fyvie.
A popular folk song which (tongue in cheek) tells the tale of Ned, a Captain of the Irish Dragoons, who dies of a broken heart after falling in love with and soon after having to leave, lovely Peggy from the Aberdeenshire village of Fyvie.


Castle Dangerous
"Castle Dangerous" is a novel by Sir Walter Scott, written in 1832. The castle believed to have inspired the novel is Douglas Castle in the Galloway area of south-west Scotland. In 1307, during the Wars of Scottish Independence the castle was captured and garrisoned by the English under Lord Clifford. Sir James Douglas, companion of Robert the Bruce successfully recaptured his family seat by storming the castle on Palm Sunday, while the garrison were at chapel. He had the garrison killed and thrown into a cellar, before the structure was burned. The event has become known as "Douglas's Larder". Grim days, to be sure.


The Hiking Song.
This song was made popular by Callum Kennedy in the 1960’s, and has remained a favourite. It has never been published as a pipe tune however, and our version is simply a transcription taken directly from Callum’s voice.


Will Ye No’ Come Back Again/We’re No’ Awa’ Tae Bide Awa’.
These two tunes are often played together, but they are truly uneasy bedfellows. The first expresses a nostalgic longing for the return of Bonnie Prince Charlie from exile after the ill-fated Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, and the other is a cheery drinking song from the streets of Glasgow. Their adaptation to the pipes has given the repertoire a couple of well know tunes whose titles (if not their content) seem to fit nicely into the category of “rounding off the programme” with the happy idea that the players and the audience would be happy to meet again sometime.


Old Angus

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