Dr Karen McAulay explores the history of Scottish music collecting, publishing and national identity from the 18th to 20th centuries. Research Fellow at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, author of two Routledge monographs.
Yesterday being Sunday – and Scotland isn’t out of the World Cup yet – I dug deep to find some more thematically appropriate music to play on the organ. I’m pleased to report that it IS possible to play, ‘Yes, Sir, I can Boogie’ in a sedate, dignified manner. Challenging, but possible. Likewise ‘Scotland The Brave’. After those, a calmer ‘The Rowan Tree’ and an organ setting of ‘Amazing Grace’ completed the World Cup set.
But AFTER the service … although I nominally stuck with a Scottish titled march, absolutely no-one would have known or recognised it. It was an indulgence of my research interests, I’m afraid! I played a piece of music by Edward E Harper. So … it was
composed by an Englishman,
who briefly lived in Scotland.
His tune was called a Scots March (it doesn’t sound Scottish) –
and it was in a collection published by Bayley and Ferguson, a Scottish publisher.
The composer himself had emigrated to Canada by this stage. I don’t know when he composed it.
It gets more complicated.
The copy I own was sold in AUSTRALIA,
and taken to California by a talented scientist at the start of his career.
I repatriated it through eBay, so today the not-exactly ‘Scots March’ was played by an Englishwoman in Scotland, not that far from where the English composer was once organist …
I have a problem now. Just supposing Scotland beats Brazil? I can find any number of traditional tunes, but what would I play as an outgoing voluntary?!
Whilst I had intended to conduct perhaps 50 interviews in connection with my Leng Medal Memories research, I haven’t amassed quite that many – but the interviews have generally been nearer to 30 minutes than the 15 minutes that I innocently projected, so I’ve probably got easily as many recorded minutes as I initially aimed for!
As I mentioned last week, I’ve been editing my interview transcriptions, and correcting any auto-correct infelicities. (Teams and TurboScribe both struggle a little with Scottish place-names and song titles.) One of my interviewees sang, ‘O Gin I were Whar’ Gadie Rins’ in the late 1960s. I knew the name of the song, but I couldn’t put a tune to it, so I Googled it. (As you do!) Spellings vary – as you’ll see.
Well, I found Kenneth McKellar singing it with a small classical chamber ensemble. (Lovely bassoon part, I must say.) The YouTube version was a 1995 Lismore remastered recording. I haven’t tried to establish the original date, though I believe it was recorded for the BBC in the late 1950s or early 1960s. But this setting was so delicate and precise that it was hard to imagine a youngster of eleven or twelve singing it quite like this. Quite apart from the fact that the Leng Medal competition has always been unaccompanied!
My next dip into YouTube found tutor Irene Ross talking about it and then singing it, with a ukelele, for Feis Rois followers. This is livelier and more authentic, but perhaps just a wee bit more ‘folky’ than might have been performed at a music competition by children of my own generation. But I could be wrong!
However, if the folk sound is what you’re looking for, then that interpretation is itself quite sedate compared to an invigorating 1999 recording by the Old Blind Dogs! Actually, I love this – one of my great frustrations in life is that I’ve been so embedded in the more classical side of music-making that I can only enjoy listening to this and would have huge difficulty trying to sing or play in anything like this idiom. I’d love to – but I can’t!
Oh well, I have to get back to these transcriptions, so I’ll stop here for now. Energised, you might say!
Image: Stanley Howe / Upstream Gadie Burn, from Wikimedia.
I was surprised, last night, to realise that I hadn’t blogged about William Moodie on this blog. The explanation turns out to be very simple: I blogged about him on Whittaker Live, the library blog that I ran for a couple of decades before I retired from the Whittaker Library at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Click here to read all about him!
Why He Matters
He was a music teacher at Glasgow Normal School – the forerunner of Jordanhill Teacher Training College.
He did the first service of song for Wee Davie, a moral tale by a Glasgow minister, Revd. Norman McLeod – and this ‘service of song’ was Bayley & Ferguson’s first known music publication.
Services of song were often accompanied by magic lantern show. You could argue that this was early ‘audiovisual’ media – projected pictures to watch whilst a story was read and hymns or songs were sung.
After a couple of months of online and a few in-person interviews, I’m at the stage now where I’m going through all my recorded interviews and transcriptions, reminding myself of highlights and key details.
This one just leapt out at me:-
‘The one thing I do remember is all the crowd standing up, after I had sung – and cheering and clapping and stuff, and that was the beginning of it, you know.’
Isn’t that glorious? I’m sure the Sir John Leng Trust will be delighted to read such heartwarming witness to Sir John’s inspired endowment. (I’ll keep the rest of that particular interview for later – I want to leave plenty of material for what I shall be writing in due course. I have a lot of data to draw upon.)
I aim to bring the interviewing to an end by the end of June; after that, I have some annual leave booked, and then I need to start writing! An article or two, a book chapter – and maybe organise a wee event or two.
This has turned out to be absolutely the most enjoyable, affirming piece of research. I’ve decided I love oral history, and conducting interviews is nowhere near as scary as I thought it might be!
(Incidentally – although my interviewing will mostly finish by the end of June, if anyone was literally bursting to share their own Leng Medal memories with me after that, then do get in touch. Even if an interview wasn’t feasible, I still might be able to draw upon memories shared by email.)
Actually, this blog wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for teachers! So I’ve paused to consider the importance of teachers in my own personal background, in my working life – and as subjects of my musicological research in their own right.
Past, Present – and Very Long Past!
My parents were teachers;
I benefited from many excellent teachers at Norwich High School, GDST;
Lecturers are teachers too, so let’s add everyone who taught me at the Universities of Durham, Exeter, Aberystwyth and Glasgow. And those who led the PG Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Arts Education at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland;
Instrumental teachers whilst I was learning the piano and the oboe at school and at Durham
and all the teacher colleagues who surround me at work. Whilst I was never a full-time teacher or lecturer, I’ve collaborated with many, contributing specialist expertise. My thanks to them for letting me help!
So, having paused to thank several dozen influential teachers, we come to this blog itself. How many teachers have I mentioned over the years? Well, you only have to type teacher into the search box on my home page, to get a good few for a start!
Clarinda Webster
Mary Kerr, Euphemia Allan, Rose B. Smith, her mother and an older sister, and Kate Logan (they’re in my recent RMA Chronicle article)
James Easson
Herbert Wiseman
Allan Macbeth
Edward Harper
Nimmo Christie (Dundee)
Margaret James (Gloucestershire)
Hugh Gibson Millar (Paisley)
And there are plenty more music teachers hiding in my A Social History of Amateur Music-Making and Scottish National Identity: Scotland’s Printed Music, 1880-1951. Alan Reid, who did a lot of educational music materials for Parlane, the Paisley publisher, for a start. I haven’t mentioned him on this blog, but I spent a lot of time examining his output whilst I was Ketelbey Fellow at the University of St Andrews. Or William Anderson Moodie, who set Wee Davie for a magic lantern Service of Song, and taught at the forerunner to Jordanhill Teacher Training College.
Not to mention the teachers I encountered in the archives of Thomas Nelson & Sons last year, about whom I’ll be writing later this year.
So – yes, I owe a debt of gratitude to an enormous number of teachers, both in my own education, and in my historical research. I think I need an orchard rather than just one apple!
It’s interesting to see how newspaper publishers diversified, producing books and booklets – and even music – for their readership. They advertised other publications within the pages of these booklets. The same practice is of course observed inside and on the back covers of sheet music. Indeed, James S. Kerr sometimes advertised along the bottom of a page of printed music.
In the case of John Leng, it gives a glimpse into the kind of readers they were aiming their publications at, and underlines the importance of music in their lives – specifically Robert Burns’s songs, national songs and dance tunes.
Our Wi-fi was down for 14 hours, and the household was plunged into the depths of despair. (I only slightly exaggerate.) But more to the point, all the detailed text of today’s blog post was trapped on my laptop and couldn’t be transferred to the blog.
(Three adverts in four pages – and not the last you’ll encounter, for this most popular of magazines!)
‘Life is made lightsome with a song’
In my earlier post, I promised I’d share details of John Leng & Co.’s advertising strategy, as observed in their booklet, The Songs of Burns – so here we are.
The Songs of Burns is a booklet that I bought purely out of curiosity; I was interested in their support of Scots Song singing through the Dundee Leng Medal prizes, and I wondered if books like this showed another aspect of that interest. I think the only link is probably that Scottish songs in general, and Burns’ songs in particular, were just popular all ways up, so this pamphlet wouldn’t have struggled to find purchasers. As the advert on the back cover says, ‘life is made lightsome with a song’.
Tucked in amongst the Burns songs, are the little column adverts and bigger full-page ones, which clearly indicate which publications they were pushing, around January 1905. Many of the adverts are distinctly aimed at women, which is interesting, considering Burns’s songs are of universal appeal.
As I mentioned in Part 1 of this post, much use was made of ‘Aunt Kate’ for good, sensible advice from a trustworthy auntie!
Moreover, I find it interesting that there’s more marketing for the People’s Friend than the People’s Journal. The magazine is still running, whilst the journal ceased in January 1986 – so even the journal had a good long life.
The People’s Penny Burns
Inside cover: Full page advertisement for its earlier companion, The People’s Penny Burns
p.48 Another full page advertisement for The People’s Penny Burns.
The People’s Penny Stories
p.3 Do you like a good novelette? You do. Well, don’t miss The People’s Penny Stories. Every month. One Penny. None so good.
The question is followed by a firm affirmative answer. Since my own People’s Friend serial ended up as no.393 in the ‘People’s Friend Story Collection’ back in the 1990s, I am naturally disposed to agree, stressing that this is light fiction, not literature!
p.29 A second advertisement for the People’s Penny Stories series.
Caring
Drawing by Mary Mapes Dodge, Wikimedia
p.1 A LOVING MOTHER’S NEGLECT to rear healthy babies is unpardonable. Aunt Kate’s Mother’s Guide contains much useful information, and anyone who follows its advice will have healthy families. Sold by all Newsagents; Price ONE PENNY.
Taking an indisputably moral tone, the assurance that ‘anyone who follows its advice’ will flourish would probably flout advertising standards today, since some problems simply cannot be put right merely by following sound advice!
p.15 Have you a home pet? If so, and you would like to make the most of it, for its own sake and your own, invest a penny in Aunt Kate’s Canaries and Home Pets. Also uniform in size, style, and price, The People’s Dog Book.
Clothing the Family
p.5 Aunt Kate’s Knitting and Crochet Book contains over 170 Patterns. Price One Penny. (Believe me, this was an absolute bargain!)
p.30 Young Mothers will find the People’s Friend Paper Patterns invaluable. Complete Layette Sets at low prices. Baby’s First Garments, Shortening Clothes, Outdoor Things, Christening Robes, Sleeping and Day Gowns, Newest Bonnets, Hats and Bibs for Young Children of all ages. For styles for spring, summer, autumn and winter, see People’s Friend Fashion Pages.
(Get the paper patterns, or look in – where else, but the People’s Friend? It has to be said that nowadays, the Friend isunashamedly aimed at grandmothers rather than young mums.)
p.41 Make your own Clothes. Full directions how to cut dresses and other garments in AUNT KATE’S DRESS-MAKING BOOK. Price one penny; sold everywhere.
Feeding the Family
p.9 Aunt Kate’s Cookery Book is the best pennyworth in the world. If you have not a copy get one.
Entertainment
p.11 ‘AUNT KATE’S SCOTTISH SONGS’ Nos.1 and 2, and the ‘PEOPLE’S ENGLISH SONGS’ Contain the Cream of our National Minstrelsy. Each comprises nearly half a hundred Songs – Words and Music. The Price of Each is One Penny.
And they soon appeared, together with Welsh songs, in two hardbacked collections. These song books are advertised again on the back cover, see below.
This was, of course, the age of Tonic Sol-Fa, and many schools taught it, so there was a good chance that at least some of the readers of these books could work out a tune from Sol-Fa. The piano accompaniment, however, required someone who could read music. These accompaniments are simple and functional, rather than artistic, but they’re certainly usable. The arranger was a local Dundee music teacher who also wrote for John Leng & Co. Ltd.
Back cover: Life is made Lightsome with a Song: an unparalleled Quartet … ‘Music in each case in staff and sol-fa. One penny each. Sold by all newsagents.’
This is a whole page advert for the books in the smaller column advert on p.11.
Aunt Kate’s Scottish Songs No.1: 46 ‘gems of Scottish Song’
The People’s English Songs: 46 ‘popular English ballads’
The People’s Welsh Songs: Words in English and Welsh
Inside back cover – advertisement for ‘Simply Indispensible! Four Valuable Books [one penny each]:-
Conjuring and Parlour Magic Book: Aunt Kate’s Parlour Magic Book
Parlour Games for Everybody: a Companion to Aunt Kate’s Conjuring and Parlour Magic
The People’s Fortune Teller
Aunt Kate’s Dance Music ‘contains music for no fewer than twenty-six popular dances’ (there’s a little more about this book in another blog, Unsung Histories, Sept 2021, by Katie Howson.)
The People’s Friend
p.14 WHY NOT JOIN A CLUB? The Helper’s Club, conducted by Janette in the “People’s Friend”, is a National Bureau for the exchange of opinions, advice, and experiences among women of all classes.
p.16 Everyone praises the wholesome tone that characterizes every page of THE PEOPLE’S FRIEND.
p.17 A FRIEND INDEED is just what the People’s Friend has all along proved itself to be. No one who has ever known this “Friend” has turned his or her back upon it. It contains something for everybody. Ask your Newsagent to introduce you to the “Friend”; it will cost you a Penny, but you’ll find it worth the money over and over again.
p.25 Tribute to the PEOPLE’S FRIEND […] A miscellany which finds its way into many homes where good reading is courted. It has been a real influence in Scottish life, brightening it, and that must be a chief joy to Sir John Leng. – Daily Chronicle, London.
p.35 Quoting Mr T. P. Connor speaking highly of the People’s Friend and People’s Journal, we find another mention of the Friend and a second of the Journal.
p.47 Space at the bottom of the Table of Contents – filled with a larger advertisement for The People’s Friend, quoting press opinions.
Men’s Stuff?
p.21 If your husband, son or brother wants the best book on a good subject, he should buy – HOW TO READ, WRITE, AND DEBATE. It costs One Penny, and is full of valuable hints to all who desire to become good writers and debaters, and who wish to make the best of their reading.
The People’s Journal
p.23 POINTS about the PEOPLE’S JOURNAL. 10,000 Newsagents sell it. 1,250,000 People read it. A week’s issue weighs 20 tons. It is the People’s Family Newspaper. Sold everywhere, price one penny.
The advertisements in this little poetry booklet would be called ‘paratext’ by book historians. Paratext is anything around the text that forms the main body of a book. So the title page, index, contents pages, a preface or introduction – or advertisements for other publications – all count as paratext. It tells us more about the motivation of a publisher, what else they were publishing around the same time, and what they thought their readers would be interested in.
This was how John Leng & Co., of Dundee and Fleet Street, London, advertised their new booklet in The Forfar Herald on Friday 20 January 1905:-
“THE SONGS OF Burns.—Messrs John Leng & Co., Ltd., have in their latest penny booklet, entitled The Songs of Burns, published what should be specially attractive to many at this time of the year, in view of the approaching anniversary of Burns’ birthday. Most of the well-known songs are included, and an alphabetical table of contents is also printed. It is a good pennyworth.”
That one penny (one-twelfth of today’s modern 5p and equating to about 55p using the Bank of England’s Inflation Calculator), was certainly affordable! The Songs of Burns was sensibly and conveniently published just before Burns’ Day – 48 pages including an index and a full page advertisement for another of their publications.
It’s just a book of verses – no music. It was intended to be a companion to an earlier collection, The People’s Penny Burns (‘a splendid selection from the poems of Scotland’s national bard’), the same size and price.
No surprises as to the contents, then, but what caught my eye was actually the column advertisements. The publishers wasted no opportunity to advertise other publications that the reader might find interesting! Skimming through them enables us to profile the readership very clearly: largely women, concerned with feeding, clothing and amusing their families, and looking after the household pets. ‘Aunt Kate’ was the branding John Leng used for many such publications – a homely and mature voice that readers could trust.
Meanwhile, women are advised that their menfolk should buy a booklet on effective reading, writing and debating. Of all the advertisements in this particular booklet, that’s the only ad for a title specifically aimed at men:-
How to read, write, and debate …
We have no wi-fi today, so I’m going to stop here for now. When I return, we’ll have a paratextual wander through the 48 pages of John Leng’s The Songs of Burns, and I’ll show you how Leng did their advertising!
(Contextual note: If you’re not well up on newspaper publishing history, I should explain that D C Thomson later acquired John Leng & Co. Ltd, so there’s a direct lineage to today’s The People’s Friend, Sunday Post and Scots Magazine. The People’sFriend goes back a very long way.)
Yesterday morning’s organ music just had to be topical. To our small but enthusiastic congregation’s approval, I included ‘Flower of Scotland’, ‘Loch Lomond’, ‘Caledonia’, ‘500 miles’, ‘Highland Cathedral’ (not really Scottish, but much-loved all the same), and I managed something along the lines of ‘Never Stopped Dreaming’, the new World Cup anthem by Skerryvore.
This is all about networking – and expanding one’s knowledge beyond the immediate focus of research, in order to understand the context in which the topic stands.
Yesterday, I headed north of the river, because there was a community event being held by Maryhill Burgh Halls Trust, and a group I’ve recently started following was manning a stall there – the Protests and Suffragettes social enterprise.
A creative project & new social enterprise led by a team of artists, activists, & local historians working to recover and re-voice the histories of women activists in Scotland.
My takeaways from the stall!
My interest stems from the work I’ve done researching late Victorian and early twentieth century Glasgow women involved in teaching, performing or publishing music. I’ve already published an extensive article in the RMA Research Chronicle, and I’m giving a conference paper later this year. I’d like to find out if two of ‘my’ ladies were actively involved in the early suffrage movement. My guess is that they may have been sympathisers, if not active in the cause. The older lady lived before the Suffragette movement as such, and I’m not expecting to find the younger of the two doing anything particularly audacious, but it would be nice to find any trace of supporting the cause, even just as a member of some organised group! (I’ve already mentioned my trip to Glasgow Women’s Library on a similar mission a couple of weeks ago.)
Anyway, I thought it would be altogether lovely if I introduced myself today, since we’ve already been in touch via social media. And it was lovely. I took the opportunity to outline what else I’m hoping to find out about this particular mother and daughter.
Caught chatting
Elevator Pitches
You’re always reading on LinkedIn about how you should have an elevator pitch just there on the tip of your tongue, so that your current project can be readily described to questioners who may not know very much about your work yet. As I travelled home, energised, after my outing, I reflected that actually, I need several elevator pitches, because I have two side projects as well as the main one!
Glasgow Women’s Careers in Music
One of my side projects, I’m currently exploring how different women’s backgrounds may have influenced the careers they pursued, in turn-of-the-century Glasgow.
The Glasgow Athenaeum School of Music
I’ve been exploring the careers of our first Principals, and contemplating the musical education that the institution offered in the first few decades. Another side project.
Publisher Thomas Nelson & Sons
This is the big project. I’ve been looking at the kind of educational music materials published in the first half of the twentieth century, and reflecting on the use made of Nelson’s four Scots song books by pupils and teachers. After archival work on the Nelson correspondence, I’m now conducting an oral history of the Sir John Leng Trust’s Scots Song medal competitions in Dundee. The idea is that I’ll use all this for a third book. Watch this space!
Karen McAulay, Musicologist 