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But who exactly was this Lady? Lady Margaret Wemyss (1630-c.1649) was the third of the eleven
children of David, second Earl of Wemyss (1610-1679) and his first wife Anna
Balfour, daughter of Robert, Lord Burley. Her name is particularly known for
the Lute Book that was discovered in the 1980s amongst the Sutherland family’s
papers. This book is now on loan to the National Library of Scotland.
Lady Margaret was born in Scotland at Falkland, the
residence of Lord Burley, on 24th September 1630 and died around 1648. Margaret
probably lived for the first part of her life at the Chapel of Wemyss, a manor
near Wemyss Castle, in Fife, Scotland and from 1639 at Wemyss Castle itself,
where her parents moved after the death of the first Earl.
Margaret's older sister Jean’s (1629-1717) second husband
was George Gordon, Lord Strathnaver, afterwards fourteenth Earl of Sutherland. Lady Margaret Wemyss's songbook probably came
into the possession of the Sutherland family through this sister. Jean appears
to have also been a lutenist and at the bottom of a piece of solo lute music,
Margaret has written, ‘all the Lesons behind this are learned out of my
sisteres book’. Jean's account book of
1650-54 lists musical instruments such as lutes and virginals.
The second folio of the book contains the inscription ‘A
booke Containing some pleasant ayres of Two, Three or fowre voices Collected
out of diverse Authors Begunne june 5 1643 Mris Margaret Weemys.’ The book
seems to have been started as a collection of songs, containing seventeen
English lute songs by Thomas Campion (1567-1620) and Thomas Morley (c.1557/58-1602).
The book continues with eight poems and a further nineteen poems at the end of
the book. Some of the poems are by well-known Scottish and English poets but
some are anonymous and possibly by Margaret herself.
The book also contains ninety one solo pieces for lute, some
of which are native Scottish tunes but there is also a substantial number that
are of French origin. Margaret is believed to have copied these works herself
but such is the poor notation that they pose serious problems for the
performer. Other sources have been used to correct the notation but others have
required serious editorial intervention.
Martin Eastwell www.martineastwell.com studied the
lute with Diana Poulton, and with Jakob Lindberg at the Royal College of Music.
His first solo recording, The Royal Lute,
appeared in 1991, and he has since played on recordings for BIS, EMI, Thames
Television and numerous other companies. In recent years he has performed as a
continuo player with many of the country's leading early music groups and
orchestras, including The Taverner Players, the English Baroque Soloists, the
Scottish Early Music Consort, and Red Campion. In 2001 he formed his own
ensemble, Lyra which has performed widely throughout the UK, and also performs
regularly with the mezzo soprano Deborah Catterall.
The disc opens with a captivating The day dawes in the morning played with such finesse and lovely
phrasing. Sinkapace has some lovely
runs over a stately theme in this very attractive piece, terrifically played.
Other highlights are the strange Almond
Goutier with its odd phrases (attributed to the French composer and
lutenist, Jaques Gaultier (c.1600-1652)), an attractive Current Lysabelle (attributed to Charles de Lespine (fl. c.1610)) with
rich harmonies, a bold General Lesly’s
Goodnight, a great piece with lovely sounds from the lute, and the quietly
attractive Lady Binnis Lilt. Tom of Bedlam is a great piece, full of
life with strong playing and terrific rhythms. The Spanish Pavin has a flowing melody with nicely pointed playing, a
lovely dancing Arie Curant, so
infectious, as is the playing and Almond
Goutier (again attributed to Jaques Gaultier) with beautiful sonorities
from the lute in this attractive piece.
I have to mention another piece, Almond Goutier (Old Gaultier’s Nightingale –attributed to Ennemond Gaultier (c.1575-1651)), an atmospheric piece
full of quiet charm with some lovely phrases from the lute, a gloriously played,
if brief sarabande (attributed to the
French singer, lutenist and composer Francois de Chancy (1600-1656)) and a
faltering love song I Never Knew I Loved
Thee with a decidedly Scottish folk music feel – quite captivating. Ruthven’s Lilt is lovely, a little gem
and the concluding The Flowers of the
Forest, a beautiful Scottish Ballade not from the Wemyss Lute Book but from
the earlier Rowallen Lute Book. It is a lament for the dead at the Battle of
Flodden Field amongst whose number was Lady Margaret’s ancestor, Sir David
Wemyss.
Martin Eastwell has added Preludes of his own to seven of
the groups of pieces on this disc. This seems to have been the practice in the
17th century though none appear in the Wemyss Lute Book. These
little preludes are so simple yet so right, seeming to pick out the essence of
other works.
There are so many finely played pieces on this disc that it
has been difficult to pick out those that are particularly attractive. Martin
Eastwell plays all these works with such style, panache and sensitivity.
A handful of these pieces have been recorded by Jakob
Lindberg on a BIS CD www.bis.se/index.php?op=album&aID=BIS-CD-201
of Lute Music from Scotland and France that pulls together extracts from a
number of lute books. Lindberg is a first rate lutenist but for all the merits
of his disc this new one, containing as it does forty five pieces from the Lute
Book of Lady Margaret Wemyss is a must for all enthusiasts of the lute.
Martin Eastwell is a mesmerising lutenist who brings out every
little nuance and detail from these often elusive works. The recording is
excellent and the notes, that include details of the instruments, are extremely
informative.
Interestingly Martin Eastwell will be performing live at The
Moot Hall, Hexham, Northumberland on 19th May 2013, Holywell Music
Room, Oxford on 16th June 2013 and Burgh House, Hampstead on 7th
July 2013 www.martineastwell.com/news
The mesmerizing performances of Lady Margaret Wemyss's lute book showcased in Music and Media are truly captivating. Professional book writing, like these performances, requires skill and dedication. The artistry displayed in this collection is inspiring, reflecting the depth and expertise needed to create compelling written works. It's a testament to the craft of storytelling across different mediums.
ReplyDeleteI listened lots Lady Margaret Wemyss music work and mostly when i fell low and they help me recover it. Her word directly hit's the hearts and melt the inner soul inside the human. I have listen many professional ghostwriter who wrote songs and they hit the same string's and i love this thing
ReplyDeleteLady Margaret Wemyss's lute book is shown in Music and Media, and the enthralling performances of it are really amazing. Just like these performances, The Amazon Book Publishing demands talent and commitment. This collection's artistic display is impressive, demonstrating the breadth and depth of knowledge required to produce powerful literary works. It is evidence of the skill of narrative across several media.
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