Full of the Highland Humours 18th century music inspired by Scotland

Full of the Highland Humours is a splendid exploration of works written by Scottish composers such as James Oswald and Thomas Erskine. In addition, several pieces are featured by English and Continental instrumentalists, who were inspired by traditional Scottish music. These include Henry Playford, Giuseppe Sammartini and Francesco Geminiani. This is the debut album by the gifted and exciting London-based Ensemble Hesperi. In this CD they highlight “the infectious charm and dazzling virtuosity of eighteenth century Scottish music.”

I guess that present day listeners will be largely unaware of the popularity and success of Scottish music in the 18^th century London scene. It would require some considerable study to begin to understand the perceptions that a metropolitan audience had of Scotland at that time. That period saw the two failed Jacobite rebellions, with the country being “pacified” after 1745. Culture was a two way traffic. English mores headed North, and things Scottish were discovered in London, and elsewhere, including abroad.

Firstly, I listened to the “continental” composers. Francesco Geminiani hailed from Lucca in Italy, Nicola Matteis, violinist and guitarist was (probably) born in Naples, and Giuseppe Sammartini was from Milan. All three came to London and spent much of their careers there. They were all influenced by Scottish music and absorbed stylistic elements of the Caledonian muse into their own works. That said, just how Scottish (as opposed to displaying Italian virtuosity) is Sammartini’s Trio Sonata No.6? I wonder… It opens with a pensive adagio and concludes with a dazzling display of recorder pyrotechnics. The middle movements feature a robust allegro and a harmonically rich Largo. This sonata is scored for recorder, violin and continuo. Despite his Italian background Geminiani’s The Last Time I came o’er the Moor does exude a deliberately Scottish mood.

But things worked in the other direction too. Scottish composers headed down to London, conscious of opportunities that this new Caledonian popularity presented. These included James Oswald, a dancing master from Dunfermline who flitted to London to become a composer, publisher, teacher and impresario. The successful Edinburgh music publisher, Robert Bremner, moved to the Capital in 1762, to open a shop in the Strand. Thomas Erskine, Earl of Kellie was an instrumentalist and composer who visited London, had considerable success there, but returned to his hometown of Edinburgh. His lifestyle was “dissolute” and would make an entertaining subject for a mischievous novel.

Finally, Englishman Henry Playford published what was probably the first collection of Scottish music in London - A Collection of Original Scotch Tunes: Full of the Highland Humours. This volume gives the title to the present CD.

Highlights for me include Robert Bremner’s vibrant harpsichord solo Maggie Lauder, so well played here by Thomas Allery. Henry Playford’s two short melodies for solo recorder are particularly poignant: Peggy’s the Prettiest and My Lady Hope’s Scotch Measure. I guess the composer that appealed to me the most here is James Oswald. Several examples are given from his Airs for the seasons. The recital opens with the plaintive The Poppy evoking summer. Equally introspective is the beautiful Autumn Air, The Sweet Sultan with its three sections concluding with a vigorous hornpipe. Springtime brings forth The Ranunculus (buttercup) which begins to bloom as the days get warmer. The Cyclamen reflects winter with its four contrasting sections presenting a chilled mood.

Thomas Erskine’s Sonata IV from his Six Sonatas for two violins and bass, is the longest individual work on this album. Alan Cooper in a review for the British Music Society has suggested that once again this seems to owe more to the Italian tradition than to the Scottish. The reason could be that Arcangelo Corelli was popular at that time in Edinburgh. It is played here with the recorder substituted for one of the violins.

Finally, note the outrageously politically incorrect title of the final track. Bremner has based this short number on a “raucous tune” which delivers some “spirited and humorous variations in a timeless Scots fiddle style.”

As expected from EM Records, the sound quality is ideal. Every note and phrase is clearly delineated. The listener genuinely feels that they are present in the recital room. Equally impressive are the liner notes. Brief biographies of each composer are given in alphabetical order. This is followed by an essay length dissertation on the music. These notes were compiled by Mary-Jannet Leith, the ensemble’s recorderist. One thought: I do wish that the track listing gave the instrumentation of each piece. The cover picture is by Em Marshall and may be “somewhere” in Scotland.

This is repertoire with which I am unfamiliar. I have not heard any other recordings of this music: I do not know to what extent they exist. My overall impression is of the sheer delight and pleasure being communicated to the listener by this exceptionally talented ensemble. I enjoyed every note.

Track Listing:
James Oswald (1710–1769)
The Airs for Summer (1755-56): The Poppy
Giuseppe Sammartini (1695–1750)
Twelve Trio Sonatas for Two German Flutes or Violins (1727): Sonata VI
Nicola Matteis (?–c. 1713)
Other Ayres and Pieces for the violin, bass viol and harpsichord, The Fourth Part (c.1685): Ground After the Scotch Humour
James Oswald
The Airs for Autumn (1755-56): The Sweet Sultan: Siciliana
A Curious Collection of Scots Tunes (1740): Alloway House
Thomas Erskine, Earl of Kellie (1732–1781)
Six Sonatas for two violins and bass: Sonata IV (1769)
James Oswald
The Airs for Spring (1755-56): The Ranunculus
A Curious Collection of Scots Tunes: A Sonata on Scots Tunes (1740): O Mother, what shall I do? Ettrick Banks; She Rose and let me in; Cromlit’s Lilt; Polwart on the Green
Henry Playford (1657–1709)
A Collection of Original Scotch Tunes: Full of the Highland Humours (1700): Peggy’s the Prettiest - My Lady Hope’s Scotch Measure
James Oswald
The Airs for Winter (1755-56): The Cyclamen
Robert Bremner (c.1713–1789)
A Harpsichord or Spinnet Miscellany (1760): Maggie Lauder
Francesco Geminiani (1687–1762)
A Treatise of Good Taste in The Art of Musick Sonata III: The Last Time I came o’er the Moor (1749)
Robert Bremner
A Curious Collection of Scots Tunes with Variations (1759): Hit Her on The Bum
Ensemble Hesperi: Mary-Jannet Leith (recorders), Magdalena Loth-Hill (baroque violin) Florence Petit (baroque cello), Thomas Allery (harpsichord).
rec. 25-27 May 2021 at St John the Evangelist Church, Oxford.
EM RECORDS EMR CD074

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.