I’ve been awarded an Athenaeum Award by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, for research into Dundee’s Leng Medals for Scots Song. I’m conducting oral history interviews, which will help me write the final chapter of a book about Scottish music education and educational publishers. You’ll find plenty of blog posts about various aspects of this research

Below, I’m sharing a newspaper entry from the Dundee People’s Journal (11 November, 1916), when the competition had already been running more than a decade. See how many song titles you recognise!

Gin a Body / Comin’ through the Rye

Incidentally, ‘Gin a body’ is more commonly known as ‘Comin’ through the rye’. It was incredibly popular in this era, even giving rise to a silent movie by the latter title. (The story behind the film had only a loose connection with the song, but it was an appropriate choice of song, used as accompaniment by a pianist or cinema orchestra). The silent movie had been released in October 1916, a month before the competition, but the film only hit London’s West End in October 1916 – Aberdeen was showing it by 1919 – so I doubt if the young competitor would have been able to see it in Dundee before their Gold Medal contest. However, there had been an ‘illustrated song’ of ‘Comin thro’ the rye’ shown in Dundee’s Stobswell Cinema Theatre as early as 1910. This would have been a magic lantern show, not the film – but it does demonstrate how popular the song itself was. With its theme of kissing the laddies, the song didn’t usually make it into Scottish song books intended for educational use!

“… one the most excellent things that departed gentleman had ever done”

LENG TRUST AND SONG: COMPETITION FOR GOLD MEDALS

The day of the annual competition for Leng Gold Medals is a day long looked forward to by boys and girls who have succeeded in winning their respective public schools silver medals for the singing of a Scottish song. Up to this year the procedure has been to have a preliminary competition in the forenoon, at which a short leet [short leet = Scots for ‘short list’] was selected by the adjudicator, the leet finally competing at public concert in the evening. This time the darkness of the streets and other things have stood in the way of a concert. All the singing was, therefore, heard privatelv or semi-privately on Saturday forenoon in the Argyle Hall. Despite the rather dingy walls in which they were interned and the lack of the encouragement of the usual big audience, the young artists (for most were, more less, artists) sang with the customary spirit and effect, not a single singer making what could be justly termed failure.

There were in all 35 competitors —8 boys and 27 girls. The boys sang such songs as ‘‘Up in the mornin’s no’ for me,” Robin Tamson’s smiddy,” and Come under my plaidie.” The first and last of these were also favourites of the girls, who, in addition, rendered “The Laird o’ Cockpen,” Gin a body meet a body,” “Last May a braw wooer,” and others. It will be gathered from the titles that this was a year of humorous songs. There was number of excellent voices; fine tone was frequently produced; and glaring faults of production, phrasing, or enunciation were seldom encountered. On the other hand, the humour of the good old songs was more often than not only imperfectly revealed. Some day these boys and girls will see where the laugh comes in. As yet—there were two or three exceptions—they only joke with difficulty; but this, some say, is national characteristic of the Scot.

As a result of the first singing, Peter Milligan, a Mars boy; Joseph Duffy, of St Joseph’s Catholic School; and D. DaJgetty, Dens Road School were selected as the best of the boy; the girls in similar happy position being Edith Cromack, Rose bank School; Margaret Keith, Stobswell School: Frances Kilgour, Harris Academy; and Bella Milne, Liff Road School. The seven named having re-sung their songs, the judge allotted gold medal to Peter Milligan for a vigorous rendering of “Up in the mornin’s no’ for me” and another to Frances Kilgour, who was lively and a little dramatic in “Come under my plaidie.” The other singers who succeeded in reaching the short leet received handsome volumes of music as reward and encouragement. The competition under the personal direction of Mr Frank Sharp, musical adviser to the Leng Trustees, and Mr John Kerr, of Dunfermline, was once again an efficient and careful judge. Amongst others present were Mr William Henderson, one of the Leng Trustees; Mr Morrison, the Secretary the Trust; Mr David Williamson, headmaster of Wallacetown School; and several singing instructors. The medals and prizes were presented Mr Hendeeson, who, in speech that pleased the children greatly, said that the institution of these competitions by Sir John Leng was one the most excellent things that departed gentleman had ever done.