大象传媒

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu Ch猫 Tormod D貌mhnallach. Dh鈥檉hoillsich e an leabhar Puirt-a-Beul: or Songs for Dancing as Practised from a Remote Antiquity by the Highlanders of Scotland ann an naoi ceud deug 鈥檚 a h-aon (1901).

听听听听听听听听听听听 An robh C猫 Tormod ceart? A bheil 辫耻颈谤迟-脿-产别耻濒 uabhasach sean? Tha e doirbh a bhith cinnteach. Bheir sinn s霉il air a鈥� cheist sin fhathast.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Brochan lom, tana, lom, brochan, lom s霉ghain鈥� A bheil sibh e貌lach air an 貌ran sin? Tha e anns a鈥� chruinneachadh aig C猫 Tormod D貌mhnallach. Bha mi a鈥� bruidhinn ri fear an-uiridh. Thuirt e gun robh aon 貌ran G脿idhlig aige bho 貌ige. Ach cha robh fios aige d猫 bha na faclan a鈥� ciallachadh. Agus ghabh e Brochan Lom. 鈥淚t means,鈥� thuirt mise ris, 鈥渂are, thin, bare gruel, bare sowans gruel.鈥� 鈥淎ha,鈥� ars鈥� esan, 鈥渋t鈥檚 a song of great philosophical depth, then!鈥�

听听听听听听听听听听听 Sin mar a tha m貌ran de phuirt-脿-beul. Chan eil iad a-mach air cuspairean m貌ra. Ach tha an ruitheam annta cudromach. Tha iad a鈥� d猫anamh iomradh air rudan a bha mar ph脿irt de bheatha nan G脿idheal 鈥� gaol, sealg, an 脿irigh, eilthireachd, gaisgeachd, n脿dar is mar sin air adhart. Tha na h-貌rain sin am measg nan rudan as 脿raidhe ann an saoghal na G脿idhlig.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Th脿inig eagran 霉r a-mach dhen leabhar aig C猫 Tormod am-bliadhna. Chaidh fhoillseachadh le Taigh na Teud anns an Eilean Sgitheanach. B鈥� e Uilleam Lamb an deasaiche. Sgr矛obh Lamb aiste inntinneach. Bha i mu phuirt-脿-beul 鈥� cuin agus carson a dh鈥櫭╥rich an stoidhle seinn seo?

听听听听听听听听听听听 Gu deireadh an t-siathamh linn deug, bha am facal port a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渇onn airson na cl脿rsaich鈥�. Ach chr矛on cluich na cl脿rsaich. An uair sin bha port a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渇onn-dannsaidh鈥�. Bha e air a chluich air ionnsramaid no air a sheinn leis a鈥� ghuth.

听听听听听听听听听听听 Tha d脿 bheachd-smuain air a bhith ann a thaobh t霉s 辫耻颈谤迟-脿-产别耻濒. 鈥橲 e a鈥� chiad t猫 gun do dh鈥櫭╥rich e air sg脿th Achd an Toirmisg 脿s d猫idh Bl脿r Chuil Lodair. 鈥橲 e an d脿rna t猫 gun do dh鈥櫭╥rich i an cois d霉sgadh anns an Eaglais anns an naoidheamh linn deug. Bheir sinn s霉il orra sin an-ath-sheachdain.

I was telling you about Keith Norman MacDonald. He published the book Puirt-a-Beul: or Songs for Dancing as Practised from a Remote Antiquity by the Highlanders of Scotland in 1901.

听听听听听听听 Was Keith Norman correct? Are 辫耻颈谤迟-脿-产别耻濒 very old? It鈥檚 difficult to be certain. We鈥檒l look at that question later.

听听听听听听听 Brochan lom, tana, lom, brochan, lom s霉ghain鈥� Do you know that song? It鈥檚 in Keith Norman MacDon-ald鈥檚 collection. I was speaking to a guy last year. He said that he knew [had] one Gaelic song from his childhood. But he didn鈥檛 know what the words meant. And he sang Brochan Lom. 鈥淚t means,鈥� I said to him, 鈥渂are, thin, bare gruel, bare sowans gruel.鈥� 鈥淎ha,鈥� ars鈥� esan, 鈥渋t鈥檚 a song of great philosophical depth, then!鈥�

听听听听听听听 That鈥檚 how many 辫耻颈谤迟-脿-产别耻濒 are. They鈥檙e not concerned with big subjects. But the rhythms in them are important. They make mention of things that were part of the life of the Gaels 鈥� love, hunting, the shieling, emigration, heroism, nature and so on. Those songs are among the most special [unique] things in the Gaelic world.

听听听听听听听 A new edition of Keith Norman鈥檚 book came out this year. It was published by Taigh na Teud on Skye. The editor was William Lamb. Lamb wrote an interesting essay. It was about 辫耻颈谤迟-脿-产别耻濒 鈥� when and why did this singing style come into being?

听听听听听听听 Up until the end of the sixteenth century, the word port meant 鈥渁 tune for the harp鈥�. But the playing of the harp diminished. Then port was meaning 鈥渁 dance tune鈥�. It was played on an instrument or sung with the voice.