I will leave a proper write-up to someone who wasn’t organising it, as I’d like to see how it felt for somebody else. However, after the seedgroup we agreed that we would put the details of the music we played up on the site, so here goes.
1) As people arrived. el-Hadra, the Mystik dance, ISBN 3–88848-094–9, published by Aquarius International Music, CD number AIM 0094.
2) Daniel’s choice in talking stick round was Dido’s Lament, which is the last part of the opera Dido and Aeneas, by Henry Purcell. The recording was by Les Arts Florissants, conductor William Christie, publisher Harmonia Mundi, number HML 5905173.
3) Lorraine’s choice was “Chi passa per’sta strada” by Filippo Azzaiolo, arranged by Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, from the album Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet, Sony Classical.
4) Additionally, Daniel played “Cherubic Hymn” (Izhe kherumvimy) from the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom by Tchaikovsky. The recording by Corydon Singers, Matthew Best. Hyperion CDA66948,
5) We finished with “La Bas” from the album “The Mirror Pool” by Lisa Gerrard, published by 4AD, CAD 5009.
With no. 5 I think we said it was ‘Violina’ at the time, which was the track I was intending to play. Evidently I didn’t remember it all that well, as when ‘La Bas’ was played by mistake I didn’t notice!
Comment by Lorraine — 20/2/2005 @ 9:29 pm
Thanks for this, as I was meaning to ask Lorraine about which album that piece was from, but forgot. Sorry i had to rush off a bit, but thank you everyone for a brilliant afternoon. My pieces were the Ballad of John Barleycorn from one of the folksong books of the pieces collected by Vaughan Williams et al, and ‘O Viridissima Virga’ by Hildegarde of Bingen. Can’t remember the publisher or conductor etc of this without looking it up (I’m at work at the mo so can’t do it right now) but I will do so and will post them if anyone is interested. I’d like to write a report of the afternoon if no-one else is already doing one, but that’ll have to wait till tomorrow evening when I get a bit more time!
Comment by francesca — 21/2/2005 @ 1:02 pm
Hi Francesca, what you didn’t mention was that you sung the ballad of John Barleycorn, which was beautifully done! I’d like to know the publisher/conductor of the Hildegarde of Bingen piece, I was thinking of buying it.
Comment by Lorraine — 21/2/2005 @ 1:58 pm
Sounds like a really good seedgroup, I am sorry I could not be there, but a friend came over from Germany on short notice and I had to play the London tour guide.
Comment by Petra — 22/2/2005 @ 8:28 am
Thanks Lorraine – that’s really nice of you! The Hildegarde of Bingen CD is called ‘A Feather on the Breath of God’.
It’s sung by Gothic Voices directed by Christopher Page and published by Hyperion.
I suspect old Hildegard of being a druid in disguise. Reading the sleeve notes, it says she was a poet, composer, playwright and visionary, who also wrote books on medicine and natural history and whose advice was sought by many prominent people of the day including the pope. Sounds pretty good going for anyone, never mind a woman nearly 900 years ago!
Comment by francesca — 22/2/2005 @ 8:24 pm
Yes she’s great our Hildegard, isn’t she? I adopted her as my patron saint – or spiritual ancestor as a Druid should say. There isn’t a saint Hilde – yet!
My bit of music was ‘The Song of the Stars’ on Spiritchaser by Dead Can Dance CAD 6008 CD
I really enjoyed the seedgroup. Mark and Daniel really put a lot of effort into it and it showed. Thank you guys!
Comment by hilde — 22/2/2005 @ 10:16 pm
Andrew, when you visit, can you put yours on, please? I think I might want to use it in my workshop. Thanks!
Comment by hilde — 25/2/2005 @ 3:02 pm
Thanks to Andrew for bringing some English Trad fiddle music. During the conversation Andrew asked for the details of any English Music Sessions so I will post what I know for everyone.
http://www.greentrad.org.uk for info and dates on the ‘English Session’ in Greewich.
http://web.online.co.uk/ for more central London sessions.
I cant vouch for these as my interest is in Irish Trad music but I am interested in visiting.
If anyone wishes to join me let me know.
Mark Hassall
Comment by Mark — 26/2/2005 @ 1:35 pm
Sorry last web page incorrect – Please if visiting the web.online.co.uk site type:
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/martin.nail/Borosess.htm
Thanks. Mark
Comment by Mark — 26/2/2005 @ 1:39 pm
Sorry I’m not posting until a week later. The music I brought along was a CD by the English Acoustic Collective, called “Ghosts”. It’s published by RUF Records. Chris Wood, who runs the collective, is one of my favourite musicians and has a number of other recordings on RUF, details of which can be found on their website:
http://www.englishacousticcollective.org.uk
The track I chose was a 17th Century tune called “Hare’s Maggot” (a maggot being a “whimsy” and not a grub!). It is adapted from a version which appears in the 1651 edition of “Playford’s English Dancing Master”.
As I said at the seedgroup, my reason for choosing this tune was related to something that Chris wrote in the sleevenotes to the CD, which I’ll transcribe here since I think it has particularly “druidic” overtones. Chris writes:
“As the musician plays, standing behind them is the ghost of the person they learnt the music from. Standing behind that ghost is the ghost of the player they learnt from, and so on, back to the beginning of music. If we who are the flesh and blood at the head of this long line get too clever, we get a dig in the ribs from the old ghost; but if we play the same way every night, we hear the sound of spectral snoring. Here lies the folk musician’s territory, between a dig in the ribs and the snores of boredom. Our music is built upon the freely given gift that is our cultural inheritance. This act of faith by our ancestors moves us to take our place at the head of the line konwing that we will be ghosts soon enough – we have made a commitment and here is what it sounds like.”
I love the image of the line of ancestors stood behind the musician, and although I can’t (yet!) play a musical instrument it’s an image that resonates for me as someone listening to the music as well… I can imagine the ancestors who have listened to this music and enjoyed it before me, and it speaks not of nostalgia but of continuity through the ages. I’m the flesh and blood at the head of the line of listeners, tapping my foot and being transported by the words.
Anything by Chris Wood is good, but I especially recommend “Ghosts”, “Knock John” and “Crossing”.
Heartfelt thanks to Mark and Daniel for organising the group. Mark – the English Folk sessions sound superb. I can’t make the one next week, but have put April 3rd in my diary and would be happy to meet up with you there :-).
Comment by Andrew. — 26/2/2005 @ 8:48 pm
I may be away next weekend, but April 3rd would be OK for Daniel and I. I have no idea whether it would be my kind of thing or not, but it’s one way to find out!
Comment by Lorraine — 26/2/2005 @ 11:04 pm
I’ll look up this website and see if I can come too, I love live folk music! I thought at the time by the way, Andrew, what a lovely idea it was of the ghosts standing around tapping their feet to the traditional music which has been used for jolly knees ups for hundreds of years! I like the thought of the spectral snoring too. A warning to us all! Referring to Daniel’s article on the other thread – music is an incredibly deep and vivid form of communication. I’m always particularly moved by songs written about a real person’s life, and feel as though we’re kind of communicating with them when we sing about them. I learned a beautiful and incredibly sad song recently about a Scottish Robin-Hood-type highwayman called Macpherson who played the fiddle, and asked to play it as a dying wish at the gallows. When he’d finished, he broke it in half and asked that it be buried with him… You’d think in those circumstances the ghost of his fiddle would be standing beside you too as you sang the song. Folk music is literally ‘haunting’ despite its jollity because it transcends time and brings you so close to those who made it. I haven’t had the chance to get to a music shop yet but as soon as I do I shall get the ‘Ghosts’ album!
Comment by francesca — 9/3/2005 @ 9:58 pm
I’d like to know the lyrics for that song, one of my ancestral family names is MacPherson so that would be worth knowing!
Comment by Lorraine — 10/3/2005 @ 4:18 pm
It’s called ‘Macpherson’s Lament’, Lorraine, and I think it’s early 18th century. I haven’t got the words with me, but shall look them out for you. He was definitely a real person, and apparently one of nature’s gentlemen. He did rob people but reportedly never hurt anyone. Can’t remember whereabouts he was from though. Where in Scotland are your family from? It would be interesting if he was a connection of yours wouldn’t it! How common a name is Macpherson?
Comment by francesca — 10/3/2005 @ 9:46 pm
I would have thought it’s one of the more common names in Scotland. Chances are there’s no direct connection but it would be fun to find out. The MacPhersons in my family tree were in Argyll around the Ardnamurchan peninsula near Loch Shiel, crofters, then one son turned sailor, ended up marrying in Liverpool and then his own son, one of my great-grandfathers, followed the same line of work and married someone in London who was also probably of partial Scots ancestry.
Comment by Lorraine — 10/3/2005 @ 10:20 pm