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NEFA
1994.049.01
P: Tom McKean
T: Announcement
NEFA
1994.049.03-05
P: Gordon Easton
T: Finding the key
FL: A plooin match I'll here insert
S: Several dry runs for the following song.
NEFA 1994.049.06 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: The Friendly Plooin Match at Tyrie
FL: A
plooin match here I'll insert
S: First full attempt at song about local ploughing match
at Blackhills o Tyrie, February 1866, by Robert Lovie's great great
great(?) uncle William Jaffrey.
NEFA
1994.049.07
P: Gordon
Easton
T: The Friendly Plooin Match at Tyrie
FL: A
plooin match here I'll insert
S: Another attempt.
NEFA
1994.049.08
P: Gordon
Easton
T: The Friendly Plooin Match at Tyrie
FL: A
plooin match here I'll insert
S: A full go at the song. [Restarts in several times
during the song to get the timing right.] Finishes off with the
date and name of the composer.
NEFA 1994.049.09 Transcription
P: Gordon
Easton
T: Information about The Friendly Plooin Match
S: The
ploughing match was a local event, which helped a farmer get caught
up with his work. The poem was often taken out at GE's house for
someone to recite or sing. The song was printed, and there was a
handwritten copy as well. The poem was stored in a little pouch
on the hingin lum. The song involves all the local folks and places.
GE's family are Esslemonts mentioned in the song. GE's grandmother
was a good singer and many folks used to drop by for music and song.
GE got a fiddle from George Fowlie, local grocer.
NEFA 1994.049.10 Transcription
P: Gordon
Easton
T: Local songs and fiddling
S: There
were a lot of songs sung at these events, including The Friendly
Plooin Match. GE's first fiddle: he stopped on the way home with
it and learned a tune, This is a Happy Land.
NEFA 1994.049.11 Transcription
P: Gordon
Easton
T: Changing times and musical evenings
S:
GE's children have probably not heard The Friendly Plooin Match
sung. [Tape switched off and on.] Ethel (daughter) knows about the
song, but the ceilidhs stopped when the older folks died. GE used
to go to the Fetterangus Strathspey and Reel society, 24 miles round
trip on a bike. They would have occasional musical evenings in the
house, but latterly, there were no songs. Down in the old house,
there would be a singing evening around twice a winter. GE's grandparents
passed away in the early 40s, mother died only last year. His copy
of the Ploughing Match is in her hand.
NEFA 1994.049.12 Transcription
P: Gordon
Easton
T: The importance of The Friendly Plooin Match
S: Grandfather
and grandmother most interested in The Friendly Plooin Match. Mother
played the fiddle. Heard the song many times, but never sung the
whole thing until tonight. He would need to rehearse it over and
over, but does not really learn songs that way.
NEFA 1994.049.13 Transcription
P: Gordon
Easton
T: People and places in The Friendly Plooin Match
S: Information
about people and places in the local song. 16 Blackhills is Macknagran.
The composer was an apprentice soutar with Gordon's great grandfather.
His people lived elsewhere, so he stayed in a loft above the cobbler's
shop. The holdings were quite small, 12 to 46 acres. Latterly, they
were a little larger as they were combined. Hillhead was maybe 120
acres. Some of the farms are now planted in trees. There was a Dr
Banks who bought a number of farms, but never really did things
with them after the grants ran out.
NEFA 1994.049.14 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Gordon's family
S: Gordon's
great grandfather was an apprentice soutar, and went to school.
He was also involved in roadwork and the turnpikes/tollhouses. The
land was taken in by hand: drains and ditches. The land is now going
derelict. Some steadings were dug into the hill, with the roof coming
straight out from the hill.
NEFA 1994.049.15 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: More on people and places in The Friendly Plooin
Match
S: More
information on those mentioned in the song.
NEFA 1994.049.16 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Casting peats, grazing sheep and leepie cogs
S: More
information on local farms and practices. The moss was very good
as moss, though the approach ground was stoney. A leepie cog - measure
of horse grain. Cowan - an amateur type, good enough, but no expert.
GE describes how his version is different from some; he likes the
local dialect words. The song gives a detailed picture of the local
area: places, people and history.
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