: Leid in Sang

in mind o Norman – Gordeanna McCulloch

sscd 143

2 Willie Drount in Yarrow 4:59

3 The Flouers o the Forest 4:39

4 Johnnie o Braidieslie 5:53

5 The Bleacher Lassie o Kelvinhaugh 4:41

From The Merry Muses by Robert Burns

6 Wha'll Mowe Me Nou? 4:00

7 The Hielan Laddie 2:22

8 John Anderson, My Jo 3:37

9 The Auld Man’s Winter Thocht 1:37

(with thanks to Ian Ferguson of Bournemouth for the setting)

10 Caw the Yowes 3:56

11 The Piper o Dundee 2:08

12 The Road to Dundee 4:27

13 Rothesay Bay 2:22

14 Love and Freedom 1:38

Total playing time on this CD 48:55

The title of this CD perhaps needs some explanation. "Leid in Sang" means "language in song" in English.

The subtitle of this CD (in mind o Norman*) reflects Gordeanna's debt to Norman Buchan who in years past taught her to appreciate the worth of Scots songs. The sheer beauty of the words and tunes recorded on this CD are for this and future generations; this is our heritage and we aa maun hain it.

I found the following thoughts registered in A Dictionary of the Scottish Language published in Edinburgh in 1818!

". . . (the Scots language) was cherished and preserved only by the fondness of her native bards, who poured forth their enraptured lays in the expressive language of their native country, which by being joined to the melodies of Scotland, the original music and language gave and received mutual support".

"Gave and received" — the exchange between the sang-makar and the sangster. A Scots song embodies the Scots language; a Scottish song as often as not praises a Scottish theme or location in English.

Tom Fleming in his foreword to The Dipper an the Three Wee Deils by Dr James Begg and Mr John Reid is of the opinion that "A language has to be spoken, read, written and sung to survive".

The idea of this recording arose after Gordeanna McCulloch sang Bonnie George Campbell at a social event arranged by the Glasgow Branch of the Scots Language Society.

Her unaccompanied singing was memorable for its diction, emotion and linguistic integrity. This mode of performance allows the singer to interpret and convey the meaning of the words to an audience. Phrasing, emphasis and feeling were all reflected in the nuances of that artistic performance.

Gordeanna tells me that when she learns a new song only two things matter — the words and the tune. She does not base the learning process on hearing another singer sing the song.

This must be what gives her singing the quality of style which comes from her perceptive understanding of the Scots language itself.