19thCentury – Soundyngs

Stone sculpture of James Watt, with a small child standing by him, holding scientific instruments.

James Watt, musical instrument maker, and the “James Watt Organ” dilemma

4 June 2023 by Dr Nina Baker, OBE, DL, PhD, BSc, FIES, HonMWES

Soundyngs features in this post research by Dr Nina Baker, independent engineering historian, on the unexpected connections between the great … Read more

The Glasgow Orchestral Society Celebrates 150 Years of Amateur Music-Making

20 March 2023 by Jane Pettegree

150th Anniversary Concert – 7:30pm Saturday 25th March 2023, Glasgow City Halls The Victorian age was a great age of … Read more

19th century sepia tinted photography of singers from Fisk College, women and men, seated and standing around a harmonium

The Fisk Jubilee Singers in Scotland

9 March 20238 March 2023 by Rosa Michaelson

A picture of the Fisk Jubilee Singers is available from the Library of Congress: no restrictions on reproduction. Scotland’s historic … Read more

Black and white engraving from a 19th century biography of Lady Nairne as a young woman, her head covered by a veil, lace around her neck, and placed within an oval frame

Review: Freeland Barbour, “The White Rose of Gask: The Life of Carolina Oliphant, Lady Nairne” (2019)

2 March 2023 by Jane Pettegree

Freeland Barbour, accordionist, composer, radio and record producer, is a descendent of Lady Nairne’s sister, and this alongside his own … Read more

Close up image of a concertina in the hands of an informal player

Research Profile: Stuart Eydmann on the Concertina in Scotland

15 February 202315 February 2023 by Jane Pettegree

Soundyngs’ last post discussed the importance of ‘big box’ accordions to Scottish dance music and called for more writing on … Read more

The Testament band playing at Glasgow Trades Hall

Radical Glasgow Songsters

16 May 202316 January 2023 by Jane Pettegree

Can history be taught through song? Well yes, according to a new band, The Tenementals, who are working on their … Read more

James Hogg painted as the Ettrick Shepherd by Sir John Waton Gordon

Review: “James Hogg, Contributions to Musical Collections and Miscellaneous Songs”, ed. Kirsteen McCue

9 January 2023 by Jane Pettegree

Image: “James Hogg, Poet, ‘The Ettrick Shepherd’”, painted by Sir John Watson Gordon in 1830. CC Wikimedia Commons, courtesy of … Read more

Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh's George Street

Dancing in the Athens of the North

31 December 2022 by Jane Pettegree

New research continues to add detail to our understanding of the role played by dancing in the historical musical life … Read more

Engraving from a 19th century book illustration of Auld Lang Syne of men amicably shaking hands

Linking Arms for Auld Lang Syne: Celebrating Friendship

23 December 2022 by Jane Pettegree

Image: Illustration to Robert Burns’ ‘Auld Lang Syne’ by J.M. Wright and Edward Scriven. The Complete Works of Robert Burns: … Read more

Picture from a 19thcentury music book, by a female composer, about the Napoleonic Wars

Claimed From Stationers Hall: 18th and 19th century music in Scottish (and other) copyright libraries

20 December 202219 December 2022 by Dr Karen McAulay

‘Claimed from Stationers’ Hall’ was an AHRC-funded research network (2017-2018), bringing together academic and special collections librarians, book historians and … Read more

More on Scottish Music in 19th century Australia

31 October 2022 by Jane Pettegree

Image: Victoria, Australia, painted by Eugene von Guerard. Use free of conditions from www.goodfreephotos.com Soundyngs earlier this year reviewed an … Read more

Front page to James Aird Collection with engraving of 18th centuryBritish solders

Flute music in the Atholl Collection: Military Echoes

19 October 20226 July 2022 by Jane Pettegree

Photo credit: author, reproduced by kind permission of Culture Perth & Kinross Local & Family History. I had a very … Read more