The
name Standing Stones refers to the enigmatic prehistoric stone monuments
which are found throughout the British Isles and parts of Western Europe.
We perform the traditional music of the Celtic peoples who at one time
occupied all the areas in which these monuments are found. Especially,
we perform music from the Gaelic tradition which until about 300 years
ago extended unbroken from the south of Ireland all the way to the most
northern part of Scotland.
A large part of our repertoire comes from Ulster and the West Highlands of Scotland. These areas, only about 12 miles apart at the closest point, stand on the two sides of the cultural and political gap that split the old Gaelic world into two parts—Scotland and Ireland. The remarkable similarity in musical styles points out how recently the fissure took place. In more recent times, emigration has carried Gaelic culture to many parts of the world; Canada and Australia particularly have provided havens where its vitality remains strong.
Northern Ireland and the West Highlands of Scotland were the heartland of the ancient Gaelic civilization. Despite the ravages of history, much of the old culture is still preserved there. This rich legacy is the main source of the musical repertoire of the Standing Stones:
To this basis we add song and music from throughout all of Scotland and
Ireland. We also do a few pieces from the other Celtic lands (Isle of Man, Wales, etc.), and
Australia and Canada. We play traditional
instruments such as harp, flute, fiddle and cello, as well as modern instruments
including accordion and guitar. (We have revived the use of the cello,
the traditional accompaniment instrument in Scotland until the advent of
the piano in the mid-1800s.)
Gaelic culture arrived permanently in California roughly 150 years ago. We have an on-going research project to document historical references to musical performances in this early period. From time to time we work with local historical re-enactment groups to re-create music from this era.
We have also begun to explore medieval and Renaissance music. There is
much similarity to traditional music. Of course, some of the traditional
music goes back to medieval times, and it has been argued that traditional
performance style preserves early practise. This relationship is a subject
of on-going research. Much new information has come to light recently concerning
early harping techniques (the research of Ann Heymann, the leading scholar
of the wire-strung harp, is particularly valuable). Although little is known about
music in Ireland at this time, we like to do a few pieces which are known to
have been performed or could plausibly have been performed in medieval Ireland.
Our lifelong involvement with traditional music and culture is presented through varied instrumental textures and vocal harmonies. This musical tradition has survived unbroken for centuries, each generation adding its own contribution. This ancient heritage gives the music a timeless quality that touches the heart deeply.
A Standing Stones' performance is usually divided equally between instrumentals
and songs. We have a large repertoire of traditional songs of all kinds—funny,
spirited, mysterious, tender and heart-breaking. While the majority of
these are in English, we have some in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic as
well as other languages. We perform a few songs in traditional unaccompanied
style, but most are arranged with instrumental accompaniment and vocal
harmonies, as is now common with many traditional performers.
We make a special effort to work out arrangements that suit the character
of the tradition, rather than using the style of country or pop music
arranging. In particular, this often involves the use of
modal harmony similar to that of the
Middle Ages and Renaissance periods.
The instrumental pieces we perform also demonstrate a wide range of types. We play a lot of dance music, but we avoid the "all reels" syndrome of some players, performing as well regional dances such as highlands, mazurkas, germans, polkas and slides. We try to avoid rehashing tunes recorded by well-known performers, instead making our own selections from original sources. We also like to play the older types of tunes such as marches, slow airs and harp compositions.
As accomplished singers and also performers on several instruments, we can present a wide variety of vocal and instrumental textures. We avoid stereotyped arrangements and over-used accompaniment techniques, such as the noisy bashing of guitars and bodhráns. Each piece is carefully arranged to bring out its own special qualities.
We get asked to play at a wide variety of different events. Therefore, we have had to develop several different classes of material for different performance situations:
Sometimes we even get to play places where we can select material just because we enjoy playing it!
We found an
artist's impression of a Standing Stones rehearsal. Why aren't the harp
strings connected to the soundboard? How does she reach the strings at
the top? Why is he waving an empty glass in the air? Does she really have
her foot on the cello? How much will a new bridge cost?
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