Eerie, haunting, beautiful: Scottish Psalm Singing

**beloitpiper** · 4th February 08, 10:16 PM

http://www.gaelicpsalmsinging.com/au...Kilmarnock.mp3

Scottish Gaelic Psalm singing, which eventually evolved into Black-American Gospel music. Yes, that's right, Gospel didn't come from Africa. It was taught to the slaves from Scottish settlers from the Hebrides. In fact, some slaves only knew Gaelic, connecting with the Scots because of their shared, outlawed culture.

This music is so gorgeous. It sends shivers down my spine. Here's the site to order a CD.

**BoldHighlander** · 4th February 08, 10:22 PM

Wonderful! Thanks for posting!

**Gryphon noir** · 4th February 08, 11:10 PM

Interesting! I listen to a lot of early music, liturgical music, and other obscure things, but I have never encountered the likes of this! I suppose this type of singing would have died out in most parts of North America when Scots Gaelic was forgotten. Eerie, and strangely beautiful.....

**Coemgen** · 4th February 08, 11:16 PM

Sounds pretty good. But then, as an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I hear Psalms (well, hymns of all sorts - kathismata, akathists, troparia, apolytika, stichera, aposticha, kontakia, et cetera et cetera) chanted in foreign languages all the time, so it doesn't make as much of an impact on me.

**beowulf67** · 5th February 08, 06:43 AM

Simply beautiful.

**James MacMillan** · 12th February 08, 10:19 PM

That sent chills up my back.........thanks!

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**gilmore** · 12th February 08, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by beloitpiper

... It was taught to the slaves from Scottish settlers from the Hebrides. In fact, some slaves only knew Gaelic, connecting with the Scots because of their shared, outlawed culture.

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Well, no. The connection was that the slave owners spoke only or mostly Gaelic, at least in the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia.

**Phil** · 13th February 08, 03:14 AM

Originally Posted by gilmore

Well, no. The connection was that the slave owners spoke only or mostly Gaelic, at least in the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia.

You might think so but it is more than likely that the Scots were slaves themselves. See this link from a thread I posted recently - http://www.dunbarmartyrs.com/

Scottish slave owners would have come from the moneyed classes, the likes of the Stirlings who still have large landed estates. Gaelic speakers would generally have been at the other end of the social scale. Robert Burns planned to go to the West Indies himself in search of his fortune at one point but that fell through when he put Highland Mary in the family way. Some think he might have had a bit of slave owning in mind - quite a thought for the man who wrote "The man's a man for a that".

**Coemgen** · 13th February 08, 04:29 AM

Originally Posted by beloitpiper

In fact, some slaves only knew Gaelic, connecting with the Scots because of their shared, outlawed culture.

Wasn't this part of the plot of The Fifty-first State?

**Phil** · 14th February 08, 08:01 AM

I didn't realise until I actually listened to it but this is pretty well what is still the format in the "Wee Free" church here in Scotland. Some would describe their outlook as "narrow" but they don't use diabolical musical instruments just this unaccompanied singing. In places like Lewis they still keep the old customs such as not using money or doing any form of work or recreation on the Sabbath and they still don't allow the ferries to run on that day. Buses run but the driver will not take money for the fare - it is left in a dish to be collected the following day. There hasn't been a cinema there for years since it had to close after showing films on a Sunday but, strangely enough, there are some hotels that open and sell alcohol on a Sunday.