The Lure of the Chase (and eBay Ecourages me)

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay
Auctioneer's gavel (picture from eBay)

Ah, holidays! The sun shines, whole empty days lie ahead of me, and what do I do?

As I said before, I enjoy more of my favourite creative activities, then I’m drawn back – again – to my research. Specifically, to James Easson, the Dundee music supervisor. He doesn’t seem to have had children, but I’ve spoken to a few people who do still remember him. As one of the compilers of the Nelson’s Scots Song Book series, I’m naturally interested in him as a person, and his career.

Knowing which school he attended, I had a little search on eBay again the other day. I found a school annual report from a year or two after he would probably have left. I looked with interest, because I absolutely love ephemera. (It could be in my genes – one of my uncles, a graphic artist, collected labels and tins, long before there was an internet, just because he loved their typefaces and designs.) Anyway, I examined the images carefully – they had been generously provided – made a couple of notes and moved on. It was too expensive for something which wasn’t likely to tell me anything about James Easson.

I had, however, favourited it. eBay duly reminded me that I’d looked at it. Did I want to look again?

I looked. It was still too expensive.

A couple of days later, eBay shrewdly suggested that I might be interested to know that the vendor was willing to sell it at a discount. Uh-oh! I looked at the images again. There were plenty, but the page numbers showed that there were plenty more that I couldn’t see. I could see the cost of private music lessons. What else was I not seeing? I couldn’t bear not to know!

The thing is, even if it has no mention whatsoever of James Easson – and I think it’s unlikely, because I’m guessing he might have left school before the age of 18 – it certainly will give me a profile of the school that he (and that other publisher’s senior editor, who is no part of the story at all) attended. What if there’s more about music? Or choirs, or orchestras? Or something else that I can’t predict?!

I hesitated. The bottom line is always, will I kick myself if I let this offer go by me? (I have a painting by Carlo Volti, for this very reason. I couldn’t not have it!) Finally, I bargained with myself. I’d make a lower offer. If it was declined, then I wouldn’t get it.

Really?! Why on earth did she get that?!

But it worked. I’m getting that school annual report! One day in the future – hopefully long in the future – my sons will be clearing through my effects, and one will say to the others, ‘Why on earth did she …. ?’

Well, dear reader – you know now!

Nelson’s Scots Song Books 1-4: Pupil’s Editions

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay
Nelson's Scots Song Book Pupil's Edition, Books 1-4

Thanks to the kindness of a friend of a friend, I received books 3 and 4 of the Nelson’s Scots Song Book through the post today. Well, what else could I do but take a photo of them?! I’ve longed for ages to have the complete set, and now I do.

I have already learned something new. The first two books had little black-and-white line drawings wherever there was a blank bit of page, and apparently the pupils loved these. And then …

I think there was a bit of cost-cutting going on! But I don’t recall any correspondence with the editors James Easson and Herbert Wiseman to advise them of this. I’ll need to go back through my notes!

Suddenly – the pictures stopped!
  • Book 1 – published 1948; reprinted until at least 1960.
  • Book 2 – 1950; reprinted until at least 1964.
  • Book 3 – 1952. I don’t currently know if it was reprinted!
  • Book 4 – January 1955; reprinted at least in 1956. (The teacher’s book came out in 1954)

Aha! New Arrival all the Way from Arran

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

Once used in an Edinburgh school, a wee Scots song book (pupil’s edition) found its way to a shop on the Isle of Arran, then back to the mainland to me in Glasgow.

1, 2 … still looking!

If you ever find any of these in the back of a school cupboard, or bookshop,  or car boot sale, or Granny’s attic …

… please do let me know!  I’m trying to get complete set! There were four books for the kids, and four for teachers.

How to Catch a Song Book in the Wild

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay

As regular readers will know, my IASH Fellowship concerns the history of the Nelson’s Scots Song Books.

I’ve seen all four of the teacher’s books in libraries; and possess one teacher’s edition of my own, plus one pupil’s edition – not the same volume number.  And I’m going to some lengths to track down the other three of each edition.  I want to be able to show them when I talk about them, so I simply must keep looking.

Today, I headed to town, feeling as though I ought to be riding a pony and tootling a hunter’s horn, to the sound of La Chasse or the William Tell Overture.  (The heavens opened between subway and second-hand bookshop, somewhat spoiling my fantasy. Urghh!)

But hunting with a pack of hounds would have been no good at all, for you have to creep up on these rare beasts very, very softly. Pretend to be looking at something else, as you slowly extend your arm towards the shelf. And then, whilst it’s relaxed with its defences down, grasp it quickly and hold on tight.

Captured!

I examined it disbelievingly.  Yes! I now have the teacher’s edition to go with my pupil’s edition of Vol.2. (Actually, I also found some other useful material that wasn’t published by Thomas Nelson.)

And then I turned round.  On a table, if you please, there sat another Nelson music book that I’ve been reading about. Not a song book, but interesting just because it was published around the same time, by the same Nelson editors.  It was as though it was waiting for me to find it.

Did I celebrate with a coffee? Now, what do you think!

Singing in Public? New to me!

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay
George Square Edinburgh University

A few weeks ago, I led a community ‘Scottish song’ event. I found myself singing a solo – well, to say ‘found myself ‘ is inaccurate, because I HAD planned and rehearsed it with a pianist.

But it seemed to go down well enough, so, emboldened by this, I sang a couple of examples from Nelson’s Scots Song Book at my Work in Progress talk on Wednesday.  This time, I prerecorded my accompaniment myself. (Three cheers for the decent mic I had purchased during lockdown!)

I reminded myself that my esteemed audience were a mixture of musicians and non-musicians, and I was there as a researcher rather than a star turn, so hopefully they’d listen kindly rather than critically! 

And it was fine. I suppose the more often you do something, the easier it gets. I have played in public, conducted in public, and sung in a choir numerous times, but singing solo? That’s something new.

I have another talk coming up in a few weeks.  Of the two songs I sang this week, I much preferred one to the other  – the range was more comfortable. So I looked through NSSB4 again last night, and hit upon a favourite – ‘I’ll aye ca’ in by yon toun.’ I took it to the piano for a first play through. Yes, I like Easson’s setting.  It’s reasonably modern, and playable.

At this point  – just as I’d finished the chorus – I was obliged to stop.

‘But, I was  …’

You’d be alarmed at how routine governs my activities.  No point causing upset by continuing to play, so the song will wait for another time. Supper couldn’t wait!

However, I thought I’d look for a YouTube rendition, to accompany my breakfast this morning, and what did I find, but a Topic recording of Jean Redpath performing it in the American Serge Hovey’s setting.  I never heard Jean sing live, but she got an honorary DMus from the University of Glasgow (my Alma Mater), and her enthusiasm for Scottish song was influenced by her time at the University of Edinburgh – as I sit with a cuppa in the Library cafe, I’m literally looking out at the School of Scottish Studies building where she’d have talked with Hamish Henderson.

I’ll aye ca’ in by yon toun

Having heard Redpath’s beautiful singing, I am less sure that my singing is a good idea, but there’s only one way I can share Easson’s setting, and that’s by playing it. Which, without a singer, wouldn’t work at all. I’d better get practising!

Seminar, Weds 26 March, 1pm:- Perusing the Papers from Thomas Nelson and Sons’ Parkside Works (Research into Nelson’s Scots Song Book – Work in Progress)

Posted on by Dr Karen E McAulay
Through the archway into the courtyard at IASH

As I’ve mentioned, I’m currently Heritage Collections Research Fellow at IASH, the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, at the University of Edinburgh. All guest fellows are invited to give a work-in-progress seminar, and it’s my turn on Wednesday 26 March at 1 pm. You can attend in person, or online – more details on the link below. The abstract tells you what my talk is about.

Abstract and Zoom link

I’ll explain what I’m looking for, and introduce you to some of the individuals I’ve been finding out about.  The one thing I can’t predict, is whether I shall by then have found the answer to my prime question!

Nelson's Parkside Works - old engraving
Hope Park Square, home of IASH
The ArchivesHub entry for the collection