by Chia Han-LeonIncludes full texts in English with Gaelic.
Land of Heart's Desire Songs of the Hebrides from the collection
by Marjory Kennedy-FraserClick on cover image for full details of programme.
LISA MILNE soprano
Sioned Williams harp
HYPERION Records CDA 66988
[72'12"] full priceA Scottish soprano singing Gaelic songs of the sea, of love, of Celtic memories... accompanied on the harp - when I first found out about this disc, I thought it must be a marriage made in heaven. And I wasn't disappointed at all.
Aptly titled "Land of Heart's Desire" after the first track, these songs were collected, scored for voice and piano, and put on paper by Scottish musicologist and folksong researcher Mrs. Majory Kennedy-Fraser (1857-1930). She first went to the Outer Hebrides (Hyperion's notes even provide a map) in 1905 in search of the Isles' ancient folksongs, and collected these from various individuals. Many of the English translations as heard here were made by Mrs. Kennedy-Fraser herself. A little note tells of how a young girl sat on her knee and sang some of these songs to her.
Such tender yet heart-stirring imagery characterizes this recital. The disc is programmed as a listening and learning experience. The brief and beautiful "Land of Heart's Desire" [track 1], a slow song of "ecstatic serenity", opens the disc. The next section of this "concert" consists of "Lovesongs and Laments, Lullabies and a Wedding Song" The former includes the rightly famous love-song Gradh Geal mo chridh, "An Eriskay Love Lilt" [2].
The young Scottish soprano Lisa Milne (left) is an absolute pleasure to listen to throughout the entire CD. Her voice is tender and beautiful where appropriate, rising powerfully into the heights when needed, as in "The Leaping Gallery"[27]. Yet she is always beautifully poised, never sounding strained or piercing. Her fullness of voice is tempered with just the right touch of fluidity; her enunciation of words focussed but unfussy. Overall, she is a highly natural singer, as she must be, singing the songs of her homeland. Indeed, I feel the songs coming straight from the heart, full of grace, patience, love and beauty. An example of this is the heartstopping sweep of "The Wild Swan"[31].
Lament, or melancholia, seems always a strength of traditional folksongs. "Caristiona", subtitled "A Mother's Mourning" (for the loss of her child", is made all the more desolate by the wistfully lonely sound of the harp. "The Mermaid's Song" - "An Eriskay Lullaby" [6] - is one of the many heavenly songs of soft beauty, graceful and sweet. This is one of the songs that Mary MacInnes, the young girl who sat on Kennedy's lap, sang for the collection. The swaying lyrics of An ghille dubh ciardubh [8] - "a 13th century love lilt" - is delightfully accompanied with simple descending phrases on the harp.
It was with pleasant surprise, and than realization (that I should have known), when I heard the refrain of "Benbecula Bridal Procession"[9], with its recurring "Hi o ha lo vi ri u vi hua hua". Fans (I'm one!) of the Gaelic "New Age" musician Enya will recognize the line and tune from Ebudæ, from the album Shepherd Moons (right). (There may be more references elsewhere.)
Although the next section is titled "Songs of the Supernatural", it demonstrates a range of moods that probably go beyond what we expect from the word. "The Witchery Milking Croon"[10] is in fact quite tender and quiescent, as is the "Skye Water-Kelpie's Lullaby"[12]. "The Uncanny Mannikin of the Cattlefold"[11] is full of mystery, the singer singing nervously as she watches "a wee man red with his long beard" combing his long hair. Although the lyrics mention fear, the impression is really of being awestruck by fairy beauty.
A set of "Work Songs" follow. The delightfully playful "The Cockle Gatherer"[14] is remarkable for its catchy refrain, as the gathering proceeds in the company of the joyous screams of seagulls and laughter of sea-waves. Equally likely to inspire a smile is "The Crone's Creel"[17], happily singing of "peats and bairns and tangle", burden carried by the islanders for daily use. Among these are songs of a more meditative nature, such as the spinning song Oran sniomha [19], a poetic musing on love and fate.
The notes indicate that it was not unusual for women to sing such "stirring sea-ballads" as "The Ship at Sea"[20], "Sea Wandering"[21] and "The Reiving Ship"[23] from the section entitled "Seafaring and Sea-Rapture Songs". Indeed these are songs of quiet strength and forward utterance, joining beauty and courage. The gorgeous and melancholic strains of "Sea-Longing"[22] melts the listener's heart. This melody was also used to great effect by Sir Granville Bantock in his Celtic Symphony. "Kishmul's Galley", a heroic song of praise, is also used in his Hebridean Symphony.
This is the first time I've come across the phrase "Sea-Rapture Songs", but anyone who loves nature's waters will instantly understand the appropriateness of such a name, such as the poet of "The Coolin of Rhum"[26], or the composer of the sparkling yet tranquil "Sleeps the Noon in the Deep Blue Sky"[30]. Equally lovely is the heartwarming beauty of "Isle of My Heart"[28] with its scintillating harp accompaniment.
Principal Harpist of the BBC Symphony, Sioned Williams provides a sparkling accompaniment throughout which is as beautifully inspired as it is unobstrusively faithful. Sometimes light and soft, sometimes lyrical and rhythmic, other times mysterious and moody, she provides a pulse in the music which is both indispensible and enhancing. This Welsh harpist's skill and sensitive accompaniment, eg. in "The Reiving Ship"[23], glitters like seawaves in the sun. My heartiest thanks to the producers for having the musical intelligence to employ a harp rather than a piano (as the published scores were set for).
Hyperion provides full libretto - the annotation for each song preceeds its lyrics, which is the simple and obvious thing to do, and yet only this record company has had the intelligence to achieve. The 24 pages' worth of notes are written by, to my surprise and approval, the managing director himself, Mr. Ted Perry!
The programme ends with "Mouth Music and Valediction". Mouth music refers to meaningless words used to imitate the sound of musical instruments, as in the refrain of "Dance to Your Shadow"[33]. The disc and its performers bid goodbye with "Aignish on the Machair", a song of nostalgia, yearning for home. A truly sad farewell, but which makes me want to hear the disc all over again...
This disc is available at or can be ordered from Beethoven Record House (Centrepoint), Borders (Wheelock Place) and HMV (The Heeren).
Chia Han-Leon does in fact have all of Enya's original albums, all seated between "Elgar" and "McEwen". He drinks coffee everyday but is flabbergasted that it no longer seems to have an effect on him.
Back to the Classical Index!... or read previous classical music reviews and features at the InkpotOther classical music reviews by this or any other writer can be obtained from the InkVault by doing a key word search with the writer's name.
049: 5.1.1998 ©Chia Han-Leon
Readers' Comments
From: jeff gravelle (jeffharper64@hotmail.com / Saturday, January 5, 2002 at 00:13:44)
hi: I'm trying to find the lyrics to 3 songs that were arranged by Marjory Kennedy-Fraser. They are: The seagull of the sand under waves, Kismul's Galley and Sleeps the noon in the deep blue sky. Can you please help me or point me to a website where I can find these lyrics. I have a CD by Lois Marshall and Judy Loman called Folksongs of the British Isles, but there are no lyrics included. thank you in advance, Jeff Gravelle.
From: Seán O'Brien (obriain1@ireland.com / Thursday, August 8, 2002 at 03:42:23)
Recommend a CD of Hebridean Gaelic Songs, with both Gaelic words and their English translation...and where I can purchase it. Thank you!
From: Neil Mack (neilmac@rocketmail.com / Tuesday, March 25, 2003 at 17:34:08)
Chia Han-Leon's review is too generous. Lisa does not yet have the technique to do justice to some of these songs. Listen to Kenneth McKellar's version of "Land of Heart's Desire" by way of comparison. The McKellar vocal is almost flawless. Everything is under control: Intonation, pitch, phrasing, breathing - right to the last perfectly graduated diminuendo. These seemingly simple Hebridean airs require first-rate technique to execute convincingly. Lisa has a nice voice but at this point in time lacks the experience to do a top job. I would like to hear her record "Land of Heart's Desire" again in say, five years time, when her technique has matured...
From: Mel Cadman (cadmans@members.v21.co.uk / Saturday, January 3, 2004 at 17:21:53)
This disc is one of my all time favourites: stunningly original and magnificent music allied to beautiful and elegiac lyrics; enormous contrasts between the mysticism of the supernatural to the resignation of death. But most enchanting of all is Lisa Milne's superb singing, by turns gentle and caressing, mystical and fearful, then exuberant and exciting. If you've never heard this music before, you simply won't believe it; if you have, this performance will astonish you with its ravishing beauty and stunning technique. Don't miss it.
From: Shane Mitchell (Draiglais@hotmail.com / Friday, January 30, 2004 at 16:06:21)
It is posatively wonderful to find sites with such a vast array of cultural music. Although I found this site en route to gaelic lullabies, If anyone has the information and would be kind enough to e-mail me sites or the lyrics and translations themselves for lullabies and/or work songs I would be terribly appreciative.
From: noor (nono_55555@hotmail.com / Thursday, March 11, 2004 at 19:06:17)
hello ,thank you for this beutiful site i love the symphonies , so can i download any of them from this site?? and is there any project of (vivaldi) iam arabic , so my sentence may be contain errors good bye
From: Fiona Mackenzie (fiona.mackenzie@highland.gov.uk / Wednesday, September 15, 2004 at 19:32:29)
Marjory Kennedy Fraser did a great job in collecting many Gaelic songs which would have otherwise have been lost in the mists of time - partiularly as the Gaelic song culture was very largel an oral culture, songs very very rarely ever being written down. However, everyone should be made aware of the fact that there is huge wealth of other more 'traditional' type of Gaelic song available out there. - song which is even more haunting and soul bearing that the Kennedy Fraser presentations - rememebr that Kennedy Fraser largely arrnaged for A 'Victorian' Drawing room audience. There are many Gaelic singers who can sing in as classical a style as Lisa Milne but with a more authentic 'blas' to their presentations(beautiful though her singing is) for example look for the recordings of Anne Lorn Gillies . And for the 'real' article try singers such as Cathy Ann Macphee, Maggie Macinnes, and MAry Ann Kennedy. More contemporary treatments from artists such as Karen Matheson, Mary Jane Lamond and bands such as Cliar and Dochas. I work in researching Gaelic song and can usually help with most requests for info on Gaelic song so if you'd like to get in touch with me, I shall try to help you.
From: Marian Pallister (marian.pallister@zen.co.uk / Monday, April 17, 2006 at 06:00:28)
Calum Kennedy's version of Land of Heart's Desire was possibly the most beautiful recorded. Marian Pallister 16.04.2006
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