Let A Scottish Christmas Transport You to the Highlands

I am a great fan of all things Scottish, so when I spotted A Scottish Christmas at the library, I knew I had to give it a listen or two. I’d never heard of any of the musicians on this instrumental album before, but each of them is excellent. Bonnie Rideout, music director for the album, is on the fiddle; executive producer Maggie Sansone plays the dulcimer; Al Petteway takes the guitar, cittern and bodhran; Abby Newton plays the cello; Jon Quigg plays the Highland fife drum; and Eric Rigler, piper for the Braveheart soundtrack, performs the Highland bagpipe, Scottish smallpipes and Uilleann pipes. They join together to create a supremely soothing sonic experience.

1. O Come, O Come Emmanuel / God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman - O Come is one of those songs that always has a haunting air about it. That’s even more true with the pipes going. I hadn’t really thought of these songs as going together, but they do seem like a good fit. Meanwhile, the closing jig brings a fife drum along with the fiddle and Highland bagpipes to bring the song to a lively finish.

2. Here We Come A-Wassailing / Bottom Of The Punch Bowl - The fiddle is prominent again here, but complemented by the hammered dulcimer and guitar rather than the bagpipes, the result is a much softer-sounding track. I wasn’t familiar with the festive-sounding Bottom of the Punch Bowl, but from the title and the cheerful tone of the tune, the pairing with Wassailing feels natural.

3. Christmas Duanag / Hark The Bonny Christ Church Bells - I’m not familiar with either of these tunes, but they are lovely, and ideal for showing off yet another set of instruments. This time the dulcimer is repeated but is joined by bells and chimes, resulting in a very jubilant presentation. I also love the harp-like runs on the dulcimer that come about a minute in.

4. What Child Is This (Greensleeves) - The dulcimer and guitar provide a gentle undertone to this ancient song, while the Uilleann pipes and fiddle accentuate the poignance of the melody. The concluding jig rendition of the melody ends the track on a light, optimistic note.

5. Rock Thee O' Child / Our Savior Thee / Christ Child Lullaby - Of this series of lullabies, I’m moderately familiar with one, thanks to A Prairie Home Christmas. Once again, the dulcimer lends an incredibly hushed air to the medley, with the guitar adding depth and the viola flowing out in a soothing stream like the sound of a mother’s voice at bedtime.

6. Christmas Carousing / Ale Is Dear / New Christmass - The smallpipes start off this track, and they take some getting used to. Not much louder than a dulcimer, and with a strange staccato sound to them, they almost give the impression that you’re listening to a skipping record. Other instruments on this upbeat medley of tunes I’ve never heard before include the dulcimer, the cittern, the cello and the steadily pounding bodhran.

7. Da Day Dawis / Christmas Day I' Da Moornin' - The fiddle is in prominence on the first tune, which is slower and more contemplative, while the second features the dulcimer most prominently, along with the cittern and the cello, and is an uptempo number.

8. Adeste Fidelis (O Come All Ye Faithful) - The Highland bagpipes give this classic hymn a solemn air, to which the fiddle adds when it joins in on the second verse. The third verse adds a lovely layer of harmony that reminds me of Spock’s funeral scene in The Wrath of Khan.

9. Baloo, Lammy - This slow, gentle 400-year-old tune is new to me, as are the rest of the songs on this album up until the final track, and features some delicate guitar work and plaintive Uilleann pipes before taking on a more cheerful tone midway through and then finishing off slow and melancholy again.

10. Gloomy Winter - The viola perfectly captures the gloom of the melody. A fiddle later joins in to add a note of hope.

11. The Huntsman's Bag Of Grain / Goosegirl's Song / New Year's Day - This dulcimer-driven medley starts off slow and gradually speeds up, eventually becoming more like a jig. Cittern, fiddle and cello add to the festive air.

12. New Year's Day / On Christmas Night - Nothing but the guitar on this rather sprightly medley that evokes the feeling of a journey.

13. Yeoman's Carol / Sound Of Sleat - The dulcimer really gets a workout on the album, but few tracks showcase its beauty as strikingly as the first tune. The smallpipes take the lead for the second tune, with the fife drum and finally the fiddle joining in.

14. Rorate (Nativity) - This gentle reflection on the Nativity starts off with the guitar alone. The cello comes in on the second verse and the fiddle on the third, providing some nice harmonies that put one in mind of angel song.

15. All Sons of Adam - The title of this one makes me think of Narnia, and I could hear this fiddle and cello-driven medley fitting in nicely at a Cair Paravel concert, though there’s nothing in the liner notes to indicate that C. S. Lewis inspired the title.

16. Auld Lang Syne - The dulcimer starts off this New Year’s standard, playing a gently rippling version from the 1700s that bears little resemblance to the tune we know today. With some help from the guitar, it morphs into the next version, which sounds closer but still quite different. The fiddle takes the lead on the contemporary arrangement, which closes out the album, first in a slow, reflective manner, and then with a quick, cheerful air indicative of a hearty welcome to the New Year.

I don’t listen to a lot of strictly instrumental Christmas music, but A Scottish Christmas is absolutely gorgeous. If you love these sorts of instruments as much as I do, pop it in and prepare to be calmed.