Music in the RSCDS since 1923

Meryl Thomson, fiddler in the band Green Ginger, has long been interested in the history of country dance music, both English and Scottish. In this article she looks back on the first 100 years of music in the RSCDS to see how the role of music and musicians has changed over the years. Readers should note that in the early years the Society was run by the Executive Committee who communicated with members via The Bulletin – past issues available in the archive section of the RSCDS website.

Music in the first books

‘To collect old books, manuscripts, or pictures descriptive or illustrative of Scottish country dances’ was one of the Society’s initial aims, set out at its inaugural meeting in November 1923. Within a year, a sub-committee for music had been set up. The first mention of tunes being researched was at a meeting in May 1925 when Mrs Stewart was instructed to collect ‘dances and tunes’ for Book 3, and to organise a class to work them out before submitting the tunes to the music committee. There had been complaints about the music in Books 1 and 2 from the Music Festivals. Book 2 was to be revised and Book 1 was re-published in March 1926. The committee decided that metronome marks should be omitted from future editions of the books. The matter of speed proved to be an interesting point much discussed at later meetings.

By 1927 the issue of getting a company to record the Society’s music was being discussed. Both HMV and Beltona were approached and Books 1 and 2 were recorded on 78 rpm records. At this time dance music was played by orchestras or bands who were not generally used to playing for Scottish country dancing. There was a proposal to publish the band parts for popular dances, but branches reported little demand. By 1930 Lord James Stewart Murray had had discussions with Beltona, Edison Bell, HMV and Zonophone as a year earlier Beltona had decided not to continue recording for the SCDS unless the Society paid half the initial cost and guaranteed a sale of 500 of each record. The decision was made to come to an agreement with the Columbia record company on condition that the Society’s Music Director, Mr Herbert Wiseman, arranged the music. Mr Wiseman was a very distinguished musician, Director of Music for Edinburgh schools, and latterly Head of Scottish Music at the BBC. By 1932 recording was back in the hands of the Beltona company with Annie Shand from Aberdeen as band leader, pianist, and accompanist.

Annie Shand

In 1934 Time Magazine wrote that Annie Shand was ‘synonymous with Scottish country dancing, famous for her dance band, her solo performances, her published arrangements and as an accompanist.’ Hers was King George V’s favourite dance band and she played for the Gillies’ Ball at Balmoral for many years. She also played at Summer School. There are fascinating recordings of her playing Jenny’sBawbee, The Linton Ploughman, and The Dashing White Sergeant on the Rare Tunes website, all recorded around 1929/30. These are played at a fast speed, up to 140 beats per minute (bpm), a speed used for ceilidh dancing today. Her obituary in Bulletin 11 of March 1937 states that ‘from the beginning of the Society until two years ago she worked for its interests with unflagging zeal.’

Michael Diack and Herbert Wiseman

One of our founders and a prime mover in the Society was Michael Diack. We have a recording he made with the Scottish Country Dance Orchestra in 1930 of Petronella. Like Annie Shand’s recordings, it is played at a brisk tempo of 140 bpm. Two tunes are used alternately, Petronella and CornRigs, played six times through with a chord at the beginning, but not at the end. You can hear flutes trilling and a complete brass section providing the rhythm section, very much an orchestral recording.

Another recording made in the same year by the National Folk Orchestra with music arranged by Herbert Wiseman is an official recording of the strathspey Lennox Love to Blantyre from Book 6. The speed is again around 140 bpm (faster than strathspey tempo of today but nowhere near as fast as the metronome marking stated in Bulletin 5), and the dance is played three times through, using only the original tune. It has a chord to start and slows at the end to finish without a chord. What is interesting is that at the end of each 32 bars the orchestra slows and has a slight pause before starting the next repetition of the dance! Whether this was done to help dancers realise the dance was starting again or it was a natural rallentando by classically trained musicians used to putting in some sort of expression is not clear. The reverse side of the record has the reel Roxburgh Castle played five times using the same tune throughout and at a slowish 106 bpm, again with no finishing chord.

Faster reels and strathspeys

The speed at which dances were being played and recorded was an area of concern. There is a note in the Executive Minutes of April 1932 that ‘it was agreed that in some cases Strathspey time was being played too slow, and that the correct metronome beat should be given in the next issue of the Bulletin. It stated that reels should be played at one minim equals 126 and strathspeys at one minim equalling 94. These times are extremely fast, but not long after this they were ‘corrected’ in the March 1934 Bulletin to reels being one minim equals 120 - 126, somewhat faster than the 110 - 116 bpm of modern bands, and strathspeys being one minim equals 80 - 84 (160 - 168 bpm), still much faster than the tempos played today of 116 - 130 bpm.

Dissatisfaction with the BBC and accordionists

During the 1930s the BBC regularly transmitted Scottish country dance music on the wireless. Such was the dissatisfaction within the Society that Lord James Stewart Murray held meetings with the BBC. Our minutes record that ‘the playing of the band had improved, the reel time being better than the strathspey. The studio band was still too quick, but it was felt with occasional reminders the improvement would be maintained.’ The dissatisfaction continued into the 1950s with Edinburgh Branch asking the Executive Council to send a protest to the BBC regarding the playing of SCD music by the Scottish Variety Orchestra. A letter was duly sent pointing out that it was impossible to dance to the tempo of that particular orchestra. One wonders what the reaction was in the BBC when they heard that the RSCDS had formed a working group to provide ‘helpful criticisms’ of the bands used for the SCD programmes! I wonder what Gary Innes would think today if he got a critique from Coates Crescent after every Take the Floor broadcast! In August 1954 the Chairman reported that ‘there has been some slight improvement in the SCD music broadcasts as a result of the monthly reports sent in from branches, but that there was still too much piano accordion type of music.’

Finding good bands

Today we are used to bands who play exclusively for Scottish country dancing, but during the 1930s and 40s dance bands played for all kinds of dancing. In April 1946 Herbert Wiseman, who by this time was in charge of Scottish music at the BBC, wrote to the Executive asking for ‘cooperation from the Society in finding good bands who would play SCD music to which people could dance’. One member suggested that the Society form its own Orchestra, available to play when required. There was even an idea that the Society should consider ‘the issuing of a certificate of merit or diploma to SCD bands who reached the standard of performance approved by the Society.’ Needless to say, these ideas were not taken up! To improve the available recordings, the Society auditioned several bands and Tim Wright and his band, known in the 1940s as The Tim Wright Sound and which later became The Cavendish Band, was chosen to make 12 recordings with orchestration by Mr John Robertson. The band consisted of fiddlers, a clarinet, and Tim on piano. One of these records has Maggie Lauder on one side and Monymusk on the other. With only 5 minutes available per side on a 78rpm record, both dances are recorded three times through with the original tune, an alternative, then back to the original, and they have a finishing chord. By 1948 the official SCDS recording by The Scottish Dance Players of Hamilton House and Circassian Circle, played at around 120 bpm, shows a change in musical style with a line-up of fiddles with a piano playing mostly a vamping accompaniment rather than the brass rhythm section and woodwinds used previously.

Different instruments

From the Society’s beginnings the piano was very much the instrument used for accompanying classes. For example, in 1946 branches were asked to consider names of ‘teachers and pianists’ to be put forward for Summer School. In November 1947 a motion was submitted that newly formed branches should be supplied free of charge a full set of dance books ‘for the use of the Branch’s pianist.’ Courses for pianists were run a lot earlier than for other instruments. In 1989 Yla Steven and Bobby Crowe conducted a course for violinists and accordionists. I find it interesting how accordionists and fiddlers were treated, given that they are staples of most SCD bands today. In 1947 a letter from a member was read out at an Executive meeting, objecting to the use of the accordion in BBC broadcasts of SCD music. There was a lively discussion, and it was noted that where an accordion was used ‘strathspeys were usually played as jigs; also that the accordion was not found to be the same pitch as the other instruments.’ The first mention of violins in the minutes is from 1952 where there is a suggestion that violin scores might be produced, but this was deemed an unnecessary expense. There is an interesting article in The Reel from 1952 which refers to instruments which could be used and how to play for dances, a strathspey tempo of 120 – 160 bpm suggested. In 1955 Miss Milligan approached the BBC with the idea for a programme on the old fiddle music of Scotland, to contradict the opinion that the accordion and not the fiddle was the correct national instrument for Scottish country dances. In an article in The Scotsman newspaper in 1957 Tom and Joan Flett accuse Miss Milligan of having favoured the piano and neglected the fiddle. By 1986 the Minutes show agreement that a fiddle should be included in Society recordings.

Tapes, records and CDs

With the advent of the long-playing record, more dances could be recorded on one record than ever before, but to do this, strathspeys might only be recorded four times through. By 1968 the use of tape recordings was being discussed. The Society had met with Park Film Studios and ‘it was suggested that piano recording alone would be inadequate, and the backing of drums and double bass would be advisable’. Nothing materialised and an offer was made for amateurs to record using violin and piano. It is worth noting that tape recorders at that time cost between £40 and £180 (c. £600 – £3000 in today’s money!) Tapes meant that dances could be recorded the full number of times through, but finding a track was a problem, which any teacher who has used tapes will remember!

By the late 1980s the Society was producing both LPs and tape recordings. By the 1990s CDs had started appearing. At the Executive meeting in May 1991 there was a long discussion on ‘how best to produce future recordings – whether LPs, cassettes, CDs or compact cassettes.’ At the meeting, branch representatives were highly sceptical about CDs as this would mean replacing their record players and tape recorders with CD players. A questionnaire was sent out to branches asking about the use of CDs. Of the 23 replies fewer than half showed any interest in CDs, but they wanted tapes as well. Some wanted only tapes. In May 1993 the Executive agreed to try Books 1-10 on CD to see if they sold and if they did, then the rest would follow. Even by 1998 CDs and cassettes were both being produced ‘to cater for those who did not yet have CD facilities.’ I remember playing with our band Green Ginger at a dance in the late 90s and wondering why nobody seemed interested in buying the CD we had for sale. After the gig the lady we were staying with said it was because nobody in the area possessed a CD player!

The tunes played

Back in 1969 the Executive were told that ‘many bands playing for dances frequently ignore the suggested music in Society publications and played quite unsuitable pieces.’ It was agreed to write to branches to the effect that ‘when a band is engaged for a function, the organisers should ensure that the correct music will be played’. In February 1970 a bandleader wrote to the Society pointing out that ‘many of the recommended tunes were not attractive and indicated they would not want to play for a dance where the organisers wished to control the music.’ The meeting agreed that some of the recommended tunes were not always suitable, but, on the other hand, there was a shortage of ‘capable bands.’ By 1988 it was agreed that ‘we should not insist that bands use traditional melodies as alternatives but state they were preferred’. It was not until 2002 that the Publications Committee agreed that ‘the previous policy for original tunes to be played exactly as written, including the key, was unnecessary’. By then it was accepted that there was a need to make the Society more ‘band-friendly’. However, it was agreed that tempi ‘must be adhered to’. In a meeting later the same year the prerequisite for bands recording for the Society to use a fiddler was dropped. ‘It was decided to treat each band on its own merit rather than being too prescriptive’. Times and opinions were changing.

On a personal note

Reading through the Society’s Minute Books and early Bulletins gives a fascinating insight into how much care the Society took from the start to ensure that music and musicians were the best they could be. The change in the speed of recordings and the sound of the bands is eye-opening. I have always wondered when it was decided to use several alternative tunes on a recording. My interest in early dance music, where only one tune is played repeatedly for the dance, however many times through, led me to question why SCD was different. The early 1930s recordings do only use one or possibly two tunes with a very complete orchestra sound and yet the tunes seem to be played the same each time through with no variations in the orchestration. Did this gradually lead to the need for more variety in the tunes to provide interest to those listening? Jimmy Shand’s recording of Rothesay Country Dance from 1942 does feature three tunes each played twice, returning to the original. One recording I did enjoy was the official Society recording by Mr Diack and the Scottish Country Dance Orchestra from 1930 of Strip theWillow. The tunes used are the ones printed in Book 1 – Drops of Brandy and Frolicksome Paddy – both in 9/8 time. The band play the tunes alternately for 10 times through the dance at a speed of around 168 bpm with no finishing chord – a rollicking ride. The minutes from 1980 mention that a rerecording of this dance was in 6/8 time. I know most bands nowadays use 6/8 jigs for Strip the Willow at ceilidhs although I personally have always preferred using 9/8 jigs as there is not much opportunity otherwise to use these energetic tunes. The minutes of May 1980 state that there was an objection to Strip the Willow having been recorded in 6/8 time rather than 9/8 time. It was reported that ‘certain difficulties had stood in the way of it being recorded in 9/8 time’. There is no indication of what this problem was, and I wonder if this started the trend of 6/8 jigs being used. While, historically, 9/8 tunes appear in many music collections and must have been popular, they are uncommon in Scottish dances today and so musicians are not used to playing them.

The Society Minutes contain little gems of interest for someone like myself who has only been involved with SCD since the late 1990s. For example, there is mention of the recording for the Reel of the Royal Scots by a regimental pipe band in 1983. It was discovered that they had inadvertently omitted 8 bars. Although they agreed with the sound engineer to insert these 8 bars rather than re-record, it was later realised that actually 16 bars had been omitted. This necessitated a single record being sent out to those who had already bought the record, with a new tape and LP later being produced. How easy it is nowadays to correct any errors, especially with the advent of online downloads! And in a meeting in November 1983, it was suggested the Bulletin should include ‘a list of bands willing to travel around the country and as far afield as Bristol’! Nowadays, SCD bands are welcomed to events throughout the world.

Finally

In October 1929 the Executive pointed out that ‘one of the principal objects of the Society was to re-introduce Scottish country dancing to the Ballroom’. Seeing how far it has developed in the last 100 years and how much it is enjoyed and in so many countries I feel this aim has more than been achieved. The variety of SCD musicians and bands has grown too, leading to musicians’ courses at Summer School for many types of instruments. We have much to be thankful for to the group of enthusiasts who were determined to ‘promote and develop Scottish country dance and music worldwide for the benefit of present and future generations.’

Finally, anyone interested in hearing some of the old recordings for themselves can go to archive.org, click on audio, choose the icon for 78’s and Cylinder Recordings, then search for Scottish Dance.