Music in Scottish Castles and Country Houses

In many castles and country houses in Scotland there is evidence of a great deal of musical activity, with surviving instruments and collections of music, some of which are substantial. The scope of these collections found in domestic situations, especially in the north east of Scotland, is surprising in an area distant from major musical centres such as Edinburgh and Glasgow, and in a region not noted for its musical expertise. The music collections of the National Trust for Scotland's properties of Brodie, Drum and Fyvie Castles, and of Leith Hall, Castle Fraser, and Newhailes near Musselburgh, add up to something considerable, contributing to our knowledge of music and music making in landed families in Scotland at the turn of the nineteenth century.

From signatures on copies of music, and from other surviving artefacts such as letters and diaries, we are sometimes able to work out, or guess, which family members played what instruments, and who were singers. We see brothers and sisters exchanging music as presents, and favourite pieces being copied into manuscript books. These have often been made from printed sources, but there are some which are not found elsewhere and are not attributable, leading to the conclusion that they may have been composed by a family member. Some copies have added marks – fingerings, ornaments and corrections of wrong notes – often in pencil, but sometimes in ink. These additions raise questions about provenance. Who has added them and for what reasons? Have they been put in on a whim, or to make something more technically accessible? Or are these marks which, coming from a particular time, perhaps by a performer or tutor, might originate from a specific tradition, and could perhaps be a valuable addition to an historically informed performance? In cases where added ornaments have not been found elsewhere – such as in the copy of Handel Organ Concertos at Castle Fraser (an edition which was printed in the composer's lifetime) – are these perhaps all that now remains of what might have been a genuine oral transmission from Handel's own day?

The various fingerings that have been added, sometimes with profusion, are perhaps indications of much practice, and in the case of volumes at Newhailes suggest a specific school of piano playing in the early years of the nineteenth century. The number of stage-works at Brodie and Newhailes perhaps point to an inclination to dramatic presentations at those houses. The large number of songs at Castle Drum reflect the taste of two sisters – Beatrice Wood (b.1821) and Jane Christina (b.1825) – who lived at the house. The presence of so many well-thumbed piano duets, in volumes that came from Cameron House to Newhailes, is perhaps indicative of a series of lively musical gatherings. Volumes from the early nineteenth century reveal the presence of tutors, including one for voice by G. G. Ferrari, and several for piano by Corri, Logier and Czerny. This would seem to reflect a seriousness of intent about the learning of musical instruments.

These collections raise significant questions. Why are there so many full scores of the earliest standard edition of Handel's works, and such a collection of Warren's scatological Catches, Canons and Glees at Brodie Castle? Why are there so many quadrilles and waltzes at Newhailes? Why so many instrumental parts of eighteenth-century symphonies at Castle Fraser and at Drum, with a few at Newhailes? Why is there, generally, so little Scottish music? But at Brodie Castle, why is there a collection of most of the major works of the celebrated Scottish musicians, composers and fiddle players, Neil and Nathaniel Gow? These have been gathered together in two volumes with the address of a house close to London which does not appear to be mentioned otherwise in the collection. Who was the composer of a Concerto in g minor, and who composed the manuscript songs, at Newhailes?

What is the value of these collections? One of the answers lies in their very survival. Copies of works with well-worn page-turns, candle-grease spills, corrections, additions and comments – all are evidence of music which has been well used. Although many volumes have survived, some have certainly gone missing over the years. Individual pieces have disappeared, pages neatly removed, and numerical sequences of volumes as, for example, at Fyvie Castle, are no longer complete. But despite this, there is enough to tell a story of music in the life of the landed families in Scotland, and in particular in the North East. This story is complemented by other collections of music as held by, for example, the Aberdeen Musical Society, the libraries in the City and University of Aberdeen, and by emerging evidence from other places. If family letters and diaries help us understand our predecessors, are we able to share their inner world using music as 'a window on the soul'?

NB:  For a survey of the surviving musical instruments at NTS properties in the North East of Scotland go here.