Celtic Life - 25th Anniversary - Special Edition

On this beautiful sunshined day, while reading away stories from Celtic Life -  25th Anniversary Special Edition which compiles the “Best of the Best” articles published in the last quarter century,  a title grabbed my fullest attention: Child Slaves From Scotland; A Story rarely told .   !!??

Child Slaves From Scotland by Douglas MacGowan - Source: Celtic Life (celticlife.ca)

Written back in 2001 by Douglas MacGowan, it’s an horrific account on Scottish slavery. Slavery was dubbed “the most profitable evil in the world”.

In his article, Douglas McGowan talks about:

• An Opera telling the story of two slaves from Scotland: Haki and Hekja who journeyed to North American shores with a group of Vikings
• The practice of selling children into slavery as portrayed in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Kidnapped
  
• Peter Williamson’s memoirs written in 1756 which got him arrested for publishing his ordeal of being forced into labour

Took me only two seconds to raise from my reading chair  and get in front of my computer to google away about the Opera!

Not that I’m a fanatic of Operas, but because I wanted to know more about the legend and eager to discover what triggered Michael Parker’s mind to compose an Opera around Haki and Hekja’s legendary story.

Here’s what I found…

THE LEGEND

Haki and Hekja

Together since childhood, they were captured in their late teens by Viking raiders on their home island of Stronsay, taken to Norway, and sold to King Olaf Tryggvason who gave them as a gift to Leif Eiriksson when he was visiting Norway.

Leif Eiriksson took Haki and Hekja back to Greenland with him and later loaned them to Thorfin Karlsefni to aid him in his expedition to Vinland, which is where we find them in this opera.

Leif Ericson Discovers America - Source: history-world.org

 

They are in a sense one person and rely on each other’s companionship to endure their slavery and exile. Their slavery, however, which has lasted for over ten years, is somewhat paradoxical because, being swifter than deer, they could simply run away from the Vikings on one of their scouting missions.

Part of the problem has been that in the rugged countries of Iceland and Greenland where the Vikings have taken them, Haki and Hekja have had nowhere to run to where they could survive on their own.

The other factor is that running together gives them a sense of freedom which allows them, temporarily at least, to transcend their pain and deny the real condition of their lives.

Hekja especially has entrenched in her character the state of shock they experienced when their families were slaughtered and they were taken to a foreign country in chains.

Their exceptional ability as runners, in fact, is an outgrowth of that shock, an expression of their desire to escape the horror the Vikings brought on them. Thus, ironically, they have accommodated their slavery.

Their skill as runners that has made them valuable to their masters has also been their own solace. But in Vinland Hekja sees the possibility of escape and transformation.

Although Haki is deeply tempted, he continues to be more inclined to accept the conditions of Viking society and to hope for freedom within it. What he longs for is to return to their ancestral island in Scotland, to continue their family’s interrupted history there.

Hekja still feels herself propelled away from her old home by the horror that destroyed it; only more distance and more change will satisfy her.

They both vacillate in their wishes; both feel they have been weakened by collusion and dependency.

Source: http://www2.swgc.mun.ca/mparker/visitor.htm

THE IDEA FOR AN OPERA

As mentioned below, Michael Parker was commissioned by Music Canada 2000 and the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra to write an opera to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Viking arrival in Newfoundland.

The Visitor: an Opera in Five Scenes with Prologue. Op. 58 (2000) Curtain Calls -Opera- The Visitor- Source: www2.swgc.mun.ca In 1998,  the Newfoundland Symphony and Music Canada 2000 commissioned me to write an opera to be premiered in 2000 to commemorate the millenium anniversary of the discovery of Newfoundland by the Vikings. I approached Newfoundland writer John Steffler to produce the libretto. He went to the Vinland Sagas and found a reference to three obscure characters: two Scottish slaves named Hekja and Haki, and a German rune-stone carver named Tyrkir. John Steffler (L) and Dr. Michael Parker - Source: www.mun.ca/gazette/2000-2001 These became the focus of the libretto and the opera. The Visitor is scored for Mezzo-Soprano (Hekja), Lyric Baritone (Haki), Bass Baritone (an Icelendic Bard, Tyrkir, Decker) and Speaking Part (an Interpreter, Agnes), and chamber orchestra consisting of 2 Violins, Viola, Violoncello, Contrabass, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Piano and 2 Percussion. The plot is a simple one on the surface. The first three scenes take place in AD 1000 as the Vikings are about to return to Europe from Vinland (Newfoundland). In the last two scenes, the setting suddenly changes to AD 2000 although Hekja and Haki remain. The two Scottish slaves, brought to Vinland by the Vikings to reconnoite the place, are trying to decide whether to return to Europe with their Viking masters or to escape from them to take their chances in the new world. As they ponder these choices, they encounter several other characters. In Scene II, they encounter Tyrkir, a German rune-stone carver. He is disgusted with life in the new world and longs to return to his wife in Europe. In Scene IV Hekja and Haki meet Agnes, a modern doctor who has come to Vinland to escape painful memories of the brutal murder of her family in Africa. They also meet Decker, an archaeologist who sees in the 1000-year-old artefacts of the Vikings a chance to better his position in his job. In the end, Hekja and Haki make their decision. At its heart, The Visitor is an opera about home, about where we all belong, about wishing for better things somewhere else while perhaps not recognizing those precious things that are right at hand. The opera was written between January 1999 and March 2000. It received two very good concert performances in September 2000. As a result of those performances, I have decided I would like to revise some of the work. I look forward to doing that in the near future. http://www2.swgc.mun.ca/mparker/opera.htm

 THE AUTHOR/COMPOSER

Michael Parker - Composer - Source: www2.swgc.mun.ca

Welcome to my homepage.

I am a composer of contemporary concert music. I was born in Toronto but have been living in Newfoundland since 1976. The next few years will see some important anniversaries for me.

2006 will mark my 30th year living in Newfoundland.

2007 will mark my 30th year of teaching at Grenfell College, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Finally, 2008 will mark my 60th year of living on this planet. What I’ve been doing during all this time is documented throughout this site. I hope you enjoy it.

This webpage will provide you with detailed information about all of the compositions I have written. It will also give you some insights into my live outside of composing. (…)

Newfoundland 1941 Sir Wilfred Grenfell Stamp Commemorates His Hospital Ship: Strathcona II

Further Reading:

THE VIKINGS, NEVIL SHUTE AND CAPE COD

Cape Cod was discovered by the Vikings a thousand years ago. That is what is believed by many researchers after reading the Vinland Sagas. The geography fits perfectly. It is also what Nevil Shute believed when he wrote his novel, An Old Captivity in 1940 and his screen play, Vinland the Good in 1946 about Leif Ericsson’s visit to Cape Cod.

(…)

Nevil Shute visited Cape Cod in 1939 and described Cape Cod as one of the most beautiful places in the world. Interested in the Viking sagas, Shute wrote his sixth novel, An Old Captivity, about the Vikings discovering Cape Cod. It is set in the 1930s and is about an archeologist who explores the Viking sites on Greenland. He hires a pilot to take him there from England in a seaplane. The pilot, overworked and under great stress, cannot sleep so he takes sleeping pills and dreams about Leif Ericsson and two Viking slaves, Haki and Hekja.

http://www.nevilshute.org/cc05.php

I’m now going to dig into the other two aspects of slavery mentionned in Douglas MacGowan’s article: the practice of selling children into slavery and the story of Peter Williamson’s book: The Life and Curious Adventures of Peter Williamson, Who Was Carried Off from Aberdeen, in 1744, and Sold for a Slave , and will come back with more.

A bientôt!

Janice

Sainte-Rose du Nord Saguenay Québec © 2010 Scotiana

Every year, it comes as a surprise.

The leaves flare, for a time, to crimson and butter yellow,

the air shifts, in the early morning,

from te damp greens of late summer to soft graphites and an occasional miraculous quail grey.

(John Burnside – A Lie About My Father)

Hi everybody,

Leaves fall in the garden and it’s getting ‘fresh’ as they use to say in Scotland I wonder what the weather is like on the other side of the Channel.

Franz Liszt birthday anniversary - Google image - 22 october 2011 © Google

A glance at my calendar told me this morning that it was October 22nd 2011 and on opening Google I discovered that today was the 200th birthday anniversary of Franz Liszt, one of the greatest European pianist-composer of the 19th century.  I’m no expert in music and still less in music history but I would not pass this date without saying a few words about this genial musician. I’ve not forgotten our visit to Nohant, George Sand’s beautiful family house, where the writer used to receive famous people and artists and I remembered that Liszt had been one of them. Sand’s life is not ‘un long fleuve tranquille’ and her tempestuous love affair with the French poet Alfred de Musset, in the years 1833-1834, is well-known, especially the page which took place in Venice. The two lovers finally broke up and Musset came back alone to Paris. But they soon reconciled (not for a long time however) and it is Musset who, in 1834, introduced Liszt to George Sand. She invited him to Nohant where he came in 1837 with Mary d’Agoult. In his turn, Liszt  would introduce Chopin to George Sand and, in 1838 a new love affair would begin between Chopin and George Sand.

Before going on, let us keep in mind a few dates :

Felix Mendelssohn : 1809-1847

Frederick Chopin : 1810-1849

Franz Liszt  1811-1886

George Sand :1804-1876

Portrait of Frederic Chopin by Maria Wodzinska 1836 - Source Wikipedia

My last post was entitled The Scottish Autumn of Frederick Chopin after a little book written in 1993 by Pamela Zanuski which tells the story of the close relationships between Chopin and Jane Stirling, a Scottish lady who had been Chopin’s pupil and was according to him a very talented pianist. Had Franz Liszt ever gone to Scotland one day, I wondered, like Felix Mendelssohn who wrote the unforgettable Fingal’s Cave Overture, (akaThe Hebrides), which depicts the rocky, wind-swept coast of Scotland which is at its best on the little breathtaking island of Staffa, off Iona.

Portrait of Franz Liszt by Henri Lehmann 1839 - Source Wikipedia

I must confess that my first investigations were rather disappointing and as I was about to give up I fell upon the Penicuik and District Arts Festival website.

Once upon a time in the little town of Penicuik, nestled south of Edinburgh at the Eastern flanks of the ancient Pentland Hills, some young families got together, to play music, sing and dance together, share their hearts and arts. The Penicuik Community Arts Association sprouted and grew, and the time flew, and low and behold: there was a craft co-op, cafe co-op and a vibrant network of artists of all genres putting on events and workshops to be proud of.
Time continued to fly, the kids said good bye, and, with a big sigh, the parents’ broad shoulders shifted a few more boulders… and the PCAA still stood strong, hurray!
Time went on and on, the wee town grew, a cold wind blew and still blows in this world so strapped for cash and entangled in a mesh of waste and waste and waste.
So the questions grew: what could we do to make space for a new race?
There, out of the blue, last arts fest true, Making Space appeared and was greatly cheered.A little ripple grew into a strong little boat that keeps us a little afloat with fun fibre craft action for free from and for you and me.
Now we need another wave, so we thought we be brave and make a big wee splash…

hush…

can you hear
the Coming Together is near
the Arts Fest 2011
and out of hard work and blue heaven
a splash arrived here for a wee bash,
so now we are all making a dash
for the workshop and whirl tops to be, to call in fresh folk
young ones, who can talk
and also walk their talk..

So, see yee !

I like the story very much… it makes me feel going there next year !

Penicuik and District Arts Festival 2011-Programme Introductory page

The last Festival took place in September but our readers who want to know more about it can still download the programme.

The event which took place on Friday 9 september at 10 pm and which was entitled ‘Lizt and Scotland, illustrated talk by Derek Watson’, drew my attention. On Penicuik’s Festival website I read : ‘ 2011 marks the bicentenary of Franz Liszt.  Following in the footsteps of Mendelssohn, Chopin and Paganini, Liszt made a remarkable tour to Scotland as a young man, of which we will hear an entertaining account.  Also, four people close to him had Scottish connections: the eminent conductor Hans von Bülow directed a season in Glasgow, and left a lasting mark on Scottish music-making in several visits; Liszt’s pupils Eugen d’Albert and Frederic Lamond were both born in Glasgow and became world famous piano virtuosi; and Liszt’s friend the composer Sir Alexander Mackenzie, born in Edinburgh, was important in musical education and, along with those of d’Albert, his works are being rediscovered. Derek Watson has gathered rare and interesting material about these Scottish connections, providing opportunities for musical and visual illustrations of Liszt’s life and extraordinary influence. ‘

How I would have liked to attend Mr Watson’s conference at Penicuik. I didn’t find anything about its contents on the web but I’ve found two books which can prove useful to readers who are interested by the subject. The first one has been written by Derek Watson himself. It is a big volume (not cheap) published in the  ‘Master Musicians Series’ by the Oxford University Press:

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, this extraordinary series continues to amaze and captivate its readers with detailed insight into the lives and work of music’s geniuses. Unlike other composer biographies that focus narrowly on the music, this series explores the personal history of each composer and the social context surrounding the music. In a precise, engaging, and authoritative manner, each volume combines a vivid portrait of the master musicians’ inspirations, influences, life experiences, even their weaknesses, with an accessible discussion of their work–all in roughly 300 pages. Further, each volume offers superb reference material, including a detailed life and times chronology, a complete list of works, a personalia glossary highlighting the important people in the composer’s life, and a select bibliography. Under the supervision of music expert and series general editor Stanley Sadie, Master Musicians will certainly proceed to delight music scholars, serious musicians, and all music lovers for another hundred years.

Lizt Derek Watson Oxford University Press 2000

Liszt’s career at the centre of the Romantic Movement encompassed the legendary virtuoso tours, the composition and transcriptions which revolutionized the possibilities of the instrument, his important period as conductor in Weimar, his creation of new types of orchestral and choral music, his influence as a teacher, and his lifelong radical approach to harmony, tonality, and form. Derek Watson also examines Liszt’s liberal religious philosophy, his artistic aesthetic, and his tireless efforts on behalf of fellow musicians, viewing him essentially as a cosmopolitan, pan-European figure, unique in the breadth of his travels and culture, who drew upon a richly diverse legacy of art, and who in turn left his mark on many different schools of composition. Areas of his music which have been hitherto ignored or forgotten are brought to light, and several myths and misunderstandings about the man and his art are exposed and exploded.

 

 ”A very good book, which maintains the high standards of excellence we have come to associate with the Master Musicians series… It is bound to become an indispensable companion for students, scholars, performers and music lovers alike… I know of no other single volume in English which unfolds the story of Liszt’s life with such clarity and concision.”–Music & Letters

The second book, An Artist’s Journey -  Lettres d’un bachelier es musique, 1835-1841 has been written by Franz Liszt himself. Here it is:

An Artist's Journey - Lettres d'un bachelier es musique, 1835-1841 University of Chicago Press 1989

From  Publishers Weekly

Previously unpublished in English, these 16 essays describe the places, people and intellectual life Franz Liszt encountered during his six years of wandering as a concert pianist in Western Europe. Addressed to George Sand, Heinrich Heine and Hector Berlioz, among others, and basically concerned with Liszt’s own role as an artist, some of the pieces are confessional, a few are musical reports, others contain high-minded insights into the nature of art and genius. Like Liszt’s musical compositions of that period, the letters are full of extravagance and hyperbole. Suttoni annotates each essay, includes the letters from Sand, Heine and Berlioz that elicited Liszt’s replies and addresses the controversy attached to the authorship of these letters by concluding that the writing consists of Liszt’s philosophy, substance and ideas expressed in the words of his mistress, Marie d’Agoult. Illustrations not seen by PW.

From Library Journal

This first English edition of the series of articles Liszt wrote for the Parisian press in the late 1830s as he traveled with his mistress Marie D’Agoult is also the most complete. It includes three articles missing from earlier editions and three pieces by George Sand, Heine, and Berlioz to which some of Liszt’s articles reply. Translator Suttoni’s excellent commentary sheds further light on questions regarding authorship. Though pale beside Liszt’s music, these writings are like conversations among artists. Besides remarking on the musical life and tastes of the cities of Europe, they reveal Liszt’s depth of thinking about his own identity and purpose as an artist and foreshadow his future development. For music collections.
- Steven J. Squires, Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lib.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

I’ve found a cheap copy which I immediately bought, hoping to find a page about Liszt’s tour to Scotland! You will be the first to learn it if I can get something interesting in it. I’m looking forward to receiving it. In the meantime we can anticipate our reading by looking at the contents

1. Geneva
To George Sand
2. Return to Paris
To a Poet-Voyager [George Sand]
3. Strife in Paris
To George Sand
4. Nohant and Lyons
To Adolphe Pictet
5. From Savoy to the Italian Lakes
To Louis de Ronchaud
Lake Como: To Louis de Ronchaud
6. Milan
La Scala: To Maurice Schlesinger
To Lambert Massart: Part I, Milan
7. Venice and Vienna
To Heinrich Heine
Venice
To Lambert Massart: Part II, Vienna
8. Genoa, Florence, and Bologna
Genoa and Florence: Part I, Genoa
The Perseus of Benvenuto Cellini
Genoa and Florence: Part II, Florence
The Saint Cecilia of Raphael: To Joseph d’Ortigue
9. From Florence to Rome
Musical Conditions in Italy: To Maurice Schlesinger
10. Rome and San Rossore
To Hector Berlioz
11. Hamburg, Copenhagen, and the Rhine
To Léon Kreutzer
Epilogue
Appendices
A. George Sand: Letter of a Voyager to Liszt
B. Heinrich Heine: Confidential Letter
C. Hector Berlioz: To Liszt
D. Liszt: Religious Music of the Future
E. Liszt as Author
Bibliography
Index

The 'Four Ages of Franz Liszt 'from 'The Etude' magazine 1913 Source Wikimedia

Franz Liszt Fantasizing at the Piano by Josef Danhauser 1840 - Source Wikipedia

Franz Liszt Fantasizing at the Piano by Josef Danhauser 1840 , a painting (119 x 167 cm) of Franz Liszt playing in a Parisian salon a grand piano by Conrad Graf , who commissioned the painting; on the piano is a bust of Ludwig van Beethoven by Anton Dietrich; the imagined gathering shows seated Alexandre Dumas (père), George Sand, Franz Liszt, Marie d’Agoult; standing Hector Berlioz or Victor Hugo, Niccolò Paganini, Gioachino Rossini; a portrait of Byron on the wall and a statue of Joan of Arc on the far left.

Just imagine we are there, listening to the music…

Let us end on the  very moving performance by Cellist Seeli Toivio and her brother, pianist Kalle Toivio,  playing “Franz Liszt Liebestraum cello and piano”…

Enjoy !

A bientôt. Mairiuna

Chopin's tomb at the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris - Source: Wikipedia

Hi everybody!

Without our last message from Iain and Margaret, it would certainly have escaped us that today was the anniversary of the death of Frédéric Chopin, nor would we  have known that this genial composer owed so much to a Scottish lady who, in the last and painful years of his short life, looked after him so devoted.

On a recent flight to Wroclaw, Poland, our friends met a charming Polish gentleman with whom they struck up a very interesting conversation. Iain writes :

I recall that we talked a bit – on the plane – about Chopin’s time in Scotland in the autumn of 1848. Monday – 17th October – is the Anniversary of Frederick Chopin’s death the following year.

Miss Jane Stirling – from a wealthy Scottish family, and who fancied that she was in love with Chopin – paid his funeral expenses. Chopin is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris – although his heart was taken home to Warsaw.

Epitaph for heart of Frédéric Chopin in Holy Cross Church in Warsaw Source Wikipedia

‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ Under the stone lie a casket of Polish soil, a bunch of violets, and a rose petal from Scotland .. .. It has been said that Jane Stirling wore mourning clothes for the remainder of her life .. .. (Wikipedia!)

I do love Chopin’s music but I must confess that, except for his passionate relationships with George Sand, I don’t know much about his life.

Nohant George Sand's house in Berry, France © 2010 Scotiana

Last year, we visited Nohant, George Sand’s beautiful house in Berry, France. True enchantment! What a pity we could not take pictures inside the house where Chopin had spent so many happy days in company of George Sand and the many guests she used to invite there in a most cheerful atmosphere.

We stayed there up to the closing time… as if we were waiting for the echo of a few notes played on the old piano…

George Sand's grave in the family cemetery of Nohant © 2010 Scotiana

Before leaving this magical place, we visited the moving little family cemetery. There we stayed a long moment in silent contemplation at George Sand’s grave.

…………………………………..

As I was going to try and write a synthesis out of all the notes I had collected here and there on the web and more especially about Chopin’s relationships with Jane Stirling I received a message from Iain and Margaret who were offering me their help.  How grateful I am to them. I could not have finished this post without their help.

The Scottish Autumn of Frederick Chopin Pamela Zaluski John Donald Publishers, Edinburgh 1993

Here’s Iain’s first message :

“I’ve managed to find the Zaluskis’ wee book The Scottish Autumn of Frederick Chopin .. .. on the back cover it   says: “Chopin was already dying of tuberculosis when he came to Scotland in the early autumn of 1848 at the invitation of Jane Stirling of the renowned Scottish family. (Jane, a younger daughter, was plain Miss Stirling; Chopin had already, of course, been in London for some months.) Together they visited Calder House outside Edinburgh, Milliken House & Johnstone Castle near Glasgow, Strachur House on Loch Fyne, Gargunnock House in Stirlingshire, Keir House in Perthshire, and Hamilton Palace & Wishaw House in Strathclyde. Everywhere he was expected to play; he also gave a concert in both Glasgow & Edinburgh.

“This gruelling schedule proved too much, and was the cause of frequent return visits to the home of Dr Adam Lyscznski, a homoeopathic practitioner residing in Warriston Crescent, Edinburgh. In October (1848) a pale shadow of his former self, Chopin left for London, where he gave the last concert of his life before returning to Paris.”

” ‘Tomorrow I go back to Paris, hardly able to crawl, and weaker than ever,’ Chopin wrote to George Sand’s daughter, Solange, on 22 November, after his doctors had ordered him to leave (the polluted air of) London.”

For almost a year, Chopin lingered between life and death.

Last moments of Frédéric Chopin by Teofil Kwiatkowski, 1849-1850 - Frederic Chopin museum, Warsaw, Poland - Wikipedia

“Frederick Chopin died at 12 Place Vendôme, Paris, in the early hours of the morning on 17 October 1849. .. .. At his bedside were his sister Ludwika .. .. Princess Marcelina Czartoryska, Auguste Franchomme and Jane Stirling. And, of course, the faithful Daniel.*

” .. .. Jane Stirling (like George Sand, six years older than Chopin) wore black for the rest of her life – like a widow. Before her death on 6 February 1859 she worked tirelessly to collect, buy and send to Poland all of Chopin’s works, effects and furniture, including his piano, to form the nucleus of a collection for a Chopin museum. It was to be her last mistake .. .. In 1863, a gang of Russian Cossacks plundered the palace where they were preserved, and, deliberately selecting all the items from the Chopin museum, including his piano and the original Ary Scheffer portrait of Chopin, piled them up and made a bonfire of them, in a barbaric attempt to destroy Poland’s musical heritage .. .. .. ”

*Daniel:   “His Italian servant had proved to be lazy and unreliable .. .. so Chopin sacked him on 1 July and in his place engaged an Irishman called Daniel. .. .. .. In Chopin’s eyes, Daniel was the equal of any gentleman. He was urbane and handsome, spoke fluent French, and showed considerable tact and diplomacy in dealing with Chopin’s changing moods. During the last 15 months of Chopin’s life, this loyal and devoted servant remained with him .. .. There is no record of either his surname, or of what became of him afterwards .. “

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Chopin by Eugène Delacroix 1838 - Musée du Louvre

Bach is an astronomer, discovering the most marvellous stars.

Beethoven challenges the universe.

I only try to express the soul and the heart of man.

Frederic Chopin

Frédéric Chopin's native place at Zelazowa Wola, Poland - Source: Wikipedia

Frédéric Chopin was born on March 1st (?) 1810 in the town of Zelazowa-Wola, near Warsaw, in Poland and died on October 17th 1849, in Paris, in the nice apartment situated 12 Place Vendôme, which he had bought some time before with the financial help of Jane Stirling. He was only twenty when he came to live in France but he would never forget his native country where he has always been worshipped as a national hero.

On the website of the Warsaw’s Chopin Museum I’ve found very interesting information about Jane Stirling.

Frédéric Chopin Museum in Warsaw , Poland - Source: Wikipedia

Jane W. Stirling was Fryderyk Chopin’s student. She provided the composer with financial and emotional support during his final years. After Chopin’s death, she became an ambassador for preserving his art and life in remembrance. Jane W. Stirling purchased the majority of objects from Chopin’s last apartment. Shortly after Ludwika Jędrzejewiczowa had left Paris, she focused on putting the composer’s items in order and donated them to his close friends and relatives. As a result, Chopin’s personal items, letters, as well as objects of everyday use were sent to Warsaw. Delivery of the most valuable memorabilia, such as Chopin’s last Pleyel brand piano, was organized by Stirling with the utmost thoughtfulness.

Jane W. Stirling also cared deeply about preserving the composer’s artistic legacy. On her request, Ludwika Jędrzejewiczowa prepared a list of Unpublished Compositions remaining in the manuscripts. Living in Paris, Stirling engaged herself in initiatives undertaken after the composer’s death by his friends. In her correspondence with Ludwika Jędrzejewiczowa, she discussed the progress of works over Fryderyk Chopin’s tombstone at the Père Lachaise cemetery.

Jane W. Stirling treated Fryderyk Chopin’s personal items almost as relics. She wanted to protect them against destruction and rescue from oblivion. Yet, Stirling respected the value they held for his family in Warsaw. She did not hesitate to present Chopin memorabilia, which she owned, to his relatives: a death mask, miniature medallion with the composer’s image, or portraits of Fryderyk Chopin painted on her commission. Realizing the importance of the composer’s legacy, Stirling established a museum devoted to Fryderyk Chopin in Scotland. In her last will, she bequeathed part of the gathered collection to his family.

The five-year long correspondence between Jane W. Stirling and Ludwika Jędrzejewiczowa provides rich and detailed documentation of the history of Chopin’s legacy. It shows the amount of effort put after the composer’s death into preserving his memorabilia for the future generations.

http://chopin.museum/en/about/us

But then, a second message from Iain arrived:  “Chers Amis, Margaret has kindly offered to type some more from that splendid wee book – she’s faster than me! ”

Portrait of Jane Wilhelmina Stirling by Achille Deveria ca 1830 Wikipedia

“Jane Wilhelmina Stirling was born at Kippenross House outside Dunblane on 15th July 1804.  Jane was the youngest of 13 children, the adored and petted daughter of John Stirling, Laird of Kippendavie and Mary Graham.
John Stirling was a prominent member of the well-known middle-class Scottish family who had made a considerable fortune from trade with India. Pictures of ‘Jeanie’ in her youth show her to have been a very pretty girl, although her nose was considered too long for real beauty.

Her father died in 1816 when she was only 12; and when her mother died, four years later, she was taken in hand by her widowed elder sister, Katherine Erskine, who appears to have seen off any potential suitors for Jane, preferring to keep her as a constant companion in her widowhood.

In 1826 the now wealthy and inseparable sisters set off for Paris. In common with many other young ladies of means from Britain, a sojourn in the heady atmosphere of the French capital was de rigueur. They soon became fully involved in the Parisian experience and decided to stay on indefinitely.

George Sand by Eugène Delacroix,1838 - Ordrupgaard Museum, Copenhague

In the autumn of 1840, they first met Chopin who had recently returned to Paris after his abortive trip to Majorca with George Sand.  Within two years Jane had become Chopin’s piano pupil and her admiration for him grew and with it her devotion and affection. She became a very proficient pianist and Chopin once told her  “One day you will play very, very well.”  – a judgment not lightly bestowed.  Her repertoire covered the greater part of  Chopin’s output, even to the more difficult works, including the Concerto in F Minor, the Sonata in B Minor and the Fantasia in F Minor, all of which require a high degree of technical excellence. But one of her favourites was the less demanding Prelude in C Minor Op. 28 No. 20;  she referred to this rich chorale-like Largo as La Prière.  Chopin was very touched by her generosity of spirit, her kindness and her solicitousness, and in 1842 he dedicated his Nocturne In F Minor Op 55 No 1 to her, as well as the Nocturne in E Flat Op. 55 No 2 the following year.

In the spring of 1848, with Louis-Philippe gone and unrest in the air, Paris emptied of foreign patronage, and Jane and Katherine returned to their house in London. Jane begged Chopin to join the exodus, promising him success and fortune in the English capital.

With nothing whatsoever to lose, Chopin let out his Paris apartment, and followed her across the Channel to England. ”

Short as it was Frédéric Chopin’s life was rich and full of events and people but the autumn of his life is particularly moving. Here are the two ‘Nocturnes” written by Chopin for Jane Stirling and I can find no better way to pay homage to the Scottish lady as well as to the artist than to listen to them…

A la table de George Sand Christiane Sand Flammarion 1987

Chopin est au piano et ne s’aperçoit pas qu’on l’écoute. Il improvise comme au hasard. Il s’arrête.

-  Eh bien ! Eh bien ! s’écrie Delacroix, ce n’est pas fini !
- Ce n’est pas commencé. Rien ne me vient… rien que des reflets, des ombres, des reliefs qui ne veulent pas se fixer. Je cherche la couleur ; je ne trouve même pas le dessin.
- Vous ne trouverez pas l’un sans l’autre, reprend Delacroix, et vous allez les trouver tous deux.
- Mais si je ne trouve que le clair de lune ?
- Vous aurez trouvé le reflet d’un reflet. »

(George Sand. Impressions et souvenirs. Source : A la table de George Sand Flammarion 1987)

Nohant George Sand's House in Berry France © 2010 Scotiana

Sa création était spontanée, miraculeuse. Il la trouvait sans la chercher, sans la prévoir. Elle venait sur son piano, soudaine, complète, sublime,
ou elle se chantait dans sa tête pendant une promenade, et il avait hâte de se la faire entendre à lui-même en la jetant sur l’instrument.

(George Sand)

To end this ‘In Memoriam’ page rather than the gloomy notes of the ‘Funeral March’ which could have sounded appropriate to such an event I’ve preferred the  ‘Piano concerto no. 2 in F minor, Op. 21,’ where the violin adds its melancholy voice to the cheerful notes of the piano…

I hope you’ll enjoy this moment.

A bientôt.

Mairiuna

Blackburn,West Lothian,Scotland

A short 30-minute journey from Edinburgh’s Bathgate railway station brings you to the small Scottish village of Blackburn, where resides Susan Boyle, who became, only six months ago, following her performance at “Britain’s Got Talent” TV show in London,  a worldwide acclaimed star.

It’s been a while now that folks at the local Happy Valley Hotel Pub have seen Susan sitting at her favorite table, sipping lemonade while awaiting the next karioke session.

Upon coming back from school, where she suffered from other people unkind remarks and harassments, she would go up to her bedroom to play her albums and would sing aloud, using her hair brush as a microphone, pretending she was entertaining an audience.

That is exactly what she magnificiently did, many years down the road, surprising everyone when on TV stage , she sang ” I Dreamed a Dream ” from Les Miserables.

On that memorable night,  April 11th 2009, her harmonious voice provoked a tsunami of it’s own…with more than 1,000,000 views of her performance on You Tube in the following 36 hours!

(click on the arrow - then scroll down on the page to locate and play video)

Michelle-Coudé Lord, who’s interview with Susan Boyle was published in the Week-End section of Le Journal de Montreal last saturday, asked her to explain the choice behind the songs for her first album.

About “Daydream Believer” a 1967 song by the Monkees, she answered:

I have an advice: if you have a dream, continue believing in it and you will see what comes out of it. There is happiness for whom give itself the effort to dream.

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Susan Boyle's Debut Album - I Dreamed A Dream

I Dreamed A Dream

Amazing Grace

Cry Me A River

How Great Thou Art

Up To The Mountain

Wild Horses

Daydream Believer

The End Of The World

Who I Was Born To Be

You’ll See

Proud

Silent Night

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The album is dedicated to her mother, who died at the age of 91, and to whom Susan had promised that she would do something with her life.

Mission accomplished.

Grab your copy of Susan Boyle’s Debut Album, enjoy her beautiful voice and get inspired to Dream Your Own Dream…and never give up!

Talk soon.

Janice

A series of 0s, Is and IIs appear on the Stirling Head, which would have graced the ceiling of the Royal Palace| Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Upon viewing a documentary on TV about the medieval harp, master carver John Donaldson sprung off his seating when he heard narrator mention that in earlier historical periods, zero’s and one’s were utilized to form music descriptives.

This fact would explain the particular pattern of one of the oak wooden medallion-shaped that he was commissioned to duplicate and which stroke his curiosity as being different from the others with the strange 0 , | and || characters appearing in one of the circular patterns!

Quite similar to our modern binary code, don’t you think so Mairiuna?

.

This revelation led to the discovery of the earliest example of Scottish written music !

===> Hear it being played <===

Stirling Castle - King Presence Chamber

From the approximately 56 original  medallions that adorned the King Presence Chamber’s ceiling in Stirling Castle only 33 survived from the bedroom ceiling collapse.

What originally stroke John Donaldson’s attention, even without having personally any musical training, is that he suspected that the symbols: 0 , | and || , had not been carved only for attractiveness.

After in depth expert analysis these carvings revealed themselves as being the oldest  instrumental music notation from the  sixteenth century.

Evidence found in Wales from later in the same century suggests the ancient tune discovered on the Stirling Head is part of the Celtic harp tradition.

Carved in about 1540 for King James V and his Queen, Mary de Guise, each measuring a metre across, the Stirling Heads depict kings, queens, courtiers, imps and other mythological creatures
as well as classical gods.

The musical markings are not an exact score, but would have given guidance to players who then improvised – in much the same way as modern jazz and blues musicians.

They were discovered by a woodcarver, John Donaldson, who was commissioned by Historic Scotland to create
a series of replicas of the heads. Historic Scotland, the guardians of the castle, said Mr Donaldson noticed
what seemed  to be a deliberate sequence of 0s, Is and IIs round the edge of head number 20, which has the
face of a woman as its central image.

Source: News.Scotsman.com http://news.scotsman.com/dundee/Castle-carving-harps-back-to.5592027.jp

Mary Queen of Scott would have probably heard this music as it may have been specially composed for her father King James V.

It took five years for John Donaldson to accomplish the reproduction of the oak heads, which each measure a meter.

The original 16-century medallions feature vivid depictions of medieval kings and queens as well as mythological heroes.

The works were unveiled by culture minister Michael Russell.

They were commissioned by Historic Scotland as a key part of its £12m project to return the royal palace at Stirling Castle to its original Renaissance heyday.

The ceiling of one of the most important apartments in the palace, the King’s Inner Hall will be decorated by 37 of the heads.

‘Wonderful experience’

Mr Russell said: “The Stirling Heads are a remarkable part of our national heritage, sometimes referred to as Scotland’s other crown jewels.

“John’s work in creating the replica set has been a tremendous achievement, demanding the very highest standards of artistry and craftsmanship.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/8079024.stm

Oak wodden medallion from Stirling Castle

Listening to the music for the first time was a really emotional experience,’ says Donaldson, who last month finished the job of copying the carvings.

He can’t believe that the scratches have changed the way experts think about 16th- century music – as the Stirling Castle carving predates the previous earliest evidence of binary
musical notation by more than 20 years.

This is the first time such notation has been found outside Wales – and also the earliest-known instance of ones and zeros being used at all.

‘As a Scot,’ says Donaldson, ‘That makes me feel chuffed.’

There is one other question. Why do the encoded cuts appear on this particular roundel, rather than one of the 40 or so others?

‘It’s anybody’s guess,’ says Brown. ‘Perhaps the king or queen or some person of influence had a piece of music composed for them, or even by them, and they asked the master of works to include it.’

But that’s for another amateur code-cracker to find out.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1209574/For-500-years-carving-castle-ceiling-hid-magical-musical-secret-Then-man-solved-Da-Tinkey-Code.html#ixzz0RYrkHHSU

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2007

Wow Janice you’ve touched the heartstrings here ! Call me a romantic if you want, though I know you share my feelings, but nothing can move me more than listening to Scottish music. I’m quite a novice in the  field but I know how Scottish people do love music.  Indeed a number of them are born musicians,  either they sing, play the  fiddle or the piano, the harp or the accordion, the Scottish melodeon,  the guitar too…

Glencoe Visitor Center 2004

…and, of course,  bagpiping  ! I can’t listen to that music without shedding floods of tears ! You’d think they have put all the melancholy of the celtic mood in their tunes, love and death, the loneliness of man … and what a ringing voice to stir up such values as pride, courage and patriotism among soldiers. No wonder Scottish bagpipers were put ahead of British armies… poor of them… playing music amidst fire and dying in their beautiful tartan uniforms, far from their beloved country…  but what impact on the enemy !

Fortunately, Scottish people have found more peaceful occasions to play their music today though we can hardly speak of peacefulness when referring to football or rugby matches for example …

I’m only an occasional fan of these sports but I do like watching the first minutes preceding matches or following the victory when players and supporters sing their national anthem… you know how strong the nationalist feeling has always been in Scotland.

Maybe it’s an old story but, believe me, it’s going on in the stadium today…  so no more of  ‘God Save the Queen’ for the Scottish teams on Murray Fields… it has to be ‘Scotland the Brave’ or ‘Flowers of Scotland’. No wonder the 250 th anniversary of the birth of the great Scottish bard  has been celebrated with such enthusiasm all over the world among Scottish communities.

Robert Burns was second to none to sing his country. Were I a musician I think I’d have a try at playing ‘Scots wha hae wi’  Wallace bled!’ !!! By the way, it seems the song has not lost it’s nationalistic connotations today. Did you know that  it had been chosen by the SNP as its party song?  But that’s another story.

Be happy Janice, I’ve just fallen on a beautiful photo of Wallace’s sword in our files. I keep it for my next post but it makes me think, didn’t you buy, among the many books you’ve bought at Wigtown, a beautiful old one called The Scottish Chiefs by Jane Porter? I’ve heard it got the same popularity with 19 th century readers as that of Braveheart with contemporary film-goers today…

Failte gu Alba - Welcome to Scotland

Hi Mairiuna   You’ve now triggered my curiosity. Can’t wait to see the photograph of William Wallace’s sword.  He must have been a very tall and strong man to be able to manoeuvre such a big sword !

When I last searched my photos for that famous sword, I came across a picture taken by Harfang of the welcome panel that greets everyone at the border. What an emotional moment…setting foot on the land of our beloved Scotland !

Failte gu Alba, the gaelic translation of “Welcome to Scotland“ never resounded so dear to our heart, mind and soul then on that very special day of our arrival  in Scotland.

Remember how enthusiatic we both were ? I even took off one of my shoe and sock to ground myself even more to the scottish soil.

The Songs Of Scotland, Boosey & Co, London.

I can’t help myself to think about all those Scots army men gathered on the land of Bannockburn, under King Robert the Bruce‘s  leadership, back in 1314.

Imagine how, as the English were walking in, the speech of such a great chief must have boosted their courage to defend their land !

Robert Burns inspired himself of a similar speech to write a song titled “Scots, wha hae wi’ Wallace bled ! Click on the name of the song and it will bring you to a page where you can find the lyrics and score found in the beautiful old book I bought when we visited The Book Shop in Wigtown. I also included a very interesting letter written by Robert Burns  in 1793 about this song.

Scots wha hae wi’ Wallace bled! served as an unofficial national anthem for the country until supplanted by Scotland the Brave and Flower of Scotland . The official one, remaining of course, God Save The Queen.

Would’nt that be cool if I found a video to add to this post ?