Scottish Reflections

[Track 1] features Bonnie Rideout and the early music ensemble, Hesperus, presenting music from some of the earliest sources of Scottish, English, and Irish traditional folk music. For centuries the fiddle and the pipes have shared repertoire, complementing each other with similar ornamentation and the use of drone notes, as in these three tunes. MacDonald of the Isles March to Harlaw is a pipe march, followed by Source of the Spey, a reel played first as a strathspey, which is the dance form most identified with Scottish traditional music. The Source of the Spey and The Periwig were first published in the Captain Simon Fraser Collection (1815).

[Track 2] Bonnie joins four-time National Scottish Harp Champion, Sue Richards, on Seal Songs. These haunting melodies are from the Patrick MacDonald Collection (1784). In the Scottish hierarchy of nature, seals are almost equal in rank to humans. The Silkie myths tell of seals taking human form for short visits on land.

[Track 3] The Thistle is a brilliant example of 18th century Scottish parlor music written by James Oswald, who was considered a fine composer of traditional Scottish fiddle tunes and also an example of what, in the 21st century, is referred to as "chamber folk music."

[Track 4] Charlie Glendinning wrote Dunblane after 16 children and their teacher were slain by a gunman on March 13, 1996, in Dunblane, Scotland. Reflecting on his composition, Mr. Glendinning said, "The tragedy was like an icy blast of winter returning to kill every flowering bud of spring…." In Bonnie's arrangement, the fiddle and viola are joined by the piper, Paula Glendinning, with their instruments giving voice to those who were lost and the many who were left behind to remember forever.

[Track 6] Lamentation of the Fallen Heroes of Waterloo, from the Nick Gow & Sons Collection, exquisitely renders a haunting retrospective of that famous battle of 1815.

[Track 11] Sue Richards presents Lament for Limerick, Lochaber No More, and Irish Lamentation, a set of tunes from Ireland, Scotland and England, respectively. The Lament and Lochaber commemorate the mournful losses of war, while Irish Lamentation transforms these tunes into a lovely waltz, elegantly displaying the harmonic interplay of the Celtic harp, fiddle, and viola da gamba.

[Track 12] Gloomy Winter evokes a reflective mood. Bonnie learned this tune from her teacher in a one-room schoolhouse she attended as a child in Maine. She was attracted to this beautiful melancholy Scottish air that speaks to matters of the heart and the coming of spring. Bonnie's lush arrangement for strings features viola and fiddle.

[Track 14] Minstrel of MacDonald's is played in two versions; the first is Bonnie's from the Patrick MacDonald Collection (1784), and the second is William Taylor's from the Angus Fraser Collection (ca. 1874). Although not technically a piobaireachd (PEE-brahk) Bonnie plays this air in a similar style by building variations on the melody to create a moment of timelessness. Through subtle ornamentation, manipulation of different vibratos, and varied bowing techniques, Bonnie maintains continuity with the final tracks on all of her other recordings. The careful crafting of a simple melody truly represents Bonnie's fiddling style and is a perfect tune to conclude this recording.

Below is the list of musical selections, musicians and CDs featured in this collection:

1. MacDonald of the Isles March to Harlaw / Source of the Spey (Strathspey)/ The Periwig (Reel) (3:25).
Fiddle, pennywhistle (Scott Reiss), bass viol (Tina Chancey), Gothic "bray: harp (William Taylor).
From the CD: Celtic Roots, Hesperus. Producers: Scot Reiss & Tina Chancey.

2. Seal Songs (4:25). Fiddle, Celtic harp (Sue Richards).
From the CD: Grey Eyed Morn, Sue Richards. Producer: Maggie Sansone.

3. The Thistle (4:34).
Fiddle, Lute (Grant Herreid), bass viol (Tina Chancey).
From the CD: Celtic Roots, Hesperus. Producers: Scot Reiss & Tina Chancey.

4. Dunblane, � Charlie Glendinning (5:00).
Fiddle & viola, Highland bagpipe (Paula Glendinning).
From the CD: Scottish Rant, City of Washington Pipe Band & Bonnie Rideout. Producer: Bonnie Rideout.

5. Unst Bridal March (3:32).
Fiddle, Celtic harp (Sue Richards), viola da gamba (Carolyn Anderson Surrick).
From the CD: Grey Eyed Morn, Sue Richards. Producer: Maggie Sansone.

6. Lamentation for the Fallen Heroes of Waterloo (3:24)
(arr. Paul Oorts). Fiddle, accordeon (Paul Oorts), flute. (Karen Ashbrook)
From the CD: Celtic Caf�, Karen Ashbrook & Paul Oorts. Producer: Bob Read.

7. Itchy Fingers (2:39).
Fiddle, Celtic harp (Sue Richards).
From the CD: Morning Aire, Sue Richards. Producer: Charlie Pilzer.

8. Cro Kintaile (4:00).
Fiddle, Celtic harp (Sue Richards), viola da gamba (Carolyn Anderson Surrick).
From the CD: Morning Aire, Sue Richards. Producer: Charlie Pilzer.

9. The Highland Laddie (2:46)
Fiddle, Gothic "bray" harp (William Taylor), bass viol (Tina Chancey), pennywhistle (Scott Reiss).
From the CD: Celtic Roots, Hesperus. Producers: Scot Reiss & Tina Chancey.

10. The Highland Laddie: variations (1:32).
Fiddle, theorbo-lute (Grant Herreid).
From the CD: Celtic Roots, Hesperus. Producers: Scot Reiss & Tina Chancey.

11. Lament For Limerick/ Lochaber No More/ Irish Lamentation (7:43).
Fiddle, Celtic harp (Sue Richards),
viola da gamba (Carolyn Anderson Surrick), guitar (Connie McKenna).
From the CD:, Morning Aire,. Sue Richards.Producer: Charlie Pilzer.

12. Gloomy Winter (2:22).
Viola & fiddle.
From the CD: Scottish Christmas, Bonnie Rideout, Maggie Sansone, Al Petteway. Producer: Charlie Pilzer.

13. St. Kilda Air/Jenny Nettles/St. Kilda Reel (4:51).
Fiddle, Hammered dulcimer (Maggie Sansone), Celtic harp (Sue Richards), mandolin (Robin Bullock),
clarinet (Bob Read).
From the CD: Dance Upon the Shore, Maggie Sansone. Producer: Charlie Pilzer.

14. Minstrel of MacDonald's (6:25).
Fiddle, Wire harp (clarsach) (William Taylor).
From the CD: Celtic Roots, Hesperus. Producers: Scot Reiss & Tina Chancey.

Credits

Compiled, mastered and edited by Charlie Pilzer, Airshow, Inc., Springfield, VA.
Executive Producer: Maggie Sansone, Maggie's Music.
Graphic Artist: Andy Stone.
Art Director: Richard Crenshaw.
Editing: Betsy Chalfin.
Artist photo: Chris Moscatiello.
Cover photo: John MacDonald.
John and Evelyn MacDonald own Bonnie's favorite B&B in all of Scotland. The photo was taken near the front gate of their B&B "Tarskavaig" on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.