Music

From Scotland, we are delighted to include songs by Runrig and Skipinnish, as well as several bands under the Greentrax label, such as Shooglenifty, Fiddler’s Bid, Peatbog Faeries, Wendy Stewart and Mac Umba. Ian Green also introduced us to the music of Diamh which has added a fantastic burst of energy, enhancing scenes every time we hear them. The Highland Divas sang for us during an on-camera interview and you can hear their stunning rendition of The Skye Boat Song in the program along with their commentary on Scottish and Gaelic music. Alasdair Fraser’s beautiful recording of Bannockburn gives an added dimension to the telling of the Highland Clearances – the fiddle and bagpipes are truly majestic. We were most fortunate to meet the Highlands performer, Carrie Afrin, who demonstrates the Gaelic tradition of puirt a bheul (mouth music), in addition to providing us with some lovely renditions of traditional Gaelic songs.

Gaelic songs and rhythms include those sung by the much-lauded Grammy-winning performer, Rhiannon Giddens. Rhiannon’s heritage is part Gaelic and part African American which adds a tremendous relevance to our discussion of interaction between Highlanders and African enslaved people in North Carolina, as we hear her Gaelic song, S Iomadh Rud Tha Dhith Orm.

Na Foggaraich gave us several Gaelic songs that speak specifically to the American experience of Gaelic people.

Calum Pasqua is a first generation immigrant with a more recent story to tell of his mother’s encouragement of Scottish fiddle-playing to help her stay connected to her homeland.

We dig into the question of whether American Country music is influenced by Scottish folk music, and we hear the Kentucky band, Hammertowne’s instrumental, Lights and Sirens, to take us there.

The filmmakers were introduced to wonderful Gaelic songs by Catherine-Anne MacPhee by our associate producer, June Skinner Sawyers. Her gentle, sweet voice lift every moment we hear it.

Matt Tooni’s recording of The Scottish Trader, and other Cherokee-influenced music references the multi-cultural roots of many in the Scottish diaspora of the U.S. Michael Longrider, provided flute and drums as a backdrop to a captured discussion of Native American and Scottish shared heritage, particularly those in the Northeast U.S. where Michael is also from.

Brandon and Derek Fiechter’s composition of The Lone Wanderer informs a section on the shared experience of cattle droving in the Highlands of Scotland and in the American West.

We also wanted to explore the cult of Robert Burns. Someone described Auld Lang Syne as the world’s national anthem, and it certainly seems as if everyone is familiar with it, as it is sung around the globe on New Year’s Eve to ring in the changes as everyone comes together arm in arm for that celebratory moment. We are very pleased to include Kate and James Taylor’s beautiful version as well as a very moving instrumental version by a trio of young musicians, Kevin Matthieson, Bryan Matthieson and Alison Billias. Kate says it best – “Burns really nailed it with those lyrics, about wanted to connect and remember.”

Tying this disparate selection of songs with their various motifs and tempos, is the stunning work of Charles Denler who composed the original music for Voices Over the Water.

He was won many Emmys for past productions, and scored Guy Perrotta’s Emmy-winning documentary, Mystic Voices: The Story of the Pequot War.