Tune Req: Queen Mary's Escape / Arran Boat Song

Subject: Queen Mary's Escape / Aran Boat
From: Alice
Date: 11 Nov 99 - 07:54 PM

I have found the sheet music at the Levy site for QUEEN MARY'S ESCAPE FROM LOCHLEVEN CASTLE, which is basically the tune for what is now called 'The Aran Boat' or 'The Aran Boat Song' or 'The Arran Boat'. There is also a mention on the harp list archive of a different tune sung by Calum Kennedy called 'The Arran Boat Song', in English.

The Kennedy recording is reportedly a different tune than Queen Mary's Escape (19th Century Scottish ballad). When I first heard this tune, I thought it referred to the Aran Islands and was Irish. Now I find it is a Scottish Ballad. Can someone explain the spelling (Aran or Arran) and does anyone remember Calum Kennedy's recording of a song with this title? Thanks.

We have already discussed the Aran Boat in an earlier thread. No need to refresh that one, please.

alice flynn

Subject: RE: Queen Mary's Escape / Aran Boat
From: alison
Date: 11 Nov 99 - 07:58 PM

Aran is an island off the West coast of Ireland, (where the jumpers come from), the Scottish Isle of Arran (is spelt with 2 r's).(I think it's West coast of Scotland too)....

any chance of the words Alice?

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Queen Mary's Escape / Aran Boat
From: alison
Date: 11 Nov 99 - 08:03 PM

Just checked the map.... Arran is off the West coast of Scotland. Off the coast West of Ayr, and East of the Mull of Kintyre, (I feel a song coming on... where are those bagpipes??? *grin*)...

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Queen Mary's Escape / Aran Boat
From: alison
Date: 11 Nov 99 - 08:05 PM

In Irish the Aran islands are called Oilea/in A/rann.... can't help with the Scots Gaelic.....

Subject: RE: Queen Mary's Escape / Aran Boat
From: Alice
Date: 11 Nov 99 - 08:11 PM

The confusion comes with so many recordings with the tune of the Scottish Ballad (Queen Mary's Escape) spelling it 'The Aran Boat' (as Irish). I now think it must be a case of people leaving out the 'n' and not realizing they are switching the location from Scotland to Ireland (thanks, alison, I knew about the two different locations).

Like the Gartan Mother's Lullaby spelling being wrong in so many cases (hello, it's still wrong in the DT), this tune has become a real favorite of harp players and almost all the recordings I found on the internet spelled it Aran instead of Arran, and the audio clips were all the Queen Mary's tune.

In our session tune book that we have put together here, it is The Arran Boat. (I'm still wondering about the Calum Kennedy recording.)

Give me some time, and I will copy the lyrics, alison. I did send you the ones I wrote to this tune about a year ago, didn't I? The publishing of my lyrics for a choral arrangement are the reason for me checking on the history and spelling for the title.

alice

Subject: Lyr Add: QUEEN MARY'S ESCAPE FROM LOCHLEVEN
From: Alice
Date: 11 Nov 99 - 08:50 PM

From the Lester S. Levy sheet music website, 19th Century Scottish Ballad, here are the lyrics:

QUEEN MARY'S ESCAPE FROM LOCHLEVEN
A favorite scotch ballad
(tune also known as The Arran Boat)

Put off, put off, and row with speed,
For now is the time and the hour of need,
To oars, to oars, and trim the bark,
Nor Scotland Queen be a warder's mark;
Yon light that plays round the castle moat,
Is only the warder's random shot.
Put off, put off, and row with speed,
For now is the time and the hour of need.

Those pond'rous keys, shall the kelpies keep,
And lodge in their caverns so dark and deep,
Nor shall Lochleven's tower or hall,
Hold thee our lovely lady in thrall,
Or be the haunts of traitors sold,
While Scotland has hands and hearts so bold,
Then onward, steersman, row with speed,
For now is the time, and the hour of need.

Hark, the alarum bell has rung,
The warder's voice has treason sung,
The echos to the falconets roar,
Chime sweetly to the dashing shore,
Let tower, hall, and battlement gleam,
We steer by the light of the taper's gleam,
For Scotland and Mary, on with speed,
For now is the time, and the hour of need.

^^ anyone have info on the old recording, different tune, by Calum Kennedy?

alice flynn

Subject: RE: Queen Mary's Escape / Aran Boat
From: Alice
Date: 11 Nov 99 - 08:53 PM

Yikes... this title is plagued with spelling problems. I meant to write leaving out the 'r' and I wrote leaving out the 'n'... So, there are a lot of CD's out there of harp music that spell the title Aran Boat (as in Irish Aran) instead of Arran Boat (Scotland). -alice

Subject: RE: Queen Mary's Escape / Aran Boat
From: Alice
Date: 12 Nov 99 - 11:49 AM

I was just looking through a Scottish songbook, and I came across this song with yet another title: PUT OFF, AND ROW WI' SPEED. The book credits Robert Allan (1774-1841) and calls the tune Highland Boat Song. The lyrics and tune are exactly as I found them in the Levy sheet music site under the title QUEEN MARY'S ESCAPE. It would be interesting to find out if there is a record of Gaelic lyrics that are older than this Queen Mary version. -alice

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Queen Mary's Escape / Arran Boat Song
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 04:54 PM

There is a copy of a voice and piano arrangement of QUEEN MARY'S ESCAPE FROM LOCHLEVEN CASTLE in an old periodical called The Family Minstrel: A Repository of Music and Poetry, Volume 1, No. 15 (New York: James De Voe, September 1, 1835), page 120.

No author or composer is credited.

This is the oldest copy I can find.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Queen Mary's Escape / Arran Boat Song
From: Jack Campin
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 06:33 PM

What tune does it use?

The Arran Boat Song is a variant of "Banks of the Devon", which was used for a lot of broadsides in the early 19th century, e.g. "The Bard of Armagh", so it wouldn't be surprising to find it used for this one at that date.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Queen Mary's Escape / Arran Boat Song
From: Alice
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 12:22 AM

It's not the Bard of Armagh tune, but you can find the sheet music at the Levy web site.


click

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Queen Mary's Escape / Arran Boat Song
From: GUEST,Jane Ann Liston
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 08:00 AM

Why 'Arran', I wonder? It's nowhere near Loch Leven, from whence Mary escaped.

Incidentally the current theory for the name of Arran is from the Scots Gaelic for 'points', which is very plausible especially if one is looking from the Ayrshire coast.

NB - the Mull of Kintyre is only the southernmost tip of the peninsula. So Arran is situated east of Kintyre, but north east from the Mull of K.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Queen Mary's Escape / Arran Boat Song
From: Tootler
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 05:22 PM

The tune "The Arran Boat" can be found in Kerr's Merrie Melodies.

ABC below
X:1
T:The Arran Boat
C:Traditional
S:Kerr; Merrie Melodies (in Ador)
M:6/8
R:Air
K:Edor
E3/2F/E B3/2c/d|A3/2F/D A3/2F/D|E3/2F/E B3/2c/d|F3/2E/F E3|
E3/2F/E B3/2c/d|A3/2F/D A3/2F/D|E3/2F/E B3/2c/d|F3/2E/F E3|]
e3/2f/e g3/2f/e|d3/2B/G A3/2F/D|e3/2f/e g3/2f/e|^d3/2B/d e3|
e3/2f/e g3/2f/e|d3/2B/G A3/2F/D|E3/2F/E B3/2c/d|F3/2E/F E3|]

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Queen Mary's Escape / Arran Boat Song
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jul 14 - 12:15 PM

Arran is the name of the Regent who lead the battle for Scotland. He made some terrible mistakes and it's told he was responsible for the loss of over 10,000 Scotts.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Queen Mary's Escape / Arran Boat Song
From: GUEST,Tattie Bogle
Date: 03 Jul 14 - 01:18 PM

Seems a more plausible explanation! Loch Leven Castle is on an island in the loch so you would have to escape by boat: see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hamilton,_Duke_of_Ch%C3%A2tellerault

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Queen Mary's Escape / Arran Boat Song
From: Jack Campin
Date: 03 Jul 14 - 01:30 PM

I have been through this story in another thread, but the boat used to get Mary across Loch Leven was said to have belonged to the then Earl of Arran. But the earl was in France at the time, and his son (more likely to have helped) had become totally and permanently insane three years before, so neither of them can have played a very active part in the escape. The history of Mary Queen of Scots' reign is a chaotic mess with everybody involved changing sides as often as possible, reported with added confusion by Buchanan and muddled even further by Scott, so you can hardly blame a songwriter for making it up.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Queen Mary's Escape / Arran Boat Song
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 03 Jul 14 - 01:50 PM

Well said, Jack!