Outlander: Moch sa Mhadainn/Oran Eile Don Phrionnsa

“Oran Eile Don Phrionnsa”  (= Song to the Prince) or “Moch sa Mhadainn ‘s Mi Dùsgadh” was written 1745 by Alexander McDonald (Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair)  Highlands bard and fervent Jacobite

Historical background
Moch sa Mhadainn (Elizabeth Ross Ms -Capercaille)
Moch sa Mhadainn (Outlander- Bear McCreary )

Leggi in italiano

Historical background

The “lost portrait” of Charles Edward Stuart is a portrait, painted in late autumn 1745 by Scottish artist Allan Ramsay,

“Oran Eile Don Phrionnsa”  (= Song to the Prince) or “Moch sa Mhadainn ‘s Mi Dùsgadh”[1] was written 1745 by Alexander McDonald (Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair)  Highlands bard and fervent Jacobite, to be addressed as a letter to Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender.[2]

The Prince was in France in the vain expectation of a favorable sign by King Louis XV to help him to recover the throne of England and Scotland. But the question dragged on for long, Louis never received his poor relative at court, so the boy was also snubbed by the Parisian Nobility and certainly the words of encouragement of the supporters in Scotland could not but comfort him.

Moch sa Mhadainn

The original text of “Oran Eile Don Phrionnsa” is written in Scottish Gaelic, a language that the prince could not understand (having been born and raised in Rome ).

In “The Elizabeth Ross Manuscript Original Highland Airs Collected at Raasay in 1812 By Elizabeth Jane Ross” (see) lyrics and tune  (#113) and the notes of the published edition for the School of Scottish Studies Archives, Edinburgh 2011 are “This stirring Jacobite song has been attributed to Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair (Alexander MacDonald, c.1698–c.1770). The text and translation here are adapted from JLC, which has 17 couplets plus refrain. That text is derived from the 1839 edition (p.85) of Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair’s collection (ASE); the 1839 edition is identical with the 1834 edition, but the fact that the song does not appear in the first edition (1751) raises doubts as to the ascription (see JLC 42, n.1): in fact the text was almost certainly lifted into the 1834 edition from PT, where it is headed simply ‘LUINNEAG’ and is not ascribed. The 1834 or 1839 text of the Ais-Eiridh is doubtless the source of that in AO 102, which ascribes the song to Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair. Campbell prints the tune in 3/4 time (JLC 301).[3]
JLC = CAMPBELL, John Lorne, ed.(1933, Rev.1984) Highland Songs of the Forty-Five … [With thirteen melodies] (Edinburgh: John Grant, 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press for the Scottish Gaelic Texts Society).

Capercaillie version[4]
Thug ho-o, laithill ho-o
Thug o-ho-ro an aill libh
Thug ho-o, laithill ho-o
Seinn o-ho-ro an aill libh
I
Och ‘sa mhaduinn’s mi dusgadh
‘S mor mo shunnd’s mo cheol-gaire
O’n a chuala mi ‘m Prionnsa
Thighinn do dhuthaich Chlann Ra’ill
II
O’n a chuala mi ‘m Prionnsa
Thighinn do dhuthaich Chlann Ra’ill
Grainne mullaich gach righ thu
Slan gum pill thusa, Thearlaich
III
Grainne mullaich gach righ thu
Slan gum pill thusa, Thearlaich
‘S ann th ‘n fhior-fhuil gun truailleadh
Anns a ghruadh is mor-naire
IV
‘S ann th ‘n fhior-fhuil gun truailleadh
Anns a ghruadh is mor-naire
Mar ri barrachd na h-uaisle
‘G eirigh suas le deagh-nadur
V
Mar ri barrachd na h-uaisle
‘G eirigh suas le deagh-nadur
Us nan tigeadh tu rithist
Bhiodh gach tighearn’ ‘n aite
FOOTNOTES
(1) Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart
(2) The Macdonalds of Clanranald, are one of the branch clans of Clan Donald—one of the largest Scottish clans. in which “king of the isles and king of Argyll” was elected. At the time of the 1745 rebellion, the old chieftain was not in favor of the Stuard, but did not prevent his son from allying with the Young Pretender. The two met in Paris. The young Ranald was among the first to join the Jacobite cause by proselytizing the other clans.

My hope is constant in thee





The Elizabeth Ross Manuscript
I
Early as I awaken
Great my joy, loud my laughter
Since I heard that the Prince (1) comes
To the land of Clanranald(2)
II
Since I heard that the Prince comes
To the land of Clanranald
Thou art the choicest of all rulers
Here’s a health to thy returning
III
Thou art the choicest of all rulers
Here’s a health to thy returning
His the royal blood unmingled
Great the modesty in his visage
IV
His the royal blood unmingled
Great the modesty in his visage
With nobility overflowing
And endowed with all good nature
V
With nobility overflowing
And endowed with all good nature
And shouldst thou return ever
At his post would be each laird

Capercaillie in “Glenfinnan (Songs Of The ’45)” (1998) album entirely dedicated to the scottish gaelic songs that have been preserved in the Hebrides on the ruinous parable of the Jacobite rebellion led by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745
Dàibhidh Stiùbhard

OUTLANDER TV SERIES: “THE FOX’S LAIR”

The song has been brought back to popularity with the inclusion in Outlander TV series – second season- following in the footsteps of the great editorial success of the series written by Diana Gabaldon, as underlined by the artistic director Bear McCreary this is one of the few songs written just in the making of the Scottish rebellion.

To properly underscore these episodes, I needed a song that was written during the Jacobite uprising as opposed to after it, a song that makes no comment about loss, only promises of victory.
I turned to famed Scottish composer and music historian John Purser, who was gracious with his time and assembled a collection a historically-accurate songs for me. I was immediately drawn to the soaring melody in “Moch Sa Mhadainn,” a song composed by Alasdair mac Mghaighstir Alasdair. A celebrated poet of the Jacobite era, Alasdair composed this song upon hearing the news that Prince Charles Edward Stuart had landed at Glenfinnan. That was perfect!  When Jamie opens the letter in “The Fox’s Lair” and learns he has been roped into the revolution, this song was actually being composed somewhere in Scotland at that very moment.[5]

Hùg hó ill a ill ó
Hùg hó o ró nàill i
Hùg hó ill a ill ó
Seinn oho ró nàill i.
I
Moch sa mhadainn is mi dùsgadh,
Is mòr mo shunnd is mo cheòl-gáire;
On a chuala mi am Prionnsa,
Thighinn do dhùthaich Chloinn Ràghnaill.
II
Gràinne-mullach gach rìgh thu,
Slàn gum pill thusa Theàrlaich;
Is ann tha an fhìor-fhuil gun truailleadh,
Anns a’ ghruaidh is mòr nàire.
III
Mar ri barrachd na h-uaisle,
Dh’ èireadh suas le deagh nàdar;
Is nan tigeadh tu rithist,
Bhiodh gach tighearna nan àite.
IV
Is nan càraicht an crùn ort
Bu mhùirneach do chàirdean;
Bhiodh Loch Iall mar bu chòir dha,
Cur an òrdugh nan Gàidheal.

Griogair Labhruidh in Outlander: Season 2, (Original Television Soundtrack) : “It is always difficult negotiating the gap between tradition and innovation but it is something I am becoming increasingly used to, “I performed the song at a much slower tempo than it would normally be performed traditionally but I think it worked to great effect with the rich string voicings and the percussive elements of the piece. I was also very pleased to work with my friend John Purser who helped direct my performance of the song to suit the arrangement.’





I
Early in the morning as I awaken
Great is my joy and hearty laughter
Since I’ve heard of the Prince’s coming
To the land of Clanranald
II
Thou’rt the choicest of all rulers,
Here’s a health to thy returning,
His the royal blood unmingled,
Great the modesty in his visage.
III
With nobility overflowing,
And endowed with all good nature;
And shouldst thou return ever
At his post would be each laird.
IV
And thy friends would be joyful
If the crown were placed on thee,
And Lochiel (3), as he should be
Would be leading the Gaëls.

FOOTNOTES
(3) Donald Cameron of Lochiel (c.1700 – October 1748) among the most influential chieftains traditionally loyal to the Stuart House. He joined Prince Charles in 1745 and later Culloden fled to France where he died in exile.
The family was rehabilitated and reinstated in the title with the amnesty of 1748.

Outlander: Season 5

Jamie Fraser must fight to protect those he loves, as well as the home he has established alongside his wife, Claire Fraser, their family, and the settlers of Fraser’s Ridge.

[1] http://chrsouchon.free.fr/bonnie1.htm
http://chrsouchon.free.fr/bonnie2.htm
http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/63749/3
http://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/en/fullrecord/94215/5;jsessionid=40262AAD448EC6A5BD09862C091AD047
[2] http://terreceltiche.altervista.org/charlie-hes-my-darling/
[3] http://www.ed.ac.uk/files/imports/fileManager/RossMS.pdf
[4] http://www.celticlyricscorner.net/capercaillie/oraneile.htm
[5] https://bearmccreary.com/outlander-return-to-scotland/

/ 5
Grazie per aver votato!

Pubblicato da Cattia Salto

Amministratore e folklorista di Terre Celtiche Blog. Ha iniziato a divulgare i suoi studi e ricerche sulla musica, le danze e le tradizioni d'Europa nel web, dapprima in maniera sporadica e poi sempre più sistematicamente sul finire del anni 90

Lascia un commento

Il tuo indirizzo email non sarà pubblicato. I campi obbligatori sono contrassegnati *

Questo sito usa Akismet per ridurre lo spam. Scopri come i tuoi dati vengono elaborati.