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The blagger's guide to Scottish composers
DIANE MACLEAN
NOVELISTS, poets, artists, actors, musicians - you don’t have to work very hard to reel off a long list of famous creative Scots. But if you were asked to include great Scottish composers, you might struggle. And yet, think how much more cultured you would sound with just a smattering of knowledge about our musical maestros from across the ages. So here are our suggestions for the top five Scottish composers you really should know about. We hope it helps when it comes to pub quizzes, or it just enables you to sound smug at parties.
Robert Carver (1485 – 1570)
Commonly regarded as the most dynamic 16th century Renaissance composer, Robert Carver was a monk and Canon at the Abbey of Scone in Perthshire. Unsurprisingly, he is best known for his sacred choral music, which includes the mass L’Homme Armé and his motet for 19 voices O Bone Jesu. His work is still performed and recorded today and is noted for the gradual build-up of ideas towards an explosive resolution in the final passages. Unusually, Carver looked to Europe for his influence, so his work was unlike anything his contemporaries in the rest of England and Wales were producing at the time.
Unfortunately, most Scottish Latin Church Music written at this time was destroyed during the Reformation. The only music to survive can be found in the Carver Choirbook (National Library of Scotland). Because of this, it is difficult to say whether Carver was an isolated genius or part of a dynamic brotherhood composing across Scotland.
Do say: "I just love his florid late-Renaissance polyphonic style, it’s such a seamless mix of Scottish and Flemish influences."
Don’t say: "Robert Carver, isn’t he the chef who does a great chocolate mousse cake?"
James MacMillan (1959 –
Ayrshire-born James MacMillan is considered to be the pre-eminent Scottish composer of his generation, and probably the only Scottish composer most people could name. He studied music at Edinburgh University before moving to Durham and Manchester to complete his doctorate. When he returned to Scotland in the 1980s his composing really took off.
His first work to gain global recognition was the much-acclaimed BBC Proms premier of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (1990). Plaudits and job offers rolled in and his next work Veni, Veni Emmanuel, which he wrote for Evelyn Glennie, secured his reputation.
MacMillan's music is known for its energy, directness and emotional power. His work draws from Scottish folk music, while his strong religious views and interest in political ideas inform both the sound and the subject matter of his music. He continues to write and is also an internationally acclaimed conductor.
Do say: "His uncanny knack of juxtaposing diverse musical styles, combined with the almost pagan eurythmics of his percussion is completely sublime."
Don’t say: "When is he going to write music I can whistle in the shower?"
James Oswald (1710 - 1769)
James Oswald started out as a dancing master in Dunfermline in the early 1730s. He later moved to London where he set up his own music publishing house where he produced The Caledonian Pocket Companion – a collection of Scottish folk tunes. He was much in demand as a teacher, publisher and composer, and crowned his success in 1761 when he was appointed Chamber Composer to King George III.
He published much of his work anonymously, or using the pseudonym "David Rizzio". (Which has led some confused historians to suppose that Mary Queen of Scot’s secretary, David Rizzio, was a prolific composer of Scottish music!).
Oswald left a large body of works for voice and guitar, but his best-known peice is Airs for the Seasons - a huge work comprising 12 airs per season. He was influenced by Italian composition, but also incorporated Scottish folktunes in his music. While some may consider his work "rustic" (some did even back in the 18th century) others find it refreshingly unaffected.
Do say: "By guitar don’t you mean 'citter' – the well-known 18th century wire-strung musical instrument?"
Don’t say: "D'you think when King George III hired him he said ' You don't have to be mad to work here, but it helps!'"
Thea Musgrave (1928 -
Thea Musgrave, musician and conductor of worldwide acclaim, is on record as saying: "Yes, I am a woman, and I am a composer, but rarely at the same time," so don’t make the mistake of thinking she’s reached the top five because of her gender alone.
She was born in Edinburgh and studied music in the city before moving to the Conservatoire in Paris. Although she now lives in America, Musgrave continues to be involved with Scotland – returning to conduct her opera Mary Queen of Scots at the Edinburgh International Festival and more recently working with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
Musgrave likes to find new ways of using sound and motion into her music. In her Clarinet Concerto the soloist moves round the stage area – altering the acoustics and physical dynamics of the performance. More recently she has used electronic instruments to further explore her sense of sound.
Do say: "I just adore the way she plays with the sonic possibilities of spatial acoustics."
Don’t say: "Didn’t she marry a highly respected American composer?"
Hamish MacCunn (1868 – 1916)
The 19th century was reasonably prolific in terms of Scottish composers – especially ones whose surname began with Mac. Alexander Mackenzie and JB McEwen were both possibles for inclusion here, but MacCunn made it to the list because of his Overture Land of the Mountain and Flood, which is still performed today. (If it helps, it was the theme tune from the BBC Television series Sutherland’s Law.)
Like the young Mozart, MacCunn showed musical promise early, and, in common with most Scottish musicians of this time, moved to London to study at the recently established Royal College of Music. His music was very much in the romantic tradition of Walter Scott – indeed he is thought to have used passages from Scott as inspiration. His pre-occupation with Scottish themes brought him great popularity at the time, but also proved his undoing, as the public grew bored of his nostalgic and overly lyrical style.
Do say: "His lilting rhythms and lyrical themes transport me effortlessly into the misty glens of the Scottish Highlands. "
Don’t say: "Crivvens. Not another Scottish composer who used Scottish folk tunes as a starting point for their music."
©2005 Scotsman.com
[printer-friendly format posted in entirety - the Scotsman requires registration]
The blagger's guide to Scottish composers
DIANE MACLEAN
NOVELISTS, poets, artists, actors, musicians - you don’t have to work very hard to reel off a long list of famous creative Scots. But if you were asked to include great Scottish composers, you might struggle. And yet, think how much more cultured you would sound with just a smattering of knowledge about our musical maestros from across the ages. So here are our suggestions for the top five Scottish composers you really should know about. We hope it helps when it comes to pub quizzes, or it just enables you to sound smug at parties.
Robert Carver (1485 – 1570)
Commonly regarded as the most dynamic 16th century Renaissance composer, Robert Carver was a monk and Canon at the Abbey of Scone in Perthshire. Unsurprisingly, he is best known for his sacred choral music, which includes the mass L’Homme Armé and his motet for 19 voices O Bone Jesu. His work is still performed and recorded today and is noted for the gradual build-up of ideas towards an explosive resolution in the final passages. Unusually, Carver looked to Europe for his influence, so his work was unlike anything his contemporaries in the rest of England and Wales were producing at the time.
Unfortunately, most Scottish Latin Church Music written at this time was destroyed during the Reformation. The only music to survive can be found in the Carver Choirbook (National Library of Scotland). Because of this, it is difficult to say whether Carver was an isolated genius or part of a dynamic brotherhood composing across Scotland.
Do say: "I just love his florid late-Renaissance polyphonic style, it’s such a seamless mix of Scottish and Flemish influences."
Don’t say: "Robert Carver, isn’t he the chef who does a great chocolate mousse cake?"
James MacMillan (1959 –
Ayrshire-born James MacMillan is considered to be the pre-eminent Scottish composer of his generation, and probably the only Scottish composer most people could name. He studied music at Edinburgh University before moving to Durham and Manchester to complete his doctorate. When he returned to Scotland in the 1980s his composing really took off.
His first work to gain global recognition was the much-acclaimed BBC Proms premier of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (1990). Plaudits and job offers rolled in and his next work Veni, Veni Emmanuel, which he wrote for Evelyn Glennie, secured his reputation.
MacMillan's music is known for its energy, directness and emotional power. His work draws from Scottish folk music, while his strong religious views and interest in political ideas inform both the sound and the subject matter of his music. He continues to write and is also an internationally acclaimed conductor.
Do say: "His uncanny knack of juxtaposing diverse musical styles, combined with the almost pagan eurythmics of his percussion is completely sublime."
Don’t say: "When is he going to write music I can whistle in the shower?"
James Oswald (1710 - 1769)
James Oswald started out as a dancing master in Dunfermline in the early 1730s. He later moved to London where he set up his own music publishing house where he produced The Caledonian Pocket Companion – a collection of Scottish folk tunes. He was much in demand as a teacher, publisher and composer, and crowned his success in 1761 when he was appointed Chamber Composer to King George III.
He published much of his work anonymously, or using the pseudonym "David Rizzio". (Which has led some confused historians to suppose that Mary Queen of Scot’s secretary, David Rizzio, was a prolific composer of Scottish music!).
Oswald left a large body of works for voice and guitar, but his best-known peice is Airs for the Seasons - a huge work comprising 12 airs per season. He was influenced by Italian composition, but also incorporated Scottish folktunes in his music. While some may consider his work "rustic" (some did even back in the 18th century) others find it refreshingly unaffected.
Do say: "By guitar don’t you mean 'citter' – the well-known 18th century wire-strung musical instrument?"
Don’t say: "D'you think when King George III hired him he said ' You don't have to be mad to work here, but it helps!'"
Thea Musgrave (1928 -
Thea Musgrave, musician and conductor of worldwide acclaim, is on record as saying: "Yes, I am a woman, and I am a composer, but rarely at the same time," so don’t make the mistake of thinking she’s reached the top five because of her gender alone.
She was born in Edinburgh and studied music in the city before moving to the Conservatoire in Paris. Although she now lives in America, Musgrave continues to be involved with Scotland – returning to conduct her opera Mary Queen of Scots at the Edinburgh International Festival and more recently working with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
Musgrave likes to find new ways of using sound and motion into her music. In her Clarinet Concerto the soloist moves round the stage area – altering the acoustics and physical dynamics of the performance. More recently she has used electronic instruments to further explore her sense of sound.
Do say: "I just adore the way she plays with the sonic possibilities of spatial acoustics."
Don’t say: "Didn’t she marry a highly respected American composer?"
Hamish MacCunn (1868 – 1916)
The 19th century was reasonably prolific in terms of Scottish composers – especially ones whose surname began with Mac. Alexander Mackenzie and JB McEwen were both possibles for inclusion here, but MacCunn made it to the list because of his Overture Land of the Mountain and Flood, which is still performed today. (If it helps, it was the theme tune from the BBC Television series Sutherland’s Law.)
Like the young Mozart, MacCunn showed musical promise early, and, in common with most Scottish musicians of this time, moved to London to study at the recently established Royal College of Music. His music was very much in the romantic tradition of Walter Scott – indeed he is thought to have used passages from Scott as inspiration. His pre-occupation with Scottish themes brought him great popularity at the time, but also proved his undoing, as the public grew bored of his nostalgic and overly lyrical style.
Do say: "His lilting rhythms and lyrical themes transport me effortlessly into the misty glens of the Scottish Highlands. "
Don’t say: "Crivvens. Not another Scottish composer who used Scottish folk tunes as a starting point for their music."
©2005 Scotsman.com
