Description
'Scottish Air' lasts 2 minutes 10 seconds and is a setting of my own words for four-part choir, S. A. T. B., with piano and flute accompaniment. If no flute is available, the piano part works perfectly well by itself, but is enhanced by the addition of the flute. Alternatively, the flute part could be played on a separate keyboard which has a synthetic flute sound.
This wistful folk song is about someone who is homesick for Scotland, his native land. He misses the Highland music, the mountains, the streams, and not least, the heather.
There are 3 verses. The key is F major with a brief modulation to the dominant at the end of the second phrase and a crescendo leading up to the high-pitched soprano line in verse one of, "Play piper, play". In the first half of verse 2, the men sing the melody, while the women harmonise above on "Ah" up to the highest point at the third phrase when the ladies take over the tune again on "Sing choir, sing". Verse 3 is similar to verse 1 in structure with a triumphant peak at "Ring bells, ring", as the traveller at last finds his way home.
The audio clip here is sung by the "Bel Canto" amateur choir of Macclesfield and includes verses 1 and 2 only.