11 Musicians Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Gilbert & Sullivan
Two clever men of worth were we
One wrote opera gloriously
One wrote lyrics wittily
Two clever men were we!

Everything was a source of fun
Nothing was safe, for we cared none!
One job started when the first was done
Two clever men were we!

HMS Pinafore, all at sea
The Mikado, Japanee
Ivanhoe you must go and see
Two clever men were we!


The Piano: Joseph Long
A concert pianist strikes a chord with me
Hearing a master tickling the ivories
Releasing Chopin, Beethoven, Stravinski
Bartok, Prokofiev, Handel and Debussy

Furioso, grandioso, impetuoso, lacrimoso
Lento, liberamente, Meno, mesto, mezzoforte
Moderato, obbligato, pianissimo, pizzicato
Rallentando, rigoroso, Scherzo, sotto, spirito

Music to my ears, hear Liszt and Brahms
Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Rachmaninoff, Rossini
Vivaldi, Haydn, Schumann, Mendelssohn
Wagner, Mozart, Britten and Scarlatti



Francis Peacock (1723-1807) , Aberdeen's Dancing Master:
What would he make of dances now?
Ending a set, with a kick, not a bow?
War dance, rain dance, shuffling leaping
Clapping, stamping, swaying, creeping
Folk dance, Maypole, freestyle, swinging
Morris men, shake bells, hobby horse prancing
Sword dance, highland fling and tap
Reels and jigs hip hop and rap
Strathspeys, French quadrilles, flamenco
Belly dancing, salsa, tango
Ballet, temple dancing, pop
Waltz and polka, jazz and bop
Square dance, striptease, the gavotte
Strip the willow, hot the trot!


Mary Garden, Opera Singer
The Sarah Bernhardt of opera
Leading soprano at the Opéra-Comique,
This Aberdeen born chanteuse sang

the title role ofCharpentier's Louise, .
the title role in Massenet's Thaïs
the title role in Massenet's Manon
the title role in Messager's Madame Chrysanthème
the title role in Massenet's Grisélidis

Sensational as Salome in Strauss's opera
She kissed the severed head of John the Baptist
Danced the seven veils in a body stocking
Sending her audience right up to High Doh
Flew back like a homing pigeon
For her grand finale


Jimmy Shand, Accordionist
Jimmy, lord of the squeeze box:
Mr Shand, accordion wizard
Rock is fine, but talent talks
When he played, time stopped the clocks
Even sluggard and lounge lizard would be dancing off their socks
Tap-toe music, joy unlocks, once as famed as Eddie Izzard
Days of kilts and dancing frocks
No stranger to life's bitter knocks
Jimmy played as easy's breathing, never needed to detox
Audiences came in flocks: modest, when plaudits receiving
Played for folk of street and docks, Jimmy, lord of the squeeze box


Calum Kennedy: Gaelic Singer
With a swish of the tartan, a swing of the kilt
He's the very epitome of a Scots Celt
With the lilt of the Gael he could transfix us all
And returned each season for a curtain call

With a heedrum an hodrum, a whiff of the heather
He linked all his songs with a sprinkling of blether
His sgian dubh glistened, his buckles they gleamed
When he winked at the audience all of them beamed

Ochone for the Gaelic- he kept it alive
Surviving pop tunes and the yankee of jive
Death stopped to collect him- a blink, he was gone
But oh, whilst on stage Calum Kennedy shone


What a VoiceJeannie Robertson Traditional Ballad Singer
Some fowk hae treasure, some fowk hae gear
An winnerfu hooses: The traivellers haud dear
The auld Scottish ballads that tell o fowks' waes
O castles set burnin, o luv in puir claes
Faith, Jeannie could sing them, till ye could near greet
Aa ower the warld, fowk were held in their seat
Thon lane traiveller's voice that soared heich as a cloud
Could makk tears trinkle doon fin she sang o a shroud
For she had a voice that pit chills doon yer back
Wi her ballads o ghaisties, clan war an hert brakk


Paul Anderson, Fiddler
A fiddler visited oor toon, Paul Anderson frae Tarlan
A soople fingeret kintra loon, his notes were sweet an true, man

He played a jig, he played a reel
Sae weel the doos were dauncin
He played a tune sae saft an leal
Set luvers aa romancing

A curly powe, a tappin fit, Cromar's best emissary
He's fiddled aa the warld roon, at ceilidhs blythe an merry

The Bonnie Lass o Bon Accord, he played wi little priggin
A Heilan fling - an best o aa, the Hens' March tae the Midden!


Cornkister Champion: Jock Duncan
The kintra cheils delicht tae sing
Like linties soarin on the wing
Wi duntin feet, an jew's harp zing
Tae air their cornkister's oh

Dirumadoo adum aday
Dirumadoo a daddy oh
Dirumaadoo adum aday
Hurrah fur the bothy ballads oh

Ye hear the clunk o horses' braisse
Ye hear the chink o cheerie glaiss
Ye ken them bi their couthie dress
Jyne wi the bothy singers oh


The Barefoot Maestro: Dame Evelyn Glennie
The rhythm song- ZingZillas - a light in darkness
Eldorado, dream of the cherry bossom
The song of Dionysius, Marimba Spiritual
Veni, veni Emmanuel- Catalyst
Introit - Advent- Heartbeats- Hocket- Gaude
After the Tryst- untold- and I will kiss
Three Dawn Rituals - the sugar factory
Drumming - Wind in the Bamboo Grove- street songs
Touch the sound- she plays the pieces barefoot
Pandemonium- Good Vibration
Deaf, she hears through her skin
Like raindrops on tin
Speaker, designer, percussionist
With North East grit- built in

Sweet Dreams are made of this: Annie Lennox
Born and bred in Aberdeen, Annie Lennox: music queen
With Eurythemics, ruled the scene
Upon the world stage

Aids spokeswoman she has been, calling Poverty obscene
Her performance- evergreen
Upon the world stage

Short cropped, an impish sheen, razor wit and senses keen
No rock antics to demean
Upon the world stage

Puckish, supple, lithe and lean. Not a bone in her that's mean
Not a girl to pout or preen
Upon the world stage