This post is something of a late ripple washing back from the tsunami of writing that celebrated, back in 2019, the centenary of the birth of Hamish Henderson (1919-2002), and which started to build from the death of this iconic figure: solider poet of WW2, folk-song collector in the berry fields of Tayside, co-founder of the School of Scottish Studies in the University of Edinburgh, and leading figure of the Scottish folk-music revival of the mid-20th century.
Henderson studied languages at Cambridge and spoke many, but his ear for his native Scots was particularly aurally acute and sensitive to its rhythms and cadences. His war experiences pulled him to the left side of politics, informed also by his readings of Gramsci. Like other folk-song enthusiasts of the 1950s as the American Alan Lomax, his view of his own national repertoire was that it connected the Scottish experience with that of other ordinary folk, wherever they lived. His song ‘Freedom Come All Ye’ expresses this strongly and is probably the best known of his compositions today.
Assessment of Henderson’s legacy began immediately following his death, and centenary celebrations in the years around 2019 allowed friends and colleagues who had co-journeyed with Henderson through the burgeoning Scottish folk scene of the second half of the 20th century to bring this to a climax. As we head into the 2020s, new work continues to appear that assesses Henderson’s influence on other creatives. This post is far from fully comprehensive but gives a taste of biographical writing and recording on Henderson over the past 20 years.
- Biographies
The most substantial biography of Henderson is Timothy Neat’s 2 volumes from 2007 and 2012 (see Further Reading), written shortly after Henderson’s death. Written by a close personal friend using private papers, thisis testament to Henderson’s personal charisma and intellectual depth, and to his cultural leadership and influence. The writing is close to the man, perhaps almost too close for critical assessment, and it may be that a biography written after some more time has passed will be better able to assess how this life intersected with other, different points of view in the mid-century. (Henderson famously had tetchy exchanges with both Hugh MacDiarmid (the older generation) and Norman MacCaig (closer to his own) about the direction of Scottish literature and poetics). However, this is close and detailed and a core text.
Corey Gibson’s monograph, The Voice of the People: Hamish Henderson and Scottish Cultural Politics (Edinburgh University Press, 2015) is an excellent revisiting of Henderson’s legacy that pays close attention to the ‘flytings’ between Henderson and other literary figures over the status of folk songs in Scotland’s literary heritage.
Margaret Bennett, a student of Hamish’s at Edinburgh and later a colleague, has been influential in the 20 years since Henderson’s death in keeping his name in the public ear. Bennett herself is a substantial figure in Scottish folk music, a wonderful singer of songs and teller of tales, as well as, like Hamish, an ethnographer. Bennett has contributed to several books, encouraged writing about Henderson through her publishing interest in Grace Note Publications, and been hugely active in organising and participating in events discussing Henderson’s cultural legacy. Her chapter in Bort’s (ed.) Borne on the Carrying Stream (2010) – a multi-authored assessment of Henderson’s legacy – reflects the idea of tradition-bearers necessary to keep a tradition of music alive, an idea central to Henderson’s work. Incidently, this is also the title of the ‘Carrying Stream’ Festival run by the Edinburgh Folk Club in November each year, up to 2023; I can’t find a mention of any such event in 2024 although the Edinburgh Folk Club still goes strong.
- Film
A documentary film called simply Hamish, directed by Robbie Fraser and written by Kevin MacNeil, was premiered at the Glasgow Film Festival in 2016, and was given airtime on BBC Alba on 21 July 2023. This covered both war years, folk revival and the story of the School of Scottish studies and its archive work.
November 2024 saw the premiere of Inspiration – a film about Charles Nasmyth’s painting of Henderson – produced and directed by Michael Lloyd. Inspiration talks about both Nasmyth the painter, and Henderson’s cultural presence – the title says it all. As much about Henderson as it is about Nasmyth, this latest biopic assesses both the man and his influence on others, and that idea of influence is likely to be the key to more work going forward.
- Music Recordings
It was in ethnography – recording and interviewing – that Henderson’s legacy was particularly strong. The sound archives at the School of Scottish Studies stand witness to Henderson’s work recording singers of traditional music, particularly from the traveller community, which had to that point been overlooked in Scottish folklore studies. Henderson’s recordings feature strongly in the onlinje archive of the School of Scottish Studies, Tobar an Dulchais . Kist o Riches, and his personal archive is held in Edinburgh University library’s Special Collections department. For those interested in music, several projects have drawn on these recordings.
Free Freeman – also associated with the School of Scottish Studies – was both friend and colleague, and shares Henderson’s love of the sound of Scots poetry. Freeman’s writing on Henderson includes one of the six chapters (‘En Marche’) in Hamish Henderson: A Conversation Piece ed. Charles Nasmith.
However, it’s in musical curation that Freeman’s work on Hamish is particularly valuable. Freeman’s expertise lies in recording production, particularly with an ear for ‘complete works’ portfolios (e.g. his Complete Songs of Burns and similarly of Robert Tannahill). His 2-volume CD project of Henderson’s own songs makes a substantial contribution to curating Fred’s own music.
As with Freeman’s other traditional song projects, the tracks on these apply new arrangements to existing material, and combine ‘period’ recordings with more contemporary arrangements. Volume 1 appeared in the year following Henderson’s death; volume 2, 18 years later, in response to the centenary.
The second volume engages with Henderson’s wartime experiences and is particularly helpful in illustrating how Scots song connects to Henderson’s political views on peace and equality of common folk. Volume 2 track 12 is a recording of Henderson’s voice singing and explaining the background to the traditional ballad ‘Sodge Ye the Cotton Spinners’. Track 13 is an interview between Henderson and Stuart MacGregor about wartime Germany, which sets up the following track, MacGregor’s ‘Blossom in the Spring’.
Further Reading
- Eberhard Bort (ed,), Borne on the Carrying Steam: The Legacy of Hamish Henderson (Grace Note Publications, 2010) – including Margaret Bennett’s chapter ‘From Perthshire to Pennsylvania: the influence of Hamish Henderson on Transatlantic Folklore Studies’
- Eberhard Bort (ed.), Tis Sixty Years Since: The 1951 Edinburgh People’s Festival Ceilidh and the Scottish Folk Revival (Grace Note Publications, 2011) – including Margaret Bennett’s chapter ‘The Singer Behind the Song and the Man Behind the Microphone’.
- Eberhard Bort (ed.) Anent Hamish Henderson (Grace Note Publications, 2015), including Margaret Bennett, ‘Howard Glasser and Hamish Henderson: Creative Collaboration and Kinship’.
- Corey Gibson’, The Voice of the People: Hamish Henderson and Scottish Cultural Politics (Edinburgh University Press, 2015)
- Charles Nasmyth (ed.), Hamish Henderson: A Conversation Piece (Fife Global Press, 2022) – essays by those who knew Henderson well, including his daughter Janet who contributes to our understanding of home life. Currently out of print.
- Timothy Neat, Hamish Henderson: A Biography 2 vols. Volume 1 (The Making of the Poet, 1919-1953) (Polygon, 2007); Volume 2 (Poetry Becomes People, 1952-2002) (Polygon, 2012)
Further Listening
- Hamish (2016) – film, directed Robbie Fraser, Written by Kevin MacNeil.
- Inspiration (2024) – film produced and directed by Michael Lloyd.
- ‘Hamish Henderson’ in Tobar an Dualcháis / Kist O Riches, School of Scottish Studies, sound archives
- Edinburgh Folk Club, The Carrying Stream Festival – annually in November up to 2023 at least….
- Hamish Henderson: Tribute Vol.1 (A’ the Bairns O Adam) – (Greentrax Recordings, CDTRAX244, 2003) – tracks from the School of Scottish Studies archives, this tribute arrived in the year following Henderson’s death, featuring important Scottish folk singers such as Dick Gaughan, Margaret Bennett, and recordings of Hamish himself, produced by Fred Freeman.
- Hamish Henderson: Tribute Vol.2 (Ballad of the Banffies) – (Greentrax Recordings, CDTRAV410, 2021) – again produced by Fred Freeman, particularly strong on songs written by Henderson during his wartime service in Italy.