inTUNE – Page 11 – Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra

A trip on the RMS Queen Mary!

The story of the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary is one whose length and grandeur nearly rivals that of the ship herself. On the day she was unveiled to the world, King George V of England proclaimed enthusiastically that “Today we come to the happy task of sending on her way the stateliest ship now in being. It has been the nation’s will that she should be completed, and today we can send her forth no longer a number on the books, but a ship with a name in the world, alive with beauty, energy and strength! May her life among great waters spread friendship among the nations!”

The RMS Queen Mary sailed as a vessel of the Cunard Cruise Line from 1936 to 1967, a proud ocean liner that sped across the waves to deliver passengers from England to New York and back again. She held a nautical speed record unbroken for fourteen consecutive years, and after a lifetime of successful jaunts across the Atlantic now sits permanently moored as a historic hotel and tourist attraction in Long Beach California. Not a bad retirement for one whose career was as busy and exciting as that of the RMS Queen Mary. But what was it really like living aboard this luxurious cruise ship during her heyday? What were the amenities, what cuisine were passengers treated to, and what sorts of dignitaries and celebrities graced the deck of that mighty vessel?

Those brilliant individuals responsible for the Queen Mary’s construction spared no expense in outfitting her with every amenity passengers of the day might require. Advertisements from the thirties proudly boast of the liner’s features, which included “two indoor swimming pools, beauty salons, libraries and children’s nurseries for all three classes, a music studio and lecture hall, telephone connectivity to anywhere in the world, outdoor paddle tennis courts and dog kennels.” Many of the public rooms on board were air-conditioned, and it was rumored that the cabin-class swimming pool spanned over two decks in height! The ship itself boasted a massive cargo storage which accommodated scores of automotive vehicles, towered three stories in height, and was the first of its kind to be equipped with a Jewish prayer room.

Cruising the oceans can produce in a person the most ferocious appetite, so its no surprise that Cunard sent world-class chefs aboard the RMS Queen Mary to prepare the finest delicacies for patrons to enjoy at breakfast, luncheon, and dinner alike. Had you been aboard the ship on June 6th, 1952, your breakfast options would have included Apples, Oranges, Stewed Figs, and assorted fruit juices. Eggs (Fried, Turned, Boiled, or Scrambled) accompanied by Broiled Breakfast Bacon and Home-made Brawn were followed by Buckwheat and Griddle Cakes drenched in Maple and Golden Syrup. Passengers were invited to partake of Soda Scones and a variety of coffees, as well as heavenly slices of Hovis Bread.

Starving passengers at lunch time on December 26th, 1940 were served Consomme Chiffonade, Potage Chesterfield, and hearty Beefsteak and Kidney Pie. Others dined upon Broiled Haddock with Sauce Robert, Baked Jacket and French-Fried Potatoes, and topped it off with a mouth-watering Sago Custard Pudding. Children on board (in addition to the menu items above) were given ample helpings of Ice Cream and Wafers as a special treat. But what of dinner? On August 8th, 1937, passengers of the Queen Mary who fancied an evening bite to eat tucked into Honey Dew Melon Frappe, Herrings a la Tomate, Byron Salmon, and Chicken Halibut with Sauce Victoria. Still others dined on Roast Quarters of Lamb with Mint Sauce, Sweetbread Croquettes St. Cloud, and Egg Plant Lyonnaise. No matter what era you spent aboard the RMS Queen Mary, you were always treated to the finest cuisine possible.

In the three years following her maiden voyage, word of the grand passenger experiences aboard the RMS Queen Mary quickly reached the ears of celebrities and royalty alike. Actor/comedian Bob hope and actor/dancer Fred Astaire both took a voyage aboard the RMS Queen Mary in 1939, and were followed soon after by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. It is maintained that he signed the D-Day Declaration while onboard, and considered the ship his “headquarters while at sea.” Nowadays, the Queen Mary hotel’s restaurant, Sir Winston’s is named after that famous dignitary (as is one of their luxury rooms, the Churchill Suite).

Singer Bing Crosby traveled overseas with the U.S.O aboard the RMS Queen Mary to boost troop morale during World War II, and Dwight Eisenhower sailed with his wife on the luxury liner on September 27th, 1946. Both Elizabeth Taylor and Clark Gable made the list of famous figures to grace the deck, with the former making outrageous demands in 1947 on behalf of her two poodles, and the latter delaying departure time by nearly 20 minutes in 1948 to bid adieu to his love interest who was a passenger. The then Duke & Duchess of Windsor (Edward VII & Wallis Simpson) used the ship for travel quite frequently and referred to the vessel as “their ship”. Edward VII’s mother was the namesake of the ship after all! The couple’s favorite room, M58 on the Main Deck, was renovated and is now referred to as the Windsor Suite. Their voyage in 1948 saw them bring 120 pieces of luggage on board along with their dogs.

In 1953, the actress Greta Garbo decided to return home from a trip abroad in Europe using the RMS Queen Mary, and the following year the deck was graced by The Queen Mother herself. 1957 saw Breakfast at Tiffany’s star Audrey Hepburn travel aboard the vessel with her husband Mel Ferrer on their way to Europe for round two of a honeymoon. The RMS Queen Mary’s final claim to having a brush with fame came ten years later, when Lynne Redgrave (the sister of actress Vanessa Redgrave) took part in the ship’s final voyage to California. After a lifetime of dutiful service, it was decided that the RMS Queen Mary would live out the rest of her days in style. She entertains famous persons from across the globe to this day, and the dock at which she is permanently moored is protected indefinitely as a world heritage site. We salute you, RMS Queen Mary!

Copland’s Quiet City

A composition for trumpet, English Horn, and string orchestra, Aaron Copland’s “Quiet City” took the composer two years to write before it could be pronounced complete. Receiving its premiere on January 28, 1941, the piece was performed by conductor Daniel Saidenberg and his Saidenberg Little Symphony in New York City. However, this was not the official debut of “Quiet City” as a musical entity, nor was it the first iteration penned by Copland. The truth about this classic American composition would not surface for another seventy years.

In its original form, Copland’s “Quiet City” served as incidental music for playwright Irwin Shaw’s play of the same name. As the play was a besieged by incredible bad luck (it was regarded as a flop and consequently never ran past previews), Copland quietly buried his original score for trumpet, saxophone, clarinets and piano until he could resurrect it in a completely re-orchestrated form. It is speculated that Copland, trusting that his score had potential, wanted to distance his composition from being associated with the disastrous Shaw production. Copland had written a letter to a friend, the composer Virgil Thomson, around this time stating bleakly that “My career in the theater has been a flop.”

Copland himself maintained in his autobiography that this original version of “Quiet City” was “an attempt to mirror the troubled main character of Irwin Shaw’s play”, who had chosen to reject his religious and artistic convictions by changing his name, vocation, and marrying for money. His conscience does not rest, however, and the man is plagued by the memory of his brother’s trumpet playing, a sonic recollection which refuses to silence itself as the man pursues a life of outward happiness and material wealth. Copland continues, remarking that “Quiet City seems to have become a musical entity, superseding the original reasons for its composition…”. Indeed, the modern listener does not require the original context of Shaw’s play to appreciate the richly textured night life of Copland’s musical New York.

But while Copland acknowledged the score’s original form and purpose, the existence of said original could not be proven to have existed without the discovery of a physical proof. That manuscript was unearthed by saxophonist and composer Christopher Brellochs in 2011, and he refused to rest until the original version of Copland’s Quiet City was recorded and debuted for the world. As he pursued his doctoral studies at Rutgers University, Brellochs had been searching for dissertation topics with an advisor, Paul Cohen. When Paul recalled that he had in his possession a copy of an old Copland score, one which had been given to him by an acquaintance at the Library of Congress, Brelloch knew precisely what topic his dissertation would cover. In Cohen’s words, the original score “had been collecting dust for years”, and it included new melodies which admirers of Copland’s music would never likely have heard had they not attended the handful of preview performances that Shaw’s play was able to withstand before folding entirely.

The delicate pulsating tones of the trumpet and English Horn solos certainly paint a formidable picture of New York, with all its evening grandeur. Copland weaves what Brellochs refers to as “a goldmine of wonderful themes and melodies” throughout, a thoughtful musical commentary on the life of a city that is internationally renowned as never sleeping. While the original score may have explored the world of this failed play in greater detail, Copland more than makes up for lost context with a perfectly distilled masterpiece. In every painted street-corner, every dimly-lit lamppost, and every dusky skyscraper, Copland captured the heart of New York and enshrined it in his “Quiet City” for all time.

Sibelius’ Suite Mignonne

Regarding Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’s fascination with nature, his biographer, Tawaststjerna famously wrote that “even by Nordic standards, Sibelius responded with exceptional intensity to the moods of nature and the changes in the seasons: he scanned the skies with his binoculars for the geese flying over the lake ice, listened to the screech of the cranes, and heard the cries of the curlew echo over the marshy grounds just below Ainola. He savoured the spring blossoms every bit as much as he did autumnal scents and colors.” Such a sentiment is echoed by no piece of Sibelius’ more than his Suite Mignonne, originally scored for two flutes and string orchestra.

The first movement of the suite, entitled “Petite Scene” opens with a theme of a delightful hesitancy, and short dance-like passages weave their way between effectively placed moments of stillness. The effect conjured is not entirely dissimilar to watching a small bird flit and hop its way through overgrown patches of marshland. The brilliance of this movement lies in its ability to convey the refreshing breezes of the open country air while seamlessly transitioning into the following movement, “Polka”.

The second movement of the Mignonne Suite truly captures the essence of its namesake, for “mignonne” is French for “daintily small” or “delicate” depending on the context in which it is used. As the birds from movement one grow chattier and bolder in nature, the melody becomes increasingly fixated on their pizzicato chirping. Sibelius’ writing for the cello in this section is quite challenging, as the part they play is very exposed and requires each cellist to create a contrasting texture for the lines of those who are bringing the “birds” to life.

Sibelius gave his son-in-law (the cellist Jussi Jalas) some directions for maximizing his expressive efficiency when performing this suite. The composer was insistent that “there should be a brief pause before the last eight bars of the first movement” and that “the Polka should be played slowly and without excessive stretto at the end.” He advised young Jussi that the suite’s final movement “should be rhythmically straight, without ritardando.”

And does this “Epilogue” ever fly without ritardando! The birds take to the sky, one by one, and the perfectly timed pauses in the string section work to effectively build excitement. A dream-like passage focuses our attention on the hazy clouds above the marshland before we are thrown once again (if only briefly) into the busy and joyful world of our avian friends. This “Epilogue” functions as a partial recapitulation of the “Petite Scene” to perfectly frame the lighthearted Polka. Sibelius’ romantic appraisal of the great outdoors is alive in his music, and it speaks to us in every season we can gaze out from our windows (be they frosted or smattered with rain) to see birds on the wing.

Elgar’s Serenade for Strings

Edward Elgar’s Op.20 “Serenade for Strings” was written in March of 1892 and was first performed by the Worcester Ladies’ Orchestral class later that year. Musicologists posit that this enduringly popular offering from Elgar was written in an earlier period of the composer’s life, and that it is older even than his Wand of Youth suites. The assertion that the Serenade for Strings is a reworking of an earlier work is given credibility mainly by the characteristics of young Elgar’s compositional style which make it up: there is a youthful charm supported by a bedrock of ingenious musical machinations and textures. A lifelong perfectionist, it has been rumored that “Serenade for Strings” was one of the first pieces with which Elgar “professed [him]self truly satisfied.”

The Serenade itself is set in E minor, utilizes a string orchestra as its musical vehicle, and is separated into three short movements: “Allegro Piacevole”, “Larghetto”, and “Allegretto”. A musical landscape of hills and valleys emerges as we hear the first movement sing out its compelling central theme. The rhythmic figure of this movement is characterized by a wind-blown momentum which propels one’s musical expectations towards the opening of the Larghetto.

Easily the most mature movement of the three, the brilliance of the Larghetto rests in its simple grandeur, and the subtle ways Elgar shifts tonalities to illustrate several distinct and intimate moment of warmth. It was the stylistic qualities of the Larghetto which signaled to music historians and researchers that this work had existed in a previous iteration. Although lamentably brief in terms of duration, this movement remains one of the most popular pieces of musical writing Elgar ever committed to paper.

The final movement of this piece (Allegretto) develops a melody which possesses a great sense of yearning and is unashamed of its romantic character. The violin comes alive in this movement, its song gifted points of luminous emotional expressivity by Elgar’s sensitive compositional insight. Beginning in 12/8 time, the measure alters to 6/8 near the movement’s conclusion in order to signal the reappearance of the Allegro Piacevole’s main theme.

Elgar dedicated his “Serenade for Strings” to an acquaintance of his, the organ builder and amateur musician Edward W. Whinfield. “Serenade for Strings” received its first public performance in Antwerp, Belgium on 21 July 1896. Although Edward Elgar felt for much of his life an outcast, there is no doubt that his Serenade for Strings represents an early triumph in a series of well-deserved compositional victories. Not unlike a sunset viewed from aboard a transatlantic cruise, Edward Elgar’s “Serenade for Strings” paints the mind of the beholder with touching shades of pink, orange, and gold.

Watch Party Ideas for Dublin!

Our musical adventures take us to Ireland – one of the warmest, most welcoming places in the world…as they say everyone wants to be Irish!

As people have been enjoying the SSO from home, we’ve been thrilled to see all of the watch parties you’re creating to enjoy the experience…and we’re sure that A Night in Dublin gives you all sorts of ideas from stew to green beer to Baileys!

So here’s our ideas for making the best of your night in for the SSO!

The Food!

There’s nothing quite so delicious as a home-cooked Irish country-style meal. Be sure to bring plenty of appetite for these staples of old-fashioned Irish cuisine.

We’re thrilled that O’Shea’s is helping us bring an authentic Irish meal to you, but if you want to give a go at making it yourself there is a lot of options for great Irish dishes.

You could try your hand at Champ, or a Shepherd’s Pie, or how about Gammon with Parsley Sauce, maybe even Colcannon!

But you can also dig into the quintessential Irish meal – a stew.

Nothing speaks comfort like a good beef stew. Variations of beef stew are found around the world and a few famous examples include France’s Boeuf Bourgignon, Hungary’s Goulash, and Belgium’s Carbonnade à la Flamande. For the Irish Stew let’s look at making a Guinness Beef Stew.

Nothing speaks comfort like a good beef stew. Variations of beef stew are found around the world and a few famous examples include F
As its name suggests, what sets Ireland’s beef stew apart from others is its inclusion of Guinness stout. The alcohol is evaporated as the simmers low and slow and you’re left with a deep and robust flavor with fork-tender beef, waxy potatoes and the sweetness of parsnips and carrots.

Beef & Guinness Stew is easy but there are a couple of steps that are absolutely imperative for the flavor. First and foremost: Brown the beef! Don’t be impatient and skip this step. It’s crucial. So take the time to brown the beef in batches, every last piece. Once you’ve done the browning followed by briefly sauteing the vegetables, you can transfer everything to a slow cooker if you prefer.

The other thing is this: Don’t throw out the browned beef bits in the bottom of the pan! That’s where a ton of the flavor is, caked onto the bottom of the pan. Leave it and deglaze (scrap off the browned bits) when you add the Guinness. If you follow those two steps and the rest of the recipe as follows, you’re going to have one amazing Irish Beef and Guinness Stew!

LET’S GET STARTED!

There’s no need to buy an expensive cut of beef for a beef stew that’s going to simmer for a long time. Get an inexpensive, well-marbled cut. You can ever go wrong with a chuck roast (what I’m using here).

Cut the beef across the grain into into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle with some salt, pepper and the flour and toss to coat the pieces. Set aside.

NEXT: Fry the bacon in a Dutch oven or heavy pot until done then remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon drippings in the pan. (I’m using this Le Creuset Dutch oven but nearly as often use my Lodge Dutch oven which is a fraction of the cost.)

Working in batches and being careful not to overcrowd the pieces, generously brown the beef on all sides.

NEXT: Transfer the beef to a plate and repeat until all the beef is browned. Don’t wash out the pot when you’re done, leave the blackened bits on the bottom of the pot (that’s where a ton of flavor be!).

And then: Add the onions and fry them, adding more oil if necessary, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes.

**At this point you can transfer everything to a slow cooker if you prefer. Follow the remaining steps and then cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours**

Add the Guinness and bring it to a rapid boil, deglazing the bottom of the pot (scraping up the browned bits on the bottom). Boil for 2 minutes.
Return the beef and bacon to the pot along with the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Dish up the stew and enjoy it hot with some crusty country bread or Irish soda bread!

Take a picture of your stew and tag us on social media!

You could also try your hand at Cockles and Mussels! (we’re playing Molly Malone as part of the concert, so it does seem like a good choice!)

What to Drink!

Now. This is a loaded discussion topic.
Guinness is the drink that reigns supreme in Ireland. The dark dry stout dates back to 1759 where its brewing started in Dublin at St James’ Gate with its founder Arthur Guinness. If you ever get to Dublin, you have to take the tour of the brewery – it is a must see on your trip there!

We know that while Guinness is the ultimate Dublin thirst quencher, not everyone can hold their Guinness!

Thankfully Ireland has a wealth of beers that are available here at pretty much any liquor store, and there are a number of local stouts as well!

You should also pick out an Irish Whiskey or two!
Many have fought over which is the best Irish Whiskey…and we wonder why bother picking when you can enjoy them all in time.

End you evening with some Bailey’s on ice. There are all sorts of ways to enjoy an Irish Creme, but nothing beats enjoying it uninterrupted, silky and smooth like the SSO’s strings!

We hope you have a great night with the SSO in Dublin!

Catching up with Kim de Laforest

When Kim de Laforest last joined the SSO as a soloist, she brought the house down – and when you hear her fiddling you’ll know why! But Kim is a versatile artist who often plays within the SSO as well. So it’s a treat to have our friend Kim join us for A Night in Dublin.

We took some time to catch up with Kim ahead of this week’s performance!

SSO: What aspects of Celtic music as a genre inspire you most?

Kim: Growing up in Regina, I listened to a lot of classical music or prairie old time fiddle music (or 80’s pop!). I wasn’t really exposed to any Celtic music until I was in university.

When I heard Alasdair Fraser’s fiddling…and Mary Black’s singing…I felt like I’d found my heart’s music! The sounds, the ornaments, the drive all drew me in immediately.

My Grandpa was a singer who grew up in Wales, so I feel that this part of me comes from him…it’s a very special connection.

SSO: The fiddle is such an integral part of what makes Celtic music come alive. How do you feel your experiences as a fiddler have informed your work as a violinist, and vice versa?

Kim: This is a great question!

I encourage all of my students to play a wide variety of styles…both classical and fiddle. I do this because I really feel that they benefit each other.

My classical training has given me the technique to play pretty much anything I want to play fiddle wise. It was also an important part of my ear training. I started out in the Suzuki program when I was 4. In the Suzuki style, you learn to play by ear before you learn to play by notes. The fiddle tradition is very much an aural tradition. Even if you use sheet music to learn fiddle tunes, you need to rely on your ear…listening to and interpreting recordings…to infuse the notes with the correct feel for each tune. The notes are only a part of it.

The more time I spent in the fiddle part of my world, the more I realized that it was making me a more well rounded musician. The idea of coming up with a part to play with only a chord chart for reference was scary at first…improvise?!?! Eeek!!

Becoming more and more comfortable with this type of playing has opened so many doors for me. It has also made me curious about classical music that used to intimidate me in my earlier classical days. 20th century or ‘new music’ requires a willingness to work outside the traditional classical box at times. My fiddle training has made me much better at this.

If you can play by ear and by note, you can learn anything!

SSO: In previous years, you’ve spent time in northern communities teaching children there about the joys of fiddle music. How have these experiences shaped you as an artist and educator?

Kim: I am missing my Nunavut students and friends very much these days!! I hope to go back there as soon as it is safe to do that again.

My experiences in the north have made me realize how fortunate I am to have had the access I’ve had to music education throughout my life. I am so grateful for that. I wonder where I’d be if I didn’t have my music.

I understand more fully how important it is for every child to have the opportunity to learn an instrument. I have seen music bring a sense of self worth to students that struggle in other classes. I have seen music bring students to school that would normally not attend regularly. I have seen music give students something to look forward to…something to strive for. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that music changes lives…and saves lives. That is a very humbling thing to realize as a teacher.

Travelling and teaching in the Arctic has reinforced my goal to bring joy to people through my music.

It’s easy to feel the joy of sharing music when you watch a class of grade 10’s in Pond Inlet, NU dancing enthusiastically to your version of Maple Sugar!

SSO: Your work with the Fiddle Orchestra has had an incredible impact on our community, bringing together so many people to make joyful music. How has the Fiddle Orchestra adjusted to the pandemic?

Kim: The SFO (Saskatoon Fiddle Orchestra) has saved my sanity a number of times this past year!

There are so many creative and enthusiastic folks in that group. Despite all of the challenges of Covid safety restrictions, we have been able to continue meeting and learning music together.

Last spring, when everything shut down, the SFO switched to Zoom for rehearsals. Everyone was very patient and willing to adapt to this new way of getting together. Once it was safe to do so, we moved to partially online, partially in person rehearsals. We had to find a larger space in order to keep the appropriate distance between the members that attended in person.

Sadly, we haven’t been able to perform in over a year, but stay tuned, we have plans!

Catching up with Eileen Laverty

Singer-songwriter Eileen Laverty joins the SSO for our live stream A Night in Dublin – we took some time to catch up with her ahead of our performance!

SSO: What was the writing process for Tread Softly like? The song has become a calling card for you, one that never ages – do you find new life in singing it each time?

EL: I had an idea for a melody which played over and over in my mind, and one night I found inspiration in a W. B. Yeats’ poem, “He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven.” I’m very pleased that people connect with it. The song and has led me to some lovely musical connections and opportunities over the years.

SSO: You grew up in Ireland; how did your early experiences there shape you as a person and an artist?

EL: When I think about influences I immediately think of my Uncle Des who taught me to play the guitar. He was very involved with the Saskatoon (and later, Hamilton) branch of the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, a group talented and dedicated people who meet regularly to share their love of Irish music and culture. I was very fortunate to have their encouragement and support when I was just starting out. Through these connections I met some friends and we formed a celtic band together, and that’s where I discovered my love of singing and performing. My Uncle Des now lives in Nova Scotia, and he has recently been honoured by the International Comhaltas organization in recognition of his contribution over many years.

SSO: Your style of folk music performance has been celebrated as possessing incredible emotional depth and versatility. Where does your musical passion come from, and how do you give your music such a personal touch?

EL: I love to sing. I also love a good story, and when you put it with a lovely melody, there’s nothing better.

SSO: Who are some Irish musicians (current or previous generations)that you look to for inspiration?

EL: That’s a tough question because there are so many different styles of Irish music, so the list is long! Mary Black would be at the top of the list of favourite singers. I also I love when popular music forms include traditional tunes and instruments, or when there’s a new take on a traditional tune. Steve Cooney’s recent (solo guitar) album, where he interprets Irish harp tunes composed in the 1600s to 1800, is just brilliant.

We’re thrilled to have Eileen back on stage with us for A Night in Dublin!

St Patrick’s Day Around the World

Leprechaun motifs! Hats with Buckles! Shamrocks everywhere! Some hallmarks of St. Patrick’s Day festivities are present no matter where in the world you celebrate this green-laden day of celebration and Gaelic pride. So how did this day of drink and dancing begin? To find out, we have to travel all the way back to the 5th Century A.D., when a Christian bishop and missionary remembered as St. Patrick allegedly wrote a text called “The Declaration”.

In this text, St. Patrick chronicles his birth in Roman Britain during the fourth century, his kidnapping by Irish raiders at the age of sixteen, and his transportation as a slave to Gaelic Ireland. During the six years which followed, St. Patrick worked as a shepherd, grew in faith, and received a divine message to run to the coast. Sure enough, when he finally arrived at the coast, a ship was waiting to take him home. After many months making his way back, Patrick reunited with his family and decided the priesthood was his chosen vocation.

St. Patrick’s time spent as a slave had left him slightly embittered towards pagans, so he dedicated the remainder of his life to evangelising in Northern Ireland. And in case you were wondering whether the old myth is true, no, snakes are not endemic to Ireland. Patrick’s theological battles with the druids of the area are what inspired the tale in which he “drove out the snakes”. Passing away on the 17th of March and being laid to rest in Downpatrick, Patrick would live on in the hearts of the island’s populace to become Ireland’s foremost saint.

St. Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated in most European countries, but its reach actually extends much farther across the globe than many people realize. In Lithuania, although not a national holiday, St. Patrick’s Day is an excuse to throw a series of parties that rival Mardi Gras. In the capital of Vilnius, the Vilnia River is even dyed green in its entirety, a show of solidarity for Lithuania’s Irish communities.

Malaysia has been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day since 1925, when the St. Patrick’s Society of Selangor was founded. A yearly St. Patrick’s Ball unfolds which has come to be known as the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Asia. Not to be outdone by the Lithuanians, Malay officials organise 36 parties which take place in the Klang Valley, Penang, Johor Bahru, Ipoh, and Malacca.

It may surprise you to learn that some of the earliest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations outside of Ireland actually took place in New Zealand! The celebration of the holy man holding the shamrock was observed as a public holiday in Auckland from 1878 to 1955, spurred on by the great influx of Irish migrants who arrived in the 1850s and 1860s. In the early days, these celebrations were mere community picnics, but after 1860 the good times grew to include pipe band parades, green-clad marches, concerts, and social dances. At all of these events, Irishness was worn with pride.

Even space-bound astronauts can’t resist contributing to the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day. Astronauts who live and work aboard the International Space Station find different ways to celebrate each year. In 2011, the Irish-American astronaut Catherine Coleman filmed herself playing a hundred-year-old flute which originally belonged to legendary flautist Matt Molloy. Her sequel to this performance saw her playing a tin whistle that had once been played by Paddy Moloney. In an interesting twist, both of these famous musicians performed as members of the Irish music group The Chieftains. They later opted to include Coleman’s performances in a track called “The Chieftains in Orbit” on the group’s “Voice of Ages” album. In 2013, Chris Hadfield treated his online followers to a recording of himself singing “Danny Boy” in space alongside an orbital photograph of Ireland.

No matter where you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this, we hope you have a safe and fun-filled day of merriment-making. May the luck of the Irish be with you all, and thank you for supporting your Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra!

Who was Molly Malone?

Every major city on Earth has something akin to an unofficial anthem. Be it of folk origin or more modern in its sensibilities, an old city hums with a particularly musical energy. A popular song set in Dublin, Ireland, “Molly Malone” (also known as “Cockles and Mussels”) has over time become such an anthem for that fair city.

The song tells of a fishwife who works on the streets of Dublin and dies young of a fever. Sometime in the late 20th century, a legend started brewing that the song was based on a real person who lived in the 17th century. From that point forward, the hunt for the historical Molly Malone was on! But, try as Dubliners might, no Molly Malone born during that time period can be connected with the events portrayed in the song. Not to be deterred by lack of evidence, the Dublin Millennium Commission decided in 1988 that one Mary Malone (who died on 13 June 1699) was as close as they could get to finding the real Molly Malone. Every year since then, the 13th of June has been celebrated in Dublin as “Molly Malone Day”.

In trying to trace the name of this fishmonger to other tunes from the period, folk music scholars have had a bit more luck. There is some amount of crossover between the plot of the Molly Malone song and that of several other songs, and these songs feature her name as well. A character named Molly Malone makes an appearance in “Widow Malone” (published as early as 1809) and is referred to as “Mary Malone” as well as “sweet mistress Malone”.

There were also American songs which referred to Molly Malone, though music historians are fairly certain this is not the same fisherwoman as that of Dublin fame. “Meet Me Miss Molly Malone” began to see widespread publication as early as 1840, and The song “Pat Corney’s Account of Himself” of 1826 features lyrics of similar thematic content to Molly Malone: a phrase which proclaims “Now it’s show me that city where the girls are so pretty” “Crying oysters, and cockles, and Mussels for sale.” The phrase “alive, alive O” which forms the refrain of Molly Malone was a common phrase heard among the workers of fish markets during the 18th and 19th centuries. Hollering this phrase was the fastest way to let prospective customers know the freshness of goods such as oysters, mussels, fish and eel.

Molly Malone cannot be accurately traced on paper to any source recorded before 1876, having been published that year in a section of a book entitled “Songs from English and German Universities” in Boston, Massachusetts. It was republished by Francis Brothers and Day in London in 1884 and credits James Yorkston, of Edinburgh, as writer and composer (with music arranged by Edmund Forman. While this London edition states that the contents were reprinted by permission of Kohler and Son of Edinburgh, a Scottish publication house, copies of this first edition have never been recovered in Scotland.

The fascinating mystery of Molly Malone’s origins gets more bizarre when one considers the opinion of Irish music experts (who have compared its style and form with that of other Irish traditional street ballads). Siobhán Marie Kilfeather asserts that “while the song is from the music hall style of the period, and while one cannot wholly dismiss the possibility that it is based on an older folk song, neither melody nor words bear any relationship to the Irish tradition of street ballads.” Although she dismisses the thought of a historical Molly having existed as nonsense, she nonetheless must concede that the song is structured in a tragicomic mode made popular during the 19th century. Another song from the period which utilizes this mode is Percy Montrose’s “Oh My Darling, Clementine”, written around 1880.

A statue made in the approximate likeness of Molly Malone was unveiled on Grafton Street to celebrate the first Molly Malone Day by the then Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ben Briscoe, during the 1988 Dublin Millennium celebrations. The statue saw a relocation in July of 2014, when she was moved to Suffolk Street, in front of the Tourist Information Office. The statue itself was originally commissioned by Jurys Hotel Group and designed by Jeanne Rynhart. The charming sculpture is referred to by Dubliners (somewhat crudely) as “The Tart with the Cart” or “The Trollop With The Scallop(s)”.

While it seems doubtful that she was ever anything more than a fictitious character in a catchy folk song, Molly Malone is immortalized in Dublin’s unofficial anthem and holds a statue as well as an entire day to her name. We living folk would be grateful to receive treatment half so grand as that.

Give New Life to an Old Violin

In 2015, we launched our Painted Violins project – it was a unique undertaking to give new life to violins who had passed their usefulness, hand them over to artists who would turn them into stunning works of art.

Now to celebrate that 2021 is our 90th anniversary the SSO is relaunching the Painted Violins with 12 new artists who will breath life into violins that need to make music in a new way!

To launch this project, we’re looking for violins! We don’t want to use violins that should be in the hands of musicians, rather we’re looking for violins that are passed their prime, have some wear and tear but aren’t completely damaged.

If you have a violin in a closet that is needing to find a new home – give us a call at 306-665-6414!

A painted violin perched on an antler. It is painted blue with purple flowers and the neck of the violin has been carved to resemble a feather. — Violin – Jeff Blue Sky Crow