In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

341 Appendix II Transcribing and Editing the Music —Jo Miller I have transcribed the music of the Stewart family’s songs in order that the notation describes their version of the tunes and something of the singing style of the two chief singers represented here, Lucy and Elizabeth. However, I also wanted to make the notation available to others who might wish to sing over or learn the repertoire, and so I hope these transcriptions are a compromise between accessibility and stylistic detail such as ornamentation and metrical changes within songs. Needless to say, it is impossible to notate every aspect of performance and I would direct readers to recordings of the Stewarts for a fuller experience of these songs. In many cases I have transposed the songs from the actual key in which they were sung to one which fits the stave better. The notated key note is shown at the beginning of each transcription, and its equivalent sung pitch. Both Elizabeth and Lucy – particularly the latter – often pitch their singing low in the range of the female voice. Lucy also commonly rises in pitch during the course of a song, by anything from a semitone to a minor third. The actual pitch shown for Lucy’s songs is, then, an approximation within this interval. Tempo, Metre and Rhythm A metronome marking is given for each song, showing the average tempo of the performance. Some items feature a steady pulse but varying bar lengths, often adding beats at the end of a phrase, so that, for example, 4/4 alternates with a 3/2 time signature.Where the pulse is not maintained I have shown extra time given to the ends of phrases simply by a pause mark. Several songs, such as The Cruel Mother (101), are sung very freely. In general, Lucy’s singing is fairly rhythmically steady, whereas Elizabeth uses more rubato, and includes more varied rhythmic interpretation of the airs. She is particularly fond of the Scots snap rhythm found typically in strathspeys, and there may be a link here with her interest in dance tunes as an instrumentalist. I’m a Good Lookin Widda (78) is striking in this respect, sung by Elizabeth not in the more common 3/4 time, but rather suggesting the 6/8 metre of a slow pipe march, emphasised further by the phrasing and dotting of rhythms, and involving grace notes which approach the melody note from large intervals, as in much pipe music. Appendix II. Transcribing and Editing the Music 342 Melody and Ornament Elizabeth’s singing contains more melodic ornamentation than Lucy’s; she employs turns, slides and appogiaturae regularly, and these are especially evident in slower songs such as Lord Gordon’s Bonnie Boys (124). Occasionally Elizabeth’s singing is so decorative – for example, in The College Boy (96) and Sailin, Sailin (25) – that it is difficult to distinguish‘melody’ and‘ornament ’.A detailed transcription of the entire song, and additional fieldwork, would be necessary in order to analyse this further.An example from line one of Bonnie Udny (6) illustrates the style: Both singers show some flexibility in their treatment of pitches within a song, using, for example, both major and minor thirds, and sometimes raising a note by a quarter rather than a semitone. Rather than attribute this to poor pitching, and‘correct’ these notes, I have preferred to take a descriptive approach and transcribe just what I hear, representing pitches as sung, and using arrows above the note where it is raised or lowered by less than a semitone. Gaining a clearer understanding of the singers’ intentions would take further fieldwork. Harmony and Accompaniment Elizabeth sings a harmony to her own recorded melodies on The Plooman Laddies (63), The Gallant Forty Twa (10), and The Jolly Beggar (100). She also provides a vocal harmony part to Lucy’s melody on The Heilan Men’s Ball (45), The Bells of Farewell (83) and Poor Gracie She’s Dead (82). Most of this is in parallel 3rds, and may be influenced by Elizabeth’s improvisatory piano playing style. In one song only, Oh I Am a Miller tae Ma Trade (62), Lucy provides a percussive accompaniment to her own singing, beating hand and arm on the table to suggest the noise of the mill. In songs Hip an Row (53), A Lady Was in Her Garden Walking (93), Oh Weel Dae I Mind the Day (79) and Flora MacDonald’s Lament (71) Elizabeth accompanies...

Share