387: Keith Norman MacDonald and Puirt-à-Beul (2) 387: Cè Tormod Dòmhnallach agus Puirt-à-Beul (2)
Litir shìmplidh sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is eadar-theangachadh. A simple weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and translation.
Tha an litir bheag ag obrachadh leis an fhaclair. Tagh an taba ‘teacsa Gàidhlig’ agus tagh facal sam bith san teacsa agus fosglaidh am faclair ann an taba ùr agus bidh mìneachadh den fhacal ann. The little letter is integrated with the dictionary. Select the tab ‘Gaelic text’ and choose any word and the dictionary will open and you will see the English explanation of the Gaelic word.
Cè Tormod Dòmhnallach agus Puirt-à-Beul (2)
Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu Chè Tormod Dòmhnallach. Dh’fhoillsich 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 ’s a h-aon (1901).
An robh Cè Tormod ceart? A bheil puirt-à-beul uabhasach sean? Tha e doirbh a bhith cinnteach. Bheir sinn sùil air a’ cheist sin fhathast.
Brochan lom, tana, lom, brochan, lom sùghain… A bheil sibh eòlach air an òran sin? Tha e anns a’ chruinneachadh aig Cè Tormod Dòmhnallach. Bha mi a’ bruidhinn ri fear an-uiridh. Thuirt e gun robh aon òran Gàidhlig aige bho òige. Ach cha robh fios aige dè bha na faclan a’ ciallachadh. Agus ghabh e Brochan Lom. “It means,” thuirt mise ris, “bare, thin, bare gruel, bare sowans gruel.” “Aha,” ars’ esan, “it’s a song of great philosophical depth, then!”
Sin mar a tha mòran de phuirt-à-beul. Chan eil iad a-mach air cuspairean mòra. Ach tha an ruitheam annta cudromach. Tha iad a’ dèanamh iomradh air rudan a bha mar phàirt de bheatha nan Gàidheal – gaol, sealg, an àirigh, eilthireachd, gaisgeachd, nàdar is mar sin air adhart. Tha na h-òrain sin am measg nan rudan as àraidhe ann an saoghal na Gàidhlig.
Thàinig eagran ùr a-mach dhen leabhar aig Cè Tormod am-bliadhna. Chaidh fhoillseachadh le Taigh na Teud anns an Eilean Sgitheanach. B’ e Uilleam Lamb an deasaiche. Sgrìobh Lamb aiste inntinneach. Bha i mu phuirt-à-beul – cuin agus carson a dh’èirich an stoidhle seinn seo?
Gu deireadh an t-siathamh linn deug, bha am facal port a’ ciallachadh “fonn airson na clàrsaich”. Ach chrìon cluich na clàrsaich. An uair sin bha port a’ ciallachadh “fonn-dannsaidh”. Bha e air a chluich air ionnsramaid no air a sheinn leis a’ ghuth.
Tha dà bheachd-smuain air a bhith ann a thaobh tùs phort-à-beul. ’S e a’ chiad tè gun do dh’èirich e air sgàth Achd an Toirmisg às dèidh Blàr Chùil Lodair. ’S e an dàrna tè gun do dh’èirich e an cois dùsgadh anns an Eaglais anns an naoidheamh linn deug. Bheir sinn sùil orra sin an-ath-sheachdain.
Keith Norman MacDonald and Puirt-à-Beul (2)
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.
Was Keith Norman correct? Are puirt-à-beul very old? It’s difficult to be certain. We’ll look at that question later.
Brochan lom, tana, lom, brochan, lom sùghain… Do you know that song? It’s in Keith Norman MacDonald’s collection. I was speaking to a guy last year. He said that he knew [had] one Gaelic song from his childhood. But he didn’t know what the words meant. And he sang Brochan Lom. “It means,” I said to him, “bare, thin, bare gruel, bare sowans gruel.” “Aha,” ars’ esan, “it’s a song of great philosophical depth, then!”
That’s how many puirt-à-beul are. They’re 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 – love, hunting, the shieling, emigration, heroism, nature and so on. Those songs are among the most special [unique] things in the Gaelic world.
A new edition of Keith Norman’s 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 puirt-à-beul – when and why did this singing style come into being?
Up until the end of the sixteenth century, the word port meant “a tune for the harp”. But the playing of the harp diminished. Then port was meaning “a dance tune”. It was played on an instrument or sung with the voice.
Two ideas have been extant about the origins of puirt-à-beul. The first one is that it arose because of the Act of Proscription after the Battle of Culloden. The second is that it arose along with an awakening [rise in evangelism] in the Church in the 19th Century. We’ll look at those next week.
Cè Tormod Dòmhnallach agus Puirt-à-Beul (2)
Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu Chè Tormod Dòmhnallach. Dh’fhoillsich 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 ’s a h-aon (1901).
An robh Cè Tormod ceart? A bheil puirt-à-beul uabhasach sean? Tha e doirbh a bhith cinnteach. Bheir sinn sùil air a’ cheist sin fhathast.
Brochan lom, tana, lom, brochan, lom sùghain… A bheil sibh eòlach air an òran sin? Tha e anns a’ chruinneachadh aig Cè Tormod Dòmhnallach. Bha mi a’ bruidhinn ri fear an-uiridh. Thuirt e gun robh aon òran Gàidhlig aige bho òige. Ach cha robh fios aige dè bha na faclan a’ ciallachadh. Agus ghabh e Brochan Lom. “It means,” thuirt mise ris, “bare, thin, bare gruel, bare sowans gruel.” “Aha,” ars’ esan, “it’s a song of great philosophical depth, then!”
Sin mar a tha mòran de phuirt-à-beul. Chan eil iad a-mach air cuspairean mòra. Ach tha an ruitheam annta cudromach. Tha iad a’ dèanamh iomradh air rudan a bha mar phàirt de bheatha nan Gàidheal – gaol, sealg, an àirigh, eilthireachd, gaisgeachd, nàdar is mar sin air adhart. Tha na h-òrain sin am measg nan rudan as àraidhe ann an saoghal na Gàidhlig.
Thàinig eagran ùr a-mach dhen leabhar aig Cè Tormod am-bliadhna. Chaidh fhoillseachadh le Taigh na Teud anns an Eilean Sgitheanach. B’ e Uilleam Lamb an deasaiche. Sgrìobh Lamb aiste inntinneach. Bha i mu phuirt-à-beul – cuin agus carson a dh’èirich an stoidhle seinn seo?
Gu deireadh an t-siathamh linn deug, bha am facal port a’ ciallachadh “fonn airson na clàrsaich”. Ach chrìon cluich na clàrsaich. An uair sin bha port a’ ciallachadh “fonn-dannsaidh”. Bha e air a chluich air ionnsramaid no air a sheinn leis a’ ghuth.
Tha dà bheachd-smuain air a bhith ann a thaobh tùs phort-à-beul. ’S e a’ chiad tè gun do dh’èirich e air sgàth Achd an Toirmisg às dèidh Blàr Chùil Lodair. ’S e an dàrna tè gun do dh’èirich e an cois dùsgadh anns an Eaglais anns an naoidheamh linn deug. Bheir sinn sùil orra sin an-ath-sheachdain.
Download the text of this week's letter as a PDF:Thoir a-nuas Litir mar PDF:
PDF documents are especially suited for printing out. Most computers can open PDF files, but if you have problems viewing them you may need to install reader software such as Tha faidhleachan PDF gu sònraichte math airson clò-bhualadh. Tha e furasta gu leòr do chuid de choimpiutairean faidhleachan PDF fhosgladh, ach ma tha trioblaid agad ‘s dòcha gum biodh e feumail bathar-bog mar Adobe Acrobat Reader. fhaighinn.
Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh
This letter corresponds to Tha an Litir seo a’ buntainn ri Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh 691
Podcast
BBC offers this litir as a podcast: Visit the programme page for more info and to download or subscribe. Tha am BBC a’ tabhainn seo mar podcast. Tadhail air an duilleag-phrògraim airson barrachd fiosrachaidh no airson podcast fhaighinn