Published on:
06
June 2005
A music festival inspired by the discovery of two ancient burials will take place in Sauchie later this month.
The unearthing of the two kists at Marshill in 2003 received national attention and helped to raise local awareness of Alloa's early past. The first kist contained the well preserved remains of a Bronze Age woman, while the second contained a man's skeleton dating from c90 - 130AD , who became known as the Iron Age Warrior because he was buried with a sword, a spear and other high status possessions.
Inspired by this important archaeological discovery, Scottish History for All (Eachdraid Albannach), in partnership with Clackmannanshire Council, will be hosting Sounds of Our Ancestors - an Early Music Festival at Sauchie Hall to bring a flavour of Scotland's early musical culture to the Wee County.
SHFA secretary Carol Roscoe said: "The aim of the festival is to bring both the young and old together in a week of festivities, which should prove to be both educational as well as giving a better understanding of our rich heritage.
"I've had a sneak preview of some of the artists taking part and the music is just awesome and I'm sure it will prove popular with everyone."
The highlight of the festival will be a full-day event on Saturday 25th June, which will be preceded by a series of talks on a variety of related topics.
The centrepiece of this unique one-day event is a performance on the Deskford Carnyx (pictish war horn), where a reconstruction of the instrument will be played by musician John Kenny.
The Carnyx was a long Celtic trumpet made of beaten bronze and held vertically so that the sound travelled from more than three metres above the ground. The Carnyx was once common throughout much of Europe from about 200 BC to 200 AD, and the best surviving parts of the instrument were found at Deskford in the North East of Scotland in 1816. The instrument John Kenny plays is a replica, with the form of a wild boar's head at its end.
Sauchie Hall will also be filled with the sound of tribal drums from Clann an Drumma. This Glasgow-based band bring a thunderous approach to percussion. Their exciting, energetic and rhythmic music is in demand at events all over the world.
Also on Saturday's programme are sounds of ancient music from traditional craftsman Lindsay Porteous, as well as traditional music and dance from folk group Darloch with local fiddle player Dave Sinclair. The event will also include an illustrated talk from musicologist John Pursor entitled Sounds of our Ancestors with accompaniment from the Carnyx starting at 2pm.
Staff from the Scottish Crannog Centre will provide a living history workshop with food and drink from the Iron Age era.Inspired by underwater discoveries of Iron Age food remains from Loch Tay there will be a range of taste experiences on offer.
Carol added: "All the instruments will be introduced through workshop demonstrations in which everyone can become involved and find out more about the sounds our ancestors made. The day will culminate in an evening concert with a recital from John Kenny on the Carnyx called Mouthpiece of the Gods. At one point he will lead into tribal drums by Clann an Drumma, so both tribal drums and pictish war horn will meet, which should lift the roof off Sauchie Hall."
Councillor Brian Fearon, Convener of the Learning and Leisure Committee said: "I am delighted that the Council was able to offer financial support to this event, which will no doubt prove to be a highlight in the county's cultural calendar.
"Sounds of our Ancestors is a fascinating topic which is sure to inspire many people to delve into the area rich past."
Meanwhile local young people will be bringing 'the sounds of the ancients' into the 21st century through an innovative recording and mixing workshop at Alloa's CliCK Centre, with sound specialist Chris Wheeler.
After developing a career as one of London's hottest young DJs, Chris now runs his own digital production studio above the infamous 333 club in London, where he composes, records and mixes a wide variety of music, from beat-based sounds of the club to highly intricate electro-acoustic works. He will be running radio DJ workshops for 14-21 year olds at the state of the art CliCK learning centre in the centre of Alloa.
Three illustrated talks will be held in Sauchie Hall in the week prior to the Saturday festival, each starting at 7.30pm. On Monday 20th June, Dr. Simon Taylor, a specialist in Scottish place names, will present 'The Celts: from Ankara to Alloa'. Susan Mills, Museum and Heritage Development Officer, will speak on Wednesday 22nd June on 'What is an Iron Age Warrior doing in a Bronze Age Cemetery?'. Dr. Fraser Hunter's talk on Friday 24th June is entitled 'The sound of Celtic Music, Story of the Deskford Carnyx.' Dr Hunter is Head of Iron Age and Early Historic Section, Department of Archaeology, National Museums of Scotland.
Saturday's event kicks-off at 11am and tickets for during the day and for the evening concert are available from the Speirs Centre on 213131.
To reserve a place at one of the lectures please contact Carol Roscoe on 219945.