Musicologist Warwick Edwards suggests that both George Thomson and Joseph Haydn developed an 'obsessive collector' mentality, typical of the age of the encyclopedist, regarding these song arrangements.
Composition History
Joseph Haydn, a renowned composer, arranged over 400 Scottish songs, despite never having visited Scotland.
Historical Context
The Poker Club was a significant club during the Scottish Enlightenment, where thinkers like David Hume and Adam Smith exchanged views.
Composition History
George Thomson, a Scottish publisher and collector of folk songs, commissioned Joseph Haydn to arrange Scottish airs starting in 1799.
Critical Reception
John Elouis, a leading harp teacher in Edinburgh, criticized Haydn's arrangements for 'overpowering' Scottish melodies, comparing them to an exquisitely painted portrait 'deficient in resemblance'.
Performer Biography
James Graham, the vocalist, is one of Scotland's best-known Gaelic singers, having won the BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year Award in 2004.
Instruments
The recording features a single-action pedal harp built in London in 1809 by Érard, which was shipped to Edinburgh and likely used in the local music scene at the time.
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