Alison Burns

Heire Bannag

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:38:04 +0000

This song is from the outer Hebrides of Scotland and is one of the very few surviving pieces of Scottish music related to Christmas. It was sung as part of a house visiting ceremony by crofters and is in praise of the baby Jesus and was collected by Alexander Carmichael from John MacDiarmaid, Isle of Scalpay, Harris and from Roderick MacBeil, Isle of Mingulay, Barra.

Text example – translated from the Gaelic:

Hail the giver, hail the giving Hail the giver, on the living
Son of the dawn, son of the clouds
Son of the planet, son of the star
Son of the deluge, son of the deep
Son of the firmament, son of the sky
Son of the flame, son of the light ray
Son of the sphere, son of the globe
Son of the elements, son of the heavens
Son of the moon, son of the sun

St Stephen

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:36:26 +0000

This is a little gem of a ballad carol telling the story of St Stephen, the servant to Herod. This version was collected by Helen Hartness Flanders in Vermont, USA, in 1934, from Mr George Edwards. It’s unusual as so little is known about St Stephen.

Text example:
Saint Stephen was a serving man in Herod’s royal hall
He served him with meat and wine
That doth to King’s befall.
He was serving him with meat one day
With a boars head in his hand
When he saw a star come from the East
And over Bethlehem stand.

The Angels Sang

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:35:10 +0000

A lovely carol also called The Prince of Peace. I originally found this in the library at Cecil Sharp House in London – home to Britian’s archive of folksongs – written in the late Bob Copper’s hand writing. Subsequently I’ve found it in several carol books from the late 1800s. I’ve adapted it slightly by simplifying the chorus.

Text example:

Fir tree and pine and myrtle bough
Are woven in garlands to greet the now
And the frosty sunshine of Christmas day
Is fairer to us than the light of May.

As Joseph was a Walking

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:34:38 +0000

I buy lots of old carol books as part of my research and had the odd experience recently of ordering a book through the internet from USA only to find that it had an inscription of Annie S Laurie, Dunscore at the front of it. Dunscore is a local village to me here in South West Scotland – perhaps 18 miles away – and the Annie S Laurie in the inscription is most likely related in some way to the, also local, Annie Laurie from the famous song ( Oh Maxwelton Braes are Bonny ). It says in the book that it’s an ancient carol but this is the only source I can find of it. It has a lovely original tune.

Text example:
As Joseph was a walking, he heard an angle sing
“This night shall be the birth-time of Christ the heavenly King.
He neither shall be born in great housen or in hall
Nor in the place of paradise, but in an oxen stall”

Aunt Mary’s Tree

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:34:08 +0000

I found the text of this lovely carol by the Rev Robert Stephen Hawker in an old carol book dating from 1886. Evidently the terms ‘Uncle’ and ‘Aunt’ were used in old Cornwall as a kindly greeting of respect, thus the Virgin Mary became known as Modryh Marya or Aunt Mary.

Text example:

Now of all the trees that are in the woods which do you love the best?
O the one that is red upon Christmas day, the one with the bleeding breast
The holly with her drops of blood for me, for that is our sweet Aunt Mary’s tree.

Amazing Grace

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:30:05 +0000

A version written by Tony Backhouse – I’ve been singing and teaching this for years but somehow it just began to take on a life of its own this year. I wrote an intro and a vamp part to go with it. It’s a wonderful combination of being very easy but still musically interesting. www.tonybackhouse.com

Readers for It’s a Landgirl’s Life

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:29:19 +0000

The team of readers who made the performances of It’s a Landgirl’s Life at Shambellie House – Scotland’s National Museum of Costume, come to life so well.

Ann Armitage, Liz Kettle, David Foreman. See projects page.

I’ll Fly Away

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:28:06 +0000

Albert Bromley’s classic hymn arranged by Una May Olomolaiye, www.yamanu.co.uk

Fairview Duplication, Yorkshire

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:27:20 +0000

For their ongoing, outstandingly fast and cheerful service – and especially for pulling out all the stops to meet a deadline when they were snowed in last winter. www.fairviewduplication.co.uk

Laurieston Hall: Recording The Raven

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:26:18 +0000

What a great week this was. 35 of us met up to put together a song cycle and record and perform it on the last day. My co-teachers were the fabulous Wendy Stewart on harp, the incomparable Polly Bolton on vocals and silly late night songs, and the lovely Keith Jackman on percussion. Also on the week were Tony Bonning who wrote the beautiful text for The Raven and Merlin Bonning, sound engineer, extraordinaire.