BOOK LAUNCH: GAELIC MELODIES FROM 1812
The Musica Scotica Trust announces the publication of
"Original Highland Airs Collected at Raasay in 1812 by ELIZABETH JANE
ROSS" edited by Peter Cooke, Morag MacLeod and Colm Ó Baoill. This is the
seventh volume in the Trust's Main Series of volumes.
Musica Scotica is a series of scholarly editions of Early
Scottish Music, founded by the late Dr Kenneth Elliott and published under the
general editorship of Dr Gordon Munro.
Volume 7 contains a repertory of Gaelic melodies -- 96
song airs and 54 instrumental pieces -- notated for keyboard in 1812 by
Elizabeth Ross, the niece of the Laird of the Island of Raasay, James MacLeod.
The editors have provided detailed commentaries on all of the pieces as well as
texts and translations for the songs. These distinctive settings comprise a
unique and rich view of the musical tastes of MacLeod’s highland home and his
island community.
Following the launch of the volume at the Musica Scoticaconference in Stirling on April 24, 2016, accompanied by music from students of
the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Traditional Music course, the volume will
be available from the distributor, The Scottish Music Centre, City Halls,
Candleriggs, Glasgow G1 1NG. Telephone: 0141 552 5222, email: info@scottishmusiccentre.com
Readers at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - don't worry, we'll be ordering a copy!
- Dr Peter Cooke has lectured at the Universities of
Edinburgh (School of Scottish Studies), Birmingham, Wolverhampton, London, and
at RSAMD (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). He is a Research Associate at School of
Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
- Morag MacLeod was also a member of staff at the School
of Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh.
- Colm O'Baoill is Professor in Gaelic Studies, School of
Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture, University of Aberdeen
