Limerick October 2015

I was sitting in church the other week and the hymn - Blessed are you, Lord, God of all Creation by Father Aniceto Nazareth suddenly appeared in front of me! It's beauty made me sit up straight and listen. I hadn't heard it in a long time and I immediately thought I must record this with church organ. I had a think about the arrangement, wrote it down and asked the great Scottish piano player Tom Orr if he would mind recording an organ part for me. I've gone for a modern take but hopefully you will still find the beauty in the melody. More of my #makegoodart at http://simonthoumire.com/make-good-art/

Blessed are you, Lord, God of all Creation

This was played live in 2001 to open Celtic Connections festival.

Agnus Dei

Communio / In Paradisum

Benedictus

Kyrie

Offertorium

Introitus

Hostias

Sanctus

This is an interview about our upcoming piece at Celtic Connections 26th January, Barony Halls 7:30pm. We would love to see you along at the gig - it will be amazing. They managed to say my name wrong and the name of the piece however outside of that it's great! https://www.celticconnections.com/event/1/blazin-fiddles-with-simon-thoumire-dave-milligan-alana-nicaongais

Dol Fodha Na Grèine - Celtic Connections 26th January, Barony Halls 7:30pm.

I wrote this track on election day. It features all the madness that goes in the run up to the election. It's noisy and primitive as all elections are especially this one (in 2015). This is also my second string quartet which I'll arrange in the next few weeks.

Dum Dum

I'm currently at Hands Up for Trad's Tinto Summer School in South Lanarkshire. It's an amazing week with brilliant young people and fabulous tutors. There is not a lot of time to think about anything so here is a wee jig to dance to!

Tinto Duck

Here is an outside recording I made of Saul Rose and Sam Sweeney's 2015 Folkworks ensemble. It's a bit windy but fantastic all the same. All the ensemble seemed to be having a great time playing lovely tunes and arrangement.

Saul Rose And Sam Sweeney's FolkWorks Ensemble

Here are 3 tunes. The first jig is called An Gille dubh sugach which translates (from Scottish Gaelic) as The Merry Black Lad. I found this in the William Gunn Collection of Pipe Music. The Battlefield band sang a version of this on their last album as a Strathspey I think! I follow it with two difficult reels by fiddler William Morrison (1780 - 1825). The first tune is Viscount Mandeville and I've changed the ending because it can't be correct in the book. The second tune is Mr Duncan Forbes Duff of Muirtown's Reel. Both are in the brilliant Highland Collection published by Highland Music Trust. I love this book - definitely one of my favourites.

The Merry Black Lad

It's been a nice few days spending time with the family. Quite hard to find time to practice though! This is a relaxed air that hopefully describes the good times we had!

Playtime

Flutter

Two tunes 'Every Man for Himself' by Mhairi Mackinnon and 'The Smasher' by Jack Smedley and a traditional song 'My Brown Haired Boy' performed by the undergraduates of the music BA at Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. This was performed live at the Concert Hall on 29th October 2015.

Every Man for Himself / The Smasher

Flutter (written by Simon Thoumire) performed by the undergraduates of the music BA at Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. This was performed live at the Concert Hall on 29th October 2015.

Flutter (live)

Two tunes 'Road Drill' by Ian Carr and 'Taybank Shenanigans' by Ross Ainslie performed by the undergraduates of the music BA at Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. This was performed live at the Concert Hall on 29th October 2015.

Road Drill / Taybank Shennanigans

Scotland lost a great person on Monday - radio producer Stewart Cruickshank. Stewart was amazing to me as a young musician and amongst many things he booked my orchestra to perform 'Music for a Scottish Parliament' in 1999. I loved the gig and it gave me so much confidence to compose. I thought I would write a wee air for Stewart and here it is! You can read about Stewart here http://projects.handsupfortrad.scot/hall-of-fame/stewart-cruikshank-radio-producer/

For Stewart

On Saturday 23rd January we performed our suite of new music - Strathspey and Surreal Society. There were four composers - Jenn Austin, Aidan O'Rourke, Shona Mooney and myself. This is my piece of music. It's called Deil Amang the Fiddlers and it was performed by 21 amazing fiddlers. The music is based on a famous set of reels - Mrs Macleod's / Fairy Dance / Deil Amang the Tailors. Most of the ideas come from the first three notes of Deil Amang the Tailors from which I wrote everything. If you want to try it you can read the score here http://musichub.scot/musicsheets/deil-amang-the-fiddlers/

Deil Amang The Fiddlers

Want to hear something beautiful? Listen to Dave Milligan's wonderful rendition of Freedom Come All Ye! Dave and I recorded this on the beautiful Steinway Grand at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall last week before we performed with Altan at the Hillhead Bookclub for BBC ALBA. If you enjoy this content please consider supporting my Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/simonthoumire

Freedom Come All Ye

Here are a couple of reels from Neil Gow's book. Can't beat a bit of Bb and F in reels. I can't see a concertina in this picture - it must be outside the picture.

Countess Of Sutherland / Dunkeld Bridge (Neil Gow)

This beautiful tune was written by fiddler Alexander Troup from Ballater, Aberdeenshire. Troup was a contemporary of J Scott Skinner (he played in a band with Skinner's brother). He judged violin competitions at Grantown-upon-Spey with Charles Grant (student of Marshall) in 1880s and was David Baptie's source for a lot of info about fiddlers in the book Musical Scotland, Past and Present: Being a Dictionary of Scottish Musicians, from about 1400 Till the Present Time (1894). Thanks for all this precious information Ronnie Gibson (@scat4230), Dr Karen McAuley (@karenmca) and Stuart Eydmann (@EydmannHeritage).

Cluny Castle, situated in the tranquil undulating farmland of Aberdeenshire known as Gordon Country, is hidden from view by over two hundred acres of landscaped policies.  Dating back to 14th century it continues to be a much loved home of the Gordons of Cluny.  Between 1820 and 1870 a smaller castle was transformed into the magnificent crenellated mansion that exists today.  The name “Cluny” originates from the Gaelic word for ‘meadow’, and at Cluny Castle superb exuberant architecture and beautiful grounds of a great Scottish castle combine perfectly to create a secluded and romantic pastoral retreat.  

Cluny Castle

My project for this week was to make a set of music written by female composers in the 18/19th century. As you can imagine society and fiddle playing was quite male dominated and there is not too much music written by lady composers around. I did manage to find out about Lucy Johnston of Hilton who was included in Niel Gow's and the Scottish Musical Museum collections. Also Miss Magdelina Stirling has a collection c1812. The strathspey Lady Lucy Ramsay in the set was written by 'A Female Amateur'!

Miss L. Johnston's Complements to Niel Gow (Lucy Johnston of Hilton), Lady Lucy Ramsay (A Female Amateur), Lord Torphican's Strathspey, Perthshire Hunt (both Miss Magdelina Stirling)

Miss L. Johnston's Complements to Niel Gow

A couple of delights and a fancie! Here are 3 jigs from the same book as last weeks tunes - The Malcolm McDonald Collection (performed with my son Charlie). Mrs Muir's tune was written by Mr Sharp of Hoddom. I think this might be Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe of Hoddom Castle (Dumfries and Galloway) born May 1781. He wrote songs that were featured in Sir Walter Scott's 'Minstrelsy of the Scottish Borders' A relative of his, Miss Sharpe was 'a patron and friend of Niel Gow and contributed a few pieces to one or more of his collections'. (From Baptie).

Miss Graham's Delight / Mrs Muir McKenzies Fancie / Mrs Muir Mackenzie's Delight

Miss Graham's Delight / Mrs Muir McKenzies Fancie / Mrs Muir Mackenzie's Delight

Hands Up for Trad have a new TV programme on Facebook and YouTube and it needed an intro theme! I wrote this wee tune and recorded it with my son Charlie on bodhran and asked the fabulous Ryan Corbett to contribute a piano part. Here is 11s of music!

Hands Up For Trad TV Theme

This tune was written in October 2018 in Braemar at a Live Music Now Scotland and St Margaret's Braemar teaching week. I worked with the young people to come up with ideas and we put this tune together. It's great! The musicians performing this recording are myself, Ellie McLaren (fiddle) and Brian McAlpine (piano). We used the tune as the theme tune for the 2018 FRADS Awards.

If you like my content and would like to help me create more please consider supporting my Patreon account http://www.patreon.com/simonthumire

FRADS Theme by Simon Thoumire and young people of Braemar

This is a version of Irish Polka The Rakes of Mallow. it comes from my  vlog where I look at how to put together a solo performance that will stand out from the crowd. 

➡️ Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/6gYJwGxMHA8 

➡️ Support my Patreon account: http://www.patreon.com/simonthoumire

➡️ Play the tune: https://thesession.org/tunes/85
➡️ Website: http://www.simonthoumire.com

Twitter @simonthoumire
Facebook @simonthoumiremusic
Instagram @simonthoumire

The Rakes Of Mallow

Me and Mark went out to film a vlog on filmmaking in the Milngavie hills. We eventually found this log to sit on and record a couple of tunes. The jig is The Waterworks jig and the reel is Music in the Glen.

If you like this content please consider supporting my Patreon account http://www.patreon.com/simonthoumire

Watch the whole vlog https://youtu.be/gKWZ_9CZek4

You can get more information about me
➡️ http://www.simonthoumire.com
➡️ http://www.soundcloud.com/simonthoumire

Twitter @simonthoumire
Facebook @simonthoumiremusic
Instagram @simonthoumire

The Waterworks Jig / Music in the Glen by Simon Thoumire and Mark Maguire

David and I got together to make a few vlogs and one of the outputs was the tune Coilsfield House by Nathaniel Gow. There are two version here - the first take and the second take - both subtly different.

If you would like to find out more about the history behind the tune Coilsfield House watch this vlog https://youtu.be/Dv7n3KpplgM

To watch my interview with David McGuinness click here https://youtu.be/gr-cOKI4Vi8

If you like this content please consider supporting my Patreon http://www.patreon.com/simonthoumire

You can get more information about me
➡️ http://www.simonthoumire.com
➡️ http://www.soundcloud.com/simonthoumire

Twitter @simonthoumire
Facebook @simonthoumiremusic
Instagram @simonthoumire

Coilsfield House by Simon Thoumire and David McGuinness

I've started a new podcast on the Anchor.fm platform which means it is time to write a new theme tune! I'm very lucky to know some very talented musicians and piano player Ryan Corbett contributed some fabulous piano to this track. It's the best thing about it! You can listen to the podcast at https://anchor.fm/simon-thoumire

Simon Thoumire Podcast Theme Tune

Here's a wee experiment. This tune is featured in my latest vlog which you can watch here.

https://youtu.be/G2iyeKsYeRA

Concertina House

The Distil Showcase took place in Stirling Tolbooth on the 22nd March 2013. 9 traditional musicians were given the opportunity to compose music for Mr McFall's Chamber and these were the results. More information from www.distil.org.uk

Hamish Napier - Lament for John McGann

I am a folk musician who likes my music to bend round corners. If you like my music please support my Patreon http://www.patreon.com/simonthoumire

simonthoumire

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