For Ever Fortune: Scottish Music in the 18th Century

Featuring

François Lazarevitch
Robert Getchell
Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien
William Thomson
James Oswald
Domhnall Bàn MacCrimmon

Niel Gow
Turlough O'Carolan
Anonymous
William Christie
Anonymous (Traditional)

Did you know?

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Recording & Production

This album was recorded in May 2011 in Paris, at the chapel of the Hôpital Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours.

Instruments

18th-century Scots purchased the finest Italian violins and also produced excellent local instruments, while re-tuning fiddles to imitate bagpipes.

Compositional Technique

Scottish composers incorporated traditional dance forms into their sonatas and used techniques like scordatura (re-tuning the violin) to achieve drone effects and increased resonance.

Historical Context

18th-century Scottish music uniquely blended traditional and classical styles, with composers like William McGibbon and James Oswald adapting folk music to Rococo forms.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Scottish composers like Alexander Munro and James Oswald aimed to refresh European culture by drawing on their own traditional music, aligning with Rousseau's vision of pastoral purity.

Cultural Impact

Scottish traditional music was promoted across social strata, from humble audiences to the aristocracy, reflecting a strong sense of social equality in Scotland.

Composer Biography

James Oswald, a Scottish composer, rose from being a dancing master and the son of a frequently jailed town drummer to become Chamber Composer to King George III.