November Tunes - 2024
Frank Ferrel teaches us his ‘Memories of Skye’, a slow air in three violin parts and cello. His story behind the title is as follows:
“Back in the 1980’s I was Guest Artist on tour with the Boys of the Lough as part of their annual summer Highlands and Islands tour. The tour took us to Skye where Aly Bain and I spent an afternoon fishing on the Ose River, followed by our Saturday night concert in Portree.
“The next morning we attempted to take the ferry back to the mainland for our Sunday concert there, but to no avail, as the ferry was operated by the ‘Wee Frees,’ members of the pious Free Church of Scotland, who refused to operate the ferry on Sunday. This was long before the new bridge between Kyle of Lochalsh on the Scottish mainland and Kyleakin on the east coast of Skye. We eventually made it over with the help of a local fisherman who ‘ferried’ us and our equipment across for the Sunday gig. We returned to Skye on Monday to retrieve the van. A vivid memory indeed, of Skye.”
The image above is by Scott Naismith, a Scottish contemporary landscape artist.
Frank learned Bonnie Isabel Robertson from Cape Breton fiddler, Joe Cormier, and old Winston Fitzgerald recordings.
According to Paul Cranford, this is a 19th century Scottish tune composed by James Daniel. And according to the Traditional Tune Archive website, James Daniel was a fiddler and an Aberdeen music engraver, editor and composer, known for his 39 page 1840 publication A Collection of original music, consisting of Slow Airs, Strathspeys, Reels, Quadrilles, Waltzes, Hornpipes, &c . &c. adapted for the Piano Forte, or Violin and Violoncello, by A Citizen
Frank got the Thrums Cairn Reel from the legendary maritime Franco fiddler, Tommy Doucet, who called it, The Erin Reel. Tommy lived in the Boston area, and was close friends with Alcide Aucoin, Alec Gillis, and Betty Mallet, all members of the famous Boston-based Cape Breton group, The Inverness Serenaders. He most likely learned Thrums Cairn from them, renaming it to his own liking
Scottish playwright and novelist J.M. Barrie (of Peter Pan fame) wrote several novels using the fictional setting of Thrums (see, for example, his A Window in Thrums) said to be modeled on Barrie's home town of his "wee red toon" Kirriemuir, Angus ('red' due to the color of the sandstone on which the older properties are built).
Skinner transcribed the tune by hand on an envelope and sent it to his pupil, James McPherson of Kirriemuir in October, 1908. Violinists may be interested in Skinner’s bowing and fingering suggestion.
Notice, too, how this manuscript differs from the current version, with ‘cuts’, broken thirds, and a high E drone.
