British Forum for Ethnomusicology

Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Peter Cooke
Reviewed work(s):
The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection by Patrick Shuldman-Shaw ; Emily B. Lyle ; Elaine
Petrie
The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection by Patrick Shuldman-Shaw ; Emily B. Lyle ; Sheila
Douglas
Source: British Journal of Ethnomusicology, Vol. 7 (1998), pp. 164-165
Published by: British Forum for Ethnomusicology
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3060719
Accessed: 06/01/2009 20:00
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless
you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you
may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use.
Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at
http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=bfe.
Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed
page of such transmission.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1995 to build trusted digital archives for scholarship. We work with the
scholarly community to preserve their work and the materials they rely upon, and to build a common research platform that
promotes the discovery and use of these resources. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
British Forum for Ethnomusicology is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to
British Journal of Ethnomusicology.
http://www.jstor.org
164 BRITISH JOURNAL OF ETHNOMUSICOLOGY VOL.7 1998
164 BRITISH JOURNAL OF ETHNOMUSICOLOGY VOL.7 1998
himself makes
only one, ironic comment
on the
analysis:
"I didn't realize I was so
predictable" (391).
There is no discussion
of what he
might
have meant
by this, and
indeed the article does not make more
than
very general "predictions"
about
Racy's improvisation practice.
Thus in
setting
out a
sequence
of
"important"
notes in each of the 16
taqsim,
Nettl and
Riddle demonstrate an overall ascending
tendency,
but
they
overlook the
consistent
appearance
of the fifth
degree
in
mid-sequence
-
a feature sufficiently
consistent to be
"predictable".
Given that
the
performer
writes
illuminatingly
earlier in the volume about his
practice
in
general,
one feels that an
opportunity
to
involve him in the
deeper analysis
of
specific performances
has been missed.
Other contributors frequently quote
musicians' comments on their own
practice
in
general terms, but
only
in
Sutton's article do such comments
directly
inform the
analysis
of
specific
performances.
While
looking
forward to further
discussion of these and other issues
raised
by
this book, we can nevertheless
extend a warm welcome to it for what it
is a
major
contribution to the
study
of
improvisation,
which clearly
demonstrates,
if
proof
were needed,
the
variety
and
vitality
of
ethnomusicological
writing
at the turn of the millennium.
References
Gourlay,
K.A.
(1993)
"Blanks on the
cognitive map: unpredictable aspects
of musical
performance."
British
Journal
of
Ethnomusicology
2:1-30.
Levin,
R.
(1997)
"A note on
performance
and
improvisation."in
booklet
accompanying
CD: Mozart: Piano
concertos no. 15 and no. 26,
Decca:
L'Oiseau-Lyre
455 814-2.
Silkstone,
Francis
(1997)
"The more
you
play it,
the more it comes out
himself makes
only one, ironic comment
on the
analysis:
"I didn't realize I was so
predictable" (391).
There is no discussion
of what he
might
have meant
by this, and
indeed the article does not make more
than
very general "predictions"
about
Racy's improvisation practice.
Thus in
setting
out a
sequence
of
"important"
notes in each of the 16
taqsim,
Nettl and
Riddle demonstrate an overall ascending
tendency,
but
they
overlook the
consistent
appearance
of the fifth
degree
in
mid-sequence
-
a feature sufficiently
consistent to be
"predictable".
Given that
the
performer
writes
illuminatingly
earlier in the volume about his
practice
in
general,
one feels that an
opportunity
to
involve him in the
deeper analysis
of
specific performances
has been missed.
Other contributors frequently quote
musicians' comments on their own
practice
in
general terms, but
only
in
Sutton's article do such comments
directly
inform the
analysis
of
specific
performances.
While
looking
forward to further
discussion of these and other issues
raised
by
this book, we can nevertheless
extend a warm welcome to it for what it
is a
major
contribution to the
study
of
improvisation,
which clearly
demonstrates,
if
proof
were needed,
the
variety
and
vitality
of
ethnomusicological
writing
at the turn of the millennium.
References
Gourlay,
K.A.
(1993)
"Blanks on the
cognitive map: unpredictable aspects
of musical
performance."
British
Journal
of
Ethnomusicology
2:1-30.
Levin,
R.
(1997)
"A note on
performance
and
improvisation."in
booklet
accompanying
CD: Mozart: Piano
concertos no. 15 and no. 26,
Decca:
L'Oiseau-Lyre
455 814-2.
Silkstone,
Francis
(1997)
"The more
you
play it,
the more it comes out
differently: improvisation
in Thai
tradition." Resonance 6.1:35-7.
Treitler, L. (1974)
"Homer and
Gregory:
the transmission of
epic poetry
and
plainchant."
The Musical
Quarterly
60.3:333-72.
Widdess, Richard
(1994) "Involving
the
performer
in
transcription
and
analysis:
a collaborative
approach
to
dhrupad"
Ethnomusicology
38.1:59-80.
RICHARD WIDDESS
School
of
Oriental and
African
Studies
rw4@soac.ac.uk
differently: improvisation
in Thai
tradition." Resonance 6.1:35-7.
Treitler, L. (1974)
"Homer and
Gregory:
the transmission of
epic poetry
and
plainchant."
The Musical
Quarterly
60.3:333-72.
Widdess, Richard
(1994) "Involving
the
performer
in
transcription
and
analysis:
a collaborative
approach
to
dhrupad"
Ethnomusicology
38.1:59-80.
RICHARD WIDDESS
School
of
Oriental and
African
Studies
rw4@soac.ac.uk
PATRICK SHULDMAN-SHAW,
EMILY B.
LYLE and ELAINE PETRIE, The
Greig-Duncan folk
song
collection.
vol. 6, for the
University
of
Aberdeen in association with the
School of Scottish Studies,
University
of
Edinburgh, Edinburgh:
Mercat Press, 1995. xxvii
+
608pp.,
musical exx., song texts, glossary,
indexes. ISBN 1873644-426.
PATRICK SHULDMAN-SHAW,
EMILY B.
LYLE and SHEILA DOUGLAS,
The
Greig-Duncan folk
song
collection.
vol. 7,
for the
University
of
Aberdeen in association with the
School of Scottish Studies,
University
of
Edinburgh, Edinburgh:
Mercat Press,
1995. xvi
+
557pp.,
musical exx., song texts, glossary,
indexes. ISBN 1873644-566.
Slowly,
over a
period spanning
two
decades, Scottish
folksong
scholars have
been
painstakingly seeing
into
print
the
enormous manuscript
archive of
songs
assembled by
Aberdeenshire
schoolmaster Gavin
Greig
and his
colleague
the Reverend James B. Duncan
during
fieldwork in north-east Scotland
in the first two decades of this
century.
With volumes 6 and 7, the total number
PATRICK SHULDMAN-SHAW,
EMILY B.
LYLE and ELAINE PETRIE, The
Greig-Duncan folk
song
collection.
vol. 6, for the
University
of
Aberdeen in association with the
School of Scottish Studies,
University
of
Edinburgh, Edinburgh:
Mercat Press, 1995. xxvii
+
608pp.,
musical exx., song texts, glossary,
indexes. ISBN 1873644-426.
PATRICK SHULDMAN-SHAW,
EMILY B.
LYLE and SHEILA DOUGLAS,
The
Greig-Duncan folk
song
collection.
vol. 7,
for the
University
of
Aberdeen in association with the
School of Scottish Studies,
University
of
Edinburgh, Edinburgh:
Mercat Press,
1995. xvi
+
557pp.,
musical exx., song texts, glossary,
indexes. ISBN 1873644-566.
Slowly,
over a
period spanning
two
decades, Scottish
folksong
scholars have
been
painstakingly seeing
into
print
the
enormous manuscript
archive of
songs
assembled by
Aberdeenshire
schoolmaster Gavin
Greig
and his
colleague
the Reverend James B. Duncan
during
fieldwork in north-east Scotland
in the first two decades of this
century.
With volumes 6 and 7, the total number
REVIEWS: RECORDINGS REVIEWS: RECORDINGS
of
song
titles
(often
in
many versions)
reaches 1515. The
eighth
and final
volume will contain the
remaining songs
(including
children's
songs
and
songs
of
parting) along
with indexes and
commentaries on the whole collection
and is
likely
to
appear early
in the
year
2000.
Volumes 6 and 7 continue with the
broad theme of
courtship,
love and
marriage begun
in volumes 4 and 5.
This results from an
early
editorial
decision to
arrange
the contents
by
textual themes
(for instance,
the
great
narrative collection that
parallels
the
work of Francis J. Child and Bertrand
Bronson is to be found in the first two
volumes). Arrangement
and
layout
follows that established in volume 1
with the melodies presented as
facsimiles of the fair
copies
made
by
Greig
and Duncan themselves and
associated texts set out underneath
each. A
system
of indexes makes it
possible
for one to locate items
quickly
in each volume and to relate them to the
manuscripts
themselves. As before,
Greig's
and Duncan's own comments
on each item are contained in the
"Notes" section at the back of each
volume, including
the sometimes
detailed commentaries that
Greig
published
with
song
texts that
appeared
in his
long-running
and
popular
column
"Folk-Song
of the
North-East", in the
weekly
issues of the Buchan Observer
between December 1907 and June 1911.
We must await volume 8 for the
general
commentaries and
analysis
of
texts and music in the collection as a
whole, and until it
appears
there is little
else to do than to
enjoy exploring
this
huge corpus
of
song
material collected
from one of the richest
song
traditions
in the British Isles.
Already
the
material is
finding
use
by
folk
singers
in Scotland itself
-
who are
feeding
their favourite
songs
and ballads from
of
song
titles
(often
in
many versions)
reaches 1515. The
eighth
and final
volume will contain the
remaining songs
(including
children's
songs
and
songs
of
parting) along
with indexes and
commentaries on the whole collection
and is
likely
to
appear early
in the
year
2000.
Volumes 6 and 7 continue with the
broad theme of
courtship,
love and
marriage begun
in volumes 4 and 5.
This results from an
early
editorial
decision to
arrange
the contents
by
textual themes
(for instance,
the
great
narrative collection that
parallels
the
work of Francis J. Child and Bertrand
Bronson is to be found in the first two
volumes). Arrangement
and
layout
follows that established in volume 1
with the melodies presented as
facsimiles of the fair
copies
made
by
Greig
and Duncan themselves and
associated texts set out underneath
each. A
system
of indexes makes it
possible
for one to locate items
quickly
in each volume and to relate them to the
manuscripts
themselves. As before,
Greig's
and Duncan's own comments
on each item are contained in the
"Notes" section at the back of each
volume, including
the sometimes
detailed commentaries that
Greig
published
with
song
texts that
appeared
in his
long-running
and
popular
column
"Folk-Song
of the
North-East", in the
weekly
issues of the Buchan Observer
between December 1907 and June 1911.
We must await volume 8 for the
general
commentaries and
analysis
of
texts and music in the collection as a
whole, and until it
appears
there is little
else to do than to
enjoy exploring
this
huge corpus
of
song
material collected
from one of the richest
song
traditions
in the British Isles.
Already
the
material is
finding
use
by
folk
singers
in Scotland itself
-
who are
feeding
their favourite
songs
and ballads from
these volumes back into a still
lively
song tradition, and the
song
texts
themselves
provide
remarkable
insights
into the
occupations, pastimes,
and
world view of the
essentially
rural
communities of the North East of
Scotland in the late nineteenth and
early
twentieth centuries.
PETER COOKE
University of Edinburgh
pcooke@holyrood.ed.ac.uk
these volumes back into a still
lively
song tradition, and the
song
texts
themselves
provide
remarkable
insights
into the
occupations, pastimes,
and
world view of the
essentially
rural
communities of the North East of
Scotland in the late nineteenth and
early
twentieth centuries.
PETER COOKE
University of Edinburgh
pcooke@holyrood.ed.ac.uk
Recordings
Inde:
percussions
rituelles du Kerala /
India: ritual
percussion of Kerala;
vol. 1: kshetram
vadyam;
vol. 2:
tayambaka. CD, VDE-Gallo CD-
971-2
=
AIMP
54-5; 72 min., 71
min.; 1998.
Recordings,
notes and
photographs by
Rolf Killius.
These
very
welcome
recordings
will be a
valuable resource for
anyone
with an
interest in South Indian musics.
They
were
recorded
by
RolfKillius in
1995-6, as
part
of a
project
with the National Sound
Archive. All but one of the
items, the kulal
paittu (for
which a
performance
was
specially arranged),
were recorded live
during temple
festivals in central Kerala.
As a
package
the discs
present
a
good
introduction to the different
types
of
Keralan instrumental
temple
music.
However, in order to
give
the listener a
wide selection of
genres
(some
performances
of which last more than 2
hours),
volume 1
presents only
the final
sections of each of the
genres.
While the
practical
reasons for this are obvious on a
70-minute
CD, the
performances
are
inevitably misrepresented;
the
unfolding
of the
pieces
over a
long
time-scale is an
essential
part
of their character. It would
have been
particularly interesting
to hear
the
"alapana"
section of the kulal
pattu.
On the
plus side,
volume 2
presents
a full
Recordings
Inde:
percussions
rituelles du Kerala /
India: ritual
percussion of Kerala;
vol. 1: kshetram
vadyam;
vol. 2:
tayambaka. CD, VDE-Gallo CD-
971-2
=
AIMP
54-5; 72 min., 71
min.; 1998.
Recordings,
notes and
photographs by
Rolf Killius.
These
very
welcome
recordings
will be a
valuable resource for
anyone
with an
interest in South Indian musics.
They
were
recorded
by
RolfKillius in
1995-6, as
part
of a
project
with the National Sound
Archive. All but one of the
items, the kulal
paittu (for
which a
performance
was
specially arranged),
were recorded live
during temple
festivals in central Kerala.
As a
package
the discs
present
a
good
introduction to the different
types
of
Keralan instrumental
temple
music.
However, in order to
give
the listener a
wide selection of
genres
(some
performances
of which last more than 2
hours),
volume 1
presents only
the final
sections of each of the
genres.
While the
practical
reasons for this are obvious on a
70-minute
CD, the
performances
are
inevitably misrepresented;
the
unfolding
of the
pieces
over a
long
time-scale is an
essential
part
of their character. It would
have been
particularly interesting
to hear
the
"alapana"
section of the kulal
pattu.
On the
plus side,
volume 2
presents
a full
165 165