Scotland's traditional music is in many respects the essence
of its cultural identity. "Auld
Lang Syne", Robert
Burns's great song of fellowship, is sung on every continent
by many nations; the Gaelic
language is perhaps heard to best advantage through its
songs; and the sound of the bagpipes echoes around the globe
at times of ceremonial and celebration. Traditional music
has its contemporary stars who distinguish themselves in performance
and recorded output, showcasing at events such as Glasgow's
Celtic
Connections Festival each January.
The national opera company, Scottish
Opera, in 2003 gave 4 performances - including 2 at the
Edinburgh International
Festival - of Wagner's complete "Ring Cycle",
receiving overwhelming critical acclaim. Scotland also has
2 full-time world-class orchestras in the Royal
Scottish National Orchestra and the Scottish
Chamber Orchestra; a highly respected conservatoire in
the Royal
Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow; a
jazz orchestra; 2 specialist music schools; hot young
traditional music groups; cutting-edge contemporary music
chamber ensembles; contemporary composers of the stature of
James
MacMillan; creative performers of the stature of Tommy
Smith on jazz saxophone and Evelyn
Glennie on percussion; world-class recitalists and opera
singers; and a host of other smaller groups - musical societies,
promoters and ensembles in all disciplines and all styles,
right across the country.
The Scottish
Executive recently announced investment of £17.5
million for the Scottish
Arts Council to work with local authorities to make individual
instrumental teaching accessible to all primary schoolchildren.
A new and even more diverse generation of musicians is waiting
in the wings!
Here
are some of the major organisations involved with Music
in Scotland…
• Scottish
Arts Council
The Scottish Arts Council gives priority “…to
building support for areas of music that have been less
well-represented, whilst continuing our support for those
already established.”
• Scottish
Music Centre (SMC)
“SMC is home to the most comprehensive and wide-ranging
collection of Scottish music, including over 15,000 scores,
over 3000 recordings, as well as hundreds of books, magazines,
journals and other related materials such as concert programmes,
photographs and press cuttings.”
• Scottish
Opera
“Scottish Opera not only delivers main scale performances
in established venues in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and
Inverness but tours smaller scale performances… The
company's educational unit, Scottish Opera for All, also
works extensively in the community throughout the country.”
• Royal
Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD)
“The mission of the RSAMD is to produce musicians,
actors and other professionals in music and drama well equipped
to pursue a diversity of careers at a national and international
level.”
• The
Piping Centre
"A national and international
centre of excellence, not only for the Highland pipe but
also Scottish Smallpipes, Uillean Pipes, Fiddle, Accordian
and Drumming".
Within Scotland’s Culture, music topics are arranged
in categories as listed below. Where a category contains
many different aspects, it is then split up to make searching
easier.
For example:
• Bagpipes and pipe bands
• Brass bands
• Choirs and vocal groups
• Classical music
• Music Collections
• Music Events
• Music Festivals
• Rock Music
• Traditional music
Browse Scotland’s Culture
for music
resources.
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