Celtic and Scottish Studies Seminar Series: Virginia Blankenhorn In brief Speaker - Dr Virginia Blankenhorn (University of Edinburgh) Title - From ‘Bogus’ to ‘Trad’: The Strange Trajectory of ‘MacCrimmon’s Lament' About the seminar In 1978, Scottish Studies published an article entitled "Traditional and Bogus Elements in 'MacCrimmon's Lament'" which showed how various threads, both Gaelic and English, came together in a song made famous by Jeannie Robertson at the height of the Folk Revival – one that is now canonical among today’s ‘trad’ musicians. While acknowledging that Jeannie’s take on the song had been "popular long enough to acquire a certain oral tradition of its own," Blankenhorn nonetheless argued that "the claim should not be made, for either the tune or the text, that it demonstrates any of the qualities of authentic traditional Scottish music or poetry," but that it represented instead an "example of the confusion of the traditional with the bogus' typical of nineteenth century romanticism." This judgement – and use of the term 'bogus' – reflected that of a number of Gaelic scholars at the time. In revising this article for her 2019 book, Blankenhorn has suggested how the facts of the case might align with a more nuanced definition of 'tradition', and whether the description 'bogus' might still apply; see Virginia Blankenhorn, "MacCrimmon’s Return: Traditional and 'Bogus' Elements in 'MacCrimmon’s Lament'" in Tradition, Transmission, Transformation: Essays on Scottish Gaelic Poetry and Song, Oxford: Peter Lang, Ltd. (2019). All seminars take place fortnightly on Fridays between 13.15 and 14.00. Please contact Dr Neill Martin to receive a Zoom invitation and password. We extend a warm welcome to all with an interest in the topics presented and look forward to seeing you. NB The Zoom invitation will indicate a 13.00 start but the seminar will commence at 13.15. About the Celtic and Scottish Studies Seminar Series As the longest established department of its kind in Scotland, Celtic and Scottish Studies at Edinburgh is a major international hub for research, teaching and learning. Each semester, we welcome a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present a lunchtime seminar on their work. Entry is free and no booking is required. Everyone is welcome. Are you interested in Celtic and Scottish Studies? We offer three undergraduate degrees and a number of postgraduate programmes, both taught and research-led, drawing on excellent teaching and research and access to world-leading collections and archives. Find out more Dec 10 2021 13.15 - 14.00 Celtic and Scottish Studies Seminar Series: Virginia Blankenhorn Join us for an online seminar by Virginia Blankenhorn (University of Edinburgh) on traditional and bogus elements in "MacCrimmon's Lament". Online via Zoom Email Neill Martin for joining instructions
Celtic and Scottish Studies Seminar Series: Virginia Blankenhorn In brief Speaker - Dr Virginia Blankenhorn (University of Edinburgh) Title - From ‘Bogus’ to ‘Trad’: The Strange Trajectory of ‘MacCrimmon’s Lament' About the seminar In 1978, Scottish Studies published an article entitled "Traditional and Bogus Elements in 'MacCrimmon's Lament'" which showed how various threads, both Gaelic and English, came together in a song made famous by Jeannie Robertson at the height of the Folk Revival – one that is now canonical among today’s ‘trad’ musicians. While acknowledging that Jeannie’s take on the song had been "popular long enough to acquire a certain oral tradition of its own," Blankenhorn nonetheless argued that "the claim should not be made, for either the tune or the text, that it demonstrates any of the qualities of authentic traditional Scottish music or poetry," but that it represented instead an "example of the confusion of the traditional with the bogus' typical of nineteenth century romanticism." This judgement – and use of the term 'bogus' – reflected that of a number of Gaelic scholars at the time. In revising this article for her 2019 book, Blankenhorn has suggested how the facts of the case might align with a more nuanced definition of 'tradition', and whether the description 'bogus' might still apply; see Virginia Blankenhorn, "MacCrimmon’s Return: Traditional and 'Bogus' Elements in 'MacCrimmon’s Lament'" in Tradition, Transmission, Transformation: Essays on Scottish Gaelic Poetry and Song, Oxford: Peter Lang, Ltd. (2019). All seminars take place fortnightly on Fridays between 13.15 and 14.00. Please contact Dr Neill Martin to receive a Zoom invitation and password. We extend a warm welcome to all with an interest in the topics presented and look forward to seeing you. NB The Zoom invitation will indicate a 13.00 start but the seminar will commence at 13.15. About the Celtic and Scottish Studies Seminar Series As the longest established department of its kind in Scotland, Celtic and Scottish Studies at Edinburgh is a major international hub for research, teaching and learning. Each semester, we welcome a fantastic range of guest speakers and colleagues to present a lunchtime seminar on their work. Entry is free and no booking is required. Everyone is welcome. Are you interested in Celtic and Scottish Studies? We offer three undergraduate degrees and a number of postgraduate programmes, both taught and research-led, drawing on excellent teaching and research and access to world-leading collections and archives. Find out more Dec 10 2021 13.15 - 14.00 Celtic and Scottish Studies Seminar Series: Virginia Blankenhorn Join us for an online seminar by Virginia Blankenhorn (University of Edinburgh) on traditional and bogus elements in "MacCrimmon's Lament". Online via Zoom Email Neill Martin for joining instructions
Dec 10 2021 13.15 - 14.00 Celtic and Scottish Studies Seminar Series: Virginia Blankenhorn Join us for an online seminar by Virginia Blankenhorn (University of Edinburgh) on traditional and bogus elements in "MacCrimmon's Lament".
