Folklore: Dumfries & Galloway: Traditional song

Subject: RE: Folklore: Dumfries & Galloway: Traditional song
From: GUEST,Sue Allan
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 05:37 AM

You may be interested in this, from Traditional Song Forum minutes of meeting Feb 09, attended by Ali Burns:
Ali Burns is a music educator, based in Galloway and working with community choirs and doing workshops.She is trying to get more traditional material into the repertoire of the choirs she works with – less of a
problem in Scotland. Not many of the people in the 'natural voice' world teach traditional song. She has been
pillaging various archives, including the Baring-Gould archive, and has used many of them in her work She
talked about 'reconditioning' songs (though the idea of 'pre-loved songs' had been suggested to her). At
Kirkcudbright there is a collection made by Edward Hornel, one of the artists known as the 'Glasgow Boys',
He had bought up a number of books, including a number of scraps of music which interest her. She is also
continuing her work on William McMath, who worked with Francis Child, passing Scottish ballads to him over
30 years. He also made his own collection of other songs, which are of great interest. She is also working on
a performance based on material from Burns, for the Homecoming Year. She is also working on carols,
aiming to produce a collection of Scottish carols at the end of the year.
Her contact details: [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Folklore: Dumfries & Galloway: Traditional song
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 11 Jan 11 - 09:22 AM

Claire,

Off the top of my head.
MacMath's collection is archived somewhere in the region.

One of the early members of the Dumfries and Galloway Historical Society (may not be correct name) was very interested in ballads and wrote several articles for their journal, which I'd love to get hold of. I have the details somewhere but it would involve a search.

I did some research into the Child ballad 'John of Hazelgreen' and the only place I could find with a similar name, of any age, in the whole of Scotland was Hazley Green, a couple of miles from Newton Stewart and well within the range of the Garlies Stewarts. Someone on the spot might be able to find out more of this.

Subject: Folklore: Dumfries & Galloway: Traditional song
From: Chastings
Date: 11 Jan 11 - 09:06 AM

I'm currently writing a dissertation entitled 'Sustaining traditional song in Dumfries and Galloway over the last three centuries'

I am hoping to find out about the various song collections from the area, and also about those who have collected song. I am also hoping to find out about various events/projects that have happened in the past and are happening now to allow traditional song to live on in Dumfriesshire. these include Dumfries folk club, Moniaive Folk Festival and Stravaig.

I would really appreciate any information that anyone has about where they know songs have been learned in the past (e.g. local smiddy, regular pub session) and also if there is anything they know of happening at the moment. Also if you know of any useful informants, or if you are from the area and singing tradtional song.

Cheers,

Claire