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NEFA 1994.024.01 Transcription
P: Helen and Mitchell Burnett
T: Discussion of local dialect and how it is changing
with incomers.
S: Incomers
change the language, though some, e.g. German children after the
war, pick up the local dialect very quickly.
NEFA 1994.024.02 Transcription
P: Barbara-Ann Burnett
T: Neeps tae Pluck
FL: Twis
on a Martinmas market day, the snow lay on the ground
S: Solo singing of music hall song.
Discussion of where BAB got the song; she heard it from Robbie Shepherd.
When competing last year, the boy who won sang this song. [Track
no. late.]
NEFA
1994.024.03 Transcription
P: Barbara-Ann Burnett
T: Competitions
S: Gets nervous for competitions. They were nervous
for Gordon Easton when he sang at the Elgin bothy championships.
NEFA 1994.024.04 Transcription
P: Barbara-Ann, Mitchell and Helen Burnett
T: Starting to sing
S: Began
to sing at about twelve years old. She has sung Scottish and other
material before, but only recently started to sing the bothy material.
She was in a play about farm life. She has done school musicals
as well. Plans to learn Mcfarnlane o the Sprotts soon. She always
used to listen to the older singers on Robbie Shepherd's lunchtime
programmes. They used to be a source of information. Mitchell wonders
how much the younger singers understand of the songs' dialect. Sometimes
the songs are printed in English (e.g. hold on, rather than haud
on) when they could be done correctly. Charlie Allan had a good
observation about the difference in spoken language between a pun
(weight) and poun (money). Mitchell mentions several local farm/place
names. Mitchell remembers hearing the Candlmas rhyme. Such things
nearly died out by the time Mitchell was coming up. When you are
older, you get more interested in these things.
NEFA 1994.024.05 Transcription
P: Barbara-Ann Burnett
T: Learning new songs
S: It
is hard to get sheet music for songs now.
NEFA 1994.024.06 Transcription
P: Barbara-Ann Burnett
T: Fitlike Folk
FL: Fitlike
folk in yon braid Buchan land
S: J. C. Milne[?].
NEFA 1994.024.07 Transcription
P: Mitchell Burnett
T: Useless as a horseman
S: He could never get a horse to go straight.
NEFA 1994.024.08 Transcription
P: Barbara-Ann and Mitchell Burnett
T: Local poets
S: BAB concentrates on songs right now, but has read
some poetry, like J. C. Milne.
NEFA 1994.024.09
P: Barbara-Ann and Helen Burnett
T: Local dialect
S: They have all heard many dialect words that are not
used so much any more. [End of side A.]
NEFA 1994.024.10 Transcription
P: Barbara-Ann Burnett
T: Better Deid
FL: O a' my friens noo awa
S: J. C. Milne poem followed by thanks.
NEFA 1994.024.11 Transcription
P: Tom McKean and Mitchell Burnett
T: Tradition from memory
S: Most older folk recite/sing things from memory.
NEFA 1994.024.12 Transcription
P: Barbara-Ann Burnett
T: Men, Men, Horrible Men
S: Song from school musical, Annie Get Your Gun. [Some
coughing in background.]
NEFA 1994.024.13 Transcription
P: Barbara-Ann Burnett
T: The Black Hills of Dakota
FL: Take me back to the Black Hills, the Black Hills
of Dakota
S: Song from school musical, Annie Get Your Gun.
NEFA 1994.024.14 Transcription
P: Mary Keenan D: 14/03/1994
T: Announcement
NEFA 1994.024.15 Transcription
P: Mary Keenan
T: Story behind her song Sellin Up
S: Seeing so many farms being turned to rich horse owners,
after the backbreaking work of the clearing it in the first place,
inspired the song. After all the work the land has become a playground.
MK saw Frieda Morrison's programme, Troubled Fields, which tells
the story of changing land use, and incoming populations.
NEFA 1994.024.16 Transcription
P: Mary Keenan
T: Beginning to compose Sellin Up
S: Began with words, which is not the way she usually
does it. Then she composed a pentatonic melody which sounded North
Eastern. It is not a four square tune. She built it up bit by bit
and then put it all on the computer. Instrumental stuff is often
done on the computer, after working out harmonies on the piano.
NEFA 1994.024.17 Transcription
P: Mary Keenan
T: Starting with melodies
S: Mostly
starts with melodies, and sometimes deliberately decides to write
a song. Sellin Up was written in a 'traditional' style without being
too pedantic about it. She has written a number of traditional type
songs, e.g. Chris's Song, about Chris Guthrie in Sunset Song. This
was sung at the opening of the Lewis Grassic Gibbon Centre. She
has also set Ken Morrice poem to music.
NEFA 1994.024.18 Transcription
P: Mary Keenan
T: Starting to compose
S: Began composing in university. Finds it hard to compose
unless she is on her own. When off work for a while, she began to
compose quite a lot of songs (better with a temperature!). Loathes
housework. Sometimes composition is deliberate, choosing the feel
of the tune before you begin. Writes in many styles.
NEFA 1994.024.19 Transcription
P: Mary Keenan
T: How she composed Tifty's Annie
S: Walking around Tifty, she gets inspired by the place
and the song. The farm went to rack and ruin, two people have committed
suicide there; there is an atmosphere about the place. MK has always
been really happy in Tifty.
NEFA 1994.024.20 Transcription
P: Mary Keenan
T: How they moved to Tifty
S: They moved to Tifty as hippie types to fix up a house.
They got theirs for £2000, but it was gutted inside.
NEFA 1994.024.21 Transcription
P: Mary Keenan
T: Mary's background
S: Born in 1952 in Ullapool, her father was the minister,
then they moved to Fochabers. MK's mother's people were from Skye
and Aberdeen. They lived on the west coast. Neither of her parents
admit to being musical, but they both sing very well. Her siblings
also play and sing some. They all like music.
NEFA 1994.024.22 Transcription
P: Mary Keenan
T: No future in selling songs
S: It is very hard to sell songs and music so she has
no outlet for her material. It would be great to see MK's suite
Tifty's Annie used in local drama groups.
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