Dr Johnson’s account
of music, and the society in which it
existed in the 18th Century
has been the standard text without challenge
for some three decades, despite having
been out of print for half of that time.
Now comes an updated version a decade
more than the shelf-life of the original
as predicted by the author. The reprint
of this valuable treatise is welcome,
for authoritative writings on the subject
of Scottish music of any period are
scarce enough – and the story of its
origins and growth is for the most part,
even for most Scots, buried in a highland
coastal haar.
It is Dr Johnson’s
contention that the twin strains of
folk music and classical, while two
distinct elements, exhibit a notable
relationship with each other – and which
he illustrates in this account by what
he calls a "map of 18th
Century Scottish music" – also
revealing the influence which music
– both folk and classical - exerted
on the development of Scottish culture
in 18th Century society.
A 2nd edition
might usually be expected to contain
new information and correction of previous
errors. In fact the emendations contained
in this new edition are drafted as a
quasi-introductory chapter of some fourteen
pages, to allow, says the author, retention
of the original OUP typesetting. I would
suggest that, while this may be a thoroughly
commendable reason, it simply reinforces
the view that the conclusions of the
original book remain true, despite the
author’s self-critical eye. Indeed those
emendations in the main consist of additional
unearthed material – and a modest reassessment
of some of the prime movers in the scene
– McGibbon, Oswald and the ubiquitous
Thomas Erskine, 6th Earl
of Kelly. This extra light shed on what,
some thirty years ago, was a subject
upon which the layman would have found
little to say in any discussion is illuminating,
demonstrating Dr Johnson’s continuing
tireless research - but most important
it has had the salutary effect of propelling
the book back into print and availability!
The layman’s knowledge of Scottish music
has been largely limited to Burns suppers
and Jimmy Shand. Dr Johnson’s purpose
is "to explain 18th
century Scottish music [ and I would
add, culture] in a way that no reader
could ever ignore the subject again".
This he pursues with enthusiasm and
in readable style.
The main thrust of
his argument is to "investigate
the separate forms which folk and classical
music took during the period, and then
attempt to chart the more important
cross currents between them" –
this latter a feature that, in its vitiated
form, we are only too aware of today.
He makes the acceptable proviso that
a country cannot be considered as having
a flourishing classical musical culture
unless it supports the actual composition
of good music that is yet imbued with
some national characteristics. This
he argues purposefully in the Introduction
before a separate chapter grouping dealing
with classical music – the centres of
activity, the participants (with a separate
account of the important Earl of Kelly).
Folk music in a stable society is dealt
with briefly before embarking on the
all important aspects of cross-currents,
the contentious subject of ‘traditional’
melody as being a kind of "artificial
substitute for the real thing"
which, as Arnold Bax once suggested,
had to an extent emasculated the true
folk melody (some, but by no means all,
Hebridean melodies have been doctored
in this way.) A vitally important chapter
on the problems of the harmonisation
of folk melodies is, in a sense, the
climax of the thesis – and it remained,
in the light of the social effects of
the Act of Union of 1707 and the use
of folk melody in the classical milieu
of the concert platform, ( in concertos
and sonatas such as by J.C. Bach, and
John Field) to sum up in what the author
apologises as "the gloomy tone
of the last page".
"another classical
music renaissance is in progress
in Scotland at present [written
in 1972] and it seems quite probable
that the same mistakes or 20th
century versions of the same mistakes
will be made all over again, Scotland’s
real music remains her folk music."
It may be another thirty
years before the scope of theses mistakes,
if they are still being made, can be
assessed. This volume remains a well
argued and eminently readable account
and should be on the shelves of every
Scot with any interest in his heritage.
Colin Scott-Sutherland
