History of folk songs

Subject: History of folk songs
From:
Date: 08 Dec 99 - 06:30 PM

Does anyone know if there is a website which tells of the origins and meanings of Scottish folksongs? Or, would Bruce O start one? He seems to know a lot!

Subject: RE: History of folk songs
From: Bruce O.
Date: 08 Dec 99 - 06:43 PM

Murray on Saltspring knows much more than I do about history of Scottish folksongs. I only answer here because he doesn't show up here very often. See his Scottish childrens' songs and nursery rhymes in DT, by searching on 'MS'. There a are a few where I worked out a bit of history in Scarce Songs 1 & 2 on my website.

Subject: RE: History of folk songs
From: Bruce O.
Date: 08 Dec 99 - 06:56 PM

The School of Scottish Studies website is being revised and is unavailable at present. Use a search engine to find a description of their twice yearly magazine 'Tocher'.

Subject: RE: History of folk songs
From: Anne
Date: 08 Dec 99 - 07:06 PM

Thanks for the information Bruce.

Subject: RE: History of folk songs
From: Abby Sale
Date: 09 Dec 99 - 09:19 AM

Danger! You are embarking on a twisted, mind bending venture. Scottish history itself is a convoluted quagmire. Scottish song not only reflects that quagmire, but has no qualms aabout "reinterpreting" it to suit the singers' chosen view. The son's battle-winner and history may be at odds. It is also possible and currently conttroversial, that occasionally a song may _more_ accurately reflect events then the limited or censured official history.

I learned a lot from FJ Child's notes in _The English and Scottish Popular Ballads_. These are the songs that most likely contain historical content and his notes are still reckoned pretty good all these years later. Any scholarly book on ballads will continue the tradition. There are many.

Subject: RE: History of folk songs
From: Bruce O.
Date: 09 Dec 99 - 12:25 PM

Not everything in Child is correct. Last paragraph of notes to "The Gypsy Laddie", #200, he suggests the connection of the ballad with the Cassilis family may have come from corruption of 'castle-gate'. The tune of the ballad is "Lady Cassilis' Lilt" in the 17th century Skene MS. Findlay was probably correct in 1808, in saying the ballad was probably written to embarrass the Earl of Cassilis (he was a stauch Covenanter).