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NEFA 1994.029.03 Transcription
P: Charles Birnie
T: Dialect styles
S: People
speak more quietly today. Fifty years ago, people spoke loudly.
Saying about Fifers and southern accents.
NEFA 1994.029.04 Transcription
P: Charles Birnie
T: What do we mean by song/ Children's rhymes and sayings
S: It is natural, inborn and instinctive to sing. Even
babies sing. Mothers croon. Children's rhymes and sayings. Folk
rhymes. Pop Goes the Weasel and variants.
NEFA 1994.029.05 Transcription
P: Charles Birnie
T: Lumps o Puddins
FL: Oh the lumps of puddins
S: Children's rhyme and song
NEFA 1994.029.06 Transcription
P: Charles Birnie
T: Games and rhymes
S: Rhymes
and dances from the North East. Tattie peelin rhyme. It is natural
to rhyme. Sally Simpson rhyme.
NEFA 1994.029.07 Transcription
P: Charles Birnie
T: From mothers' lullabies to the playground and the
dancing
S: Dancing
in the old days, biking long distances to dances on the weekends.
Dancing master biked 30 miles round trip to teach.
NEFA 1994.029.08 Transcription
P: Charles Birnie
T: The dance and the meal an ales
S: The
country dances were very important. The dance began with The Grand
March followed by The Circassian Circle. These dances were done
at Meal an Ales as well. McGinty's Meal an Ale is about such a dance;
recites part of song. Dances could be held in barns, byres, lofts.
There would be a dance at ploughing match time, November term day.
A Conversazione/conver was also held, something like a Highland
ceilidh. Women would get into dances for free. Men and women sat
on opposite sides of the room.
NEFA 1994.029.09-12 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Dancie White, dancing master
S: The Barren Rocks of Aden was the standard tune for
the Grand March. [End of cassette side A. Ignore tracks 10-11.]
Dancing master used to get Gordon to play and still charged him
admission.
NEFA 1994.029.13 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: The Barren Rocks o Aden
S: Pipe march on fiddle. When playing for dances, the
beat was the most important part.
NEFA 1994.029.14 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: The Circassian Circle
S: All the basic dances were done. GE plays fiddle.
Goes on with a waltz.
NEFA 1994.029.15 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Stanchion
S: Fiddle: a classic tune of earlier days. In the dance
hall, where the boys and girls sat on opposite sides, you had to
hurry across the floor to get a girl before she was booked by someone
else for a dance.
NEFA 1994.029.16 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Red Sails in the Sunset
S: Plays tune on the fiddle and sings part of it.
NEFA 1994.029.17 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Red River Valley
S: Plays melody on fiddle and sings song. Used for quick
step.
NEFA 1994.029.18-19 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Rosie O' Grady
S: Tune on fiddle, with singing from Charles Birnie
and some audience members. Two Lovely Black Eyes is often played
as part of the same set [plays].
NEFA 1994.029.20 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: The Tennessee Waltz/ ????
S: Plays tune on the fiddle, followed by another waltz.
NEFA 1994.029.21 Transcription
P: Charles Birnie
T: Harvest techniques and farm life
S: Ladies often cut the bands on the sheaves, atop the
mill. Displays a straw rope winder, curry comb, dandy brush. Ploughmen
spent at least an hour in the stable/byre after work. They stayed
in a chaamer, bothies further south. Their time there gave rise
to some of the bothy ballads. Recites part of Drumdelgie, illustrating
farm life for the fee'd boys. Only after getting horses ready and
eating breakfast did you have a chance to tie your laces. A holding
of as little as 150 acres had a squad of around 6 men. It was labour
intensive. The stable was also the trysting spot.
NEFA 1994.029.22 Transcription
P: Charles Birnie and Gordon Easton
T: Lord Lovat
S: Plays tune on fiddle, both fast and slow, with remarks
about farm life at start. Fast version is called Miss Forbes's Farewell
tae Banff.' [Last rendition cut off at end. Cont. next tape.]
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