Cello Woe - a Warning to Cellists

A cello is mellow and low
But not the best thing if you know
You'll be busking outdoors
Whilst a howling gale roars
And the rain's changing slowly to snow.

Whittaker begs to reassure his readers that this is entirely fictional and relates to no cellist known to 'himself'.

Instrumental Blogs - Harp

'Whittaker' thought it might be helpful to share some of the blogs and websites that various instrumentalists create.  With complete disregard for 'score order', let's start with the harp - you see a lot of them around Christmas time! 
 

• Harp Column
• WireStrungHarp
• WireStrungClarsach.org
• ClarsachSociety
• American Harp Society
• Historical Harp Society of Ireland
• International Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen - http://www.folkharpsociety.org/ 
• United Kingdom Harp Association

And a promise - remember the series of musical limericks I wrote a year or two ago?  I somehow omitted to write one for the harp.  This will be corrected immediately:-

When God heard the bard on his harp,

He complained it was horribly sharp.

‘Over here on this cloud,

England’s bells are too loud’,

Said the Welshman, ‘so kindly don’t carp!’

Jubilee

The day of the Queen's Jubilee

Was wet, to a chilly degree 

But the Monarch just smiled, 

Her subjects went wild,

And we Scots saw it all on TV.

c. KEMcAulay 

3.6.2012

Image from The Telegraph newspaper's blog

We have a small exhibition of Coronation and Jubilee-related material in the Whittaker Library - do come and see.  (If you speak to our Archive Officer, there's more ...!)

And we've compiled some Jubilee-related search-findings from the library catalogue: take a look at this Diigo Jubilee list (social bookmarking) list.

• Video: Diamond Jubilee Pageant's Musical Finale - featuring our opposite numbers down in London -  the very wet Royal College of Music Chamber Choir!  (From BBC website).
• BBC Diamond Jubilee website is http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17500000

Musical Limericks no.4. The Piper's Reply

Blue-Skye Thinking

There was a young man from Skye

Poked by a bass drone in the eye
He said to the blaggard
Your crunluath is haggard
And your hiharin fair makes me cry!

Fabulous image from Aros on Skye
http://www.aros.co.uk/wp-content/uploads//piper2.png

Authored by James Beaton, Piping Librarian and Project Officer, College of Piping, Glasgow

Musical Limericks no.1 (flute, oboe, clarinet)

Musical Limericks no.2 (bassoon)

Musical Limericks no.3 (trumpet, horn)

Musical Limericks no.4 (Piper, by James Beaton)

Musical Limericks no.5 (tuba, trombone)

Musical Limericks no.6 (saxophone)

Musical Limericks no.7 (violin, viola)

Musical Limericks no.8 (cello, double bass, timpani)

Library Limerick

The purpose of Whittaker Live

Is to help creativity thrive

We provide information

For arts education - 

A digital, library-led drive!