The heroic laoidhean, that formed a central part of traditional Gaelic culture in the later Middle Ages, will be brought back to life in the National Library of Scotland (NLS) on Saturday 23rd September.
The reinterpreted Gaelic heroic lays or laoidhean are the result of a remarkable collaboration of talented traditional Gaelic singer from South Uist, Màiri Macmillan; a celebrated chamber ensemble notable for their dedication to new music, the Edinburgh Quartet, and a distinguished modern composer Ned Bigham, whose work stretches from classical to electronica.
Ned Bigham commented “A few years ago Dòmhnall and Abigail introduced me to the fascinating Gaelic tradition of these heroic ballads that came across from Ireland, starting in the twelfth century. They belonged to the high art tradition in their communities, which may be why many contemporary singers have felt intimidated to take them on and it is now rare to hear them. In reimagining them for a modern audience we have set them to string quartet, which as far as we are aware is a first. The combination of the wonderfully talented Gaelic singer Màiri Macmillan and the internationally renowned Edinburgh Quartet, together with the ballads’ beautiful melodies and spellbinding narratives should be really magical!”
The musicians are breathing fresh life into these ancient songs, looking to bring them to the attention of a wider audience by staging a concert of laoidhean in the NLS when recordings will be made that will be released later this year.
In the 18th century, the Gaelic laoidhean inspired the Ossianic prose epics of James Macpherson, a vital touchstone for the Romantic movement throughout Europe and beyond though today the tradition of sung laoidhean is increasingly endangered.
One of the most important collections of laoidhean texts was compiled by the 19th century folklorist and polymath John Francis Campbell. The texts he used offering contextual details concerning singers and their performances, are preserved among Campbell’s voluminous papers in the NLS and played a key starting point for the research to create these new interpretations.
The Library’s first bi-lingual exhibition Sgeul | Story, that opened in June this year and continues until April 2024, focuses on the work of John Francis Campbell of Islay, who worked with local storytellers to record and save Gaelic folktales which at the time were preserved solely by a dwindling oral tradition.
The concert will be introduced by Domhnall Uilleam Stiubhart and Abigail Burnyeat (both at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, University of the Highland and Islands), who will give the audience an insight into the history and the stories in both English and Gaelic.
Abigail Burnyeat said “Whether in a chief’s hall or in the ceilidh house, the characters of these laoidhean were known and what happens to them was both familiar and deeply-felt. The performance of these tales was part of an intimate conversation between storytellers and singers and their audiences. It’s not theatre or opera: the songis there to carry the words, and the words are what’s important. The ballads were high art; but their stories belonged to everybody and will resonate with people just as much today as in the past.”
Tickets went on sale on Wednesday 16th August.
The event will also be livestreamed.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 