Scottish Vocal Music

An unaccompanied folk song, usually with many verses (STROPHIC) from north-east Scotland. Sung by men. Usually it was the unmarried farm labourers who were housed in a bothy on the farm who sang the bothy ballads. They made their songs about the ploughing, the horses, their own appalling living conditions, the food served to them, the girls they courted and about the farmer himself.

A Scottish song ('folk song')which tells a story. Scots ballads are strophic in form Ballads are songs which tell stories. In them we get to know about the characters in the story and follow their fortunes as events unfold. Some can be of historical events. Sometimes the ballads are sung a cappella but usually they have instruments accompanying the voice.

Unaccompanied songs with Gaelic or nonsense words, normally sung for ceilidh dances when no instruments are available.

Gaelic work song sung when beating tweed. It has a strong rhythmical rhythm to keep the timing of the banging of the tweed on the table. The verse is sung by a soloist and the refrain (often including hi ri oro, ho ro hu o) is sung by a chorus - call and response. The waulking of the cloth was done by soaking it, then beating it with feet or hands until it would shrink, making the tweed much stronger and waterproof. 

Features the Celtic folk band Capercaillie

Slow, unaccompanied Gaelic church tunes. They are sung A CAPPELLA even today in the Free Presbyterian church. A person, known as the Precentor, sings the first line, and the congregation join in after him.