Da Slockit Light reel

A Shetland tune that was a favourite of the concertina player and singer Alan Cormack of Bristol (UK), a well-known musician in local sessions and bands, who died recently at the age of 60. This tune was played at Alan’s funeral by one of his pupils on Alan’s own concertina which was then placed on the coffin for the rest of the service. The tune is played regularly in Bristol sessions.
Trevor

I downloaded the abc from J-C’s website.

Here is the abc transcription by Mary Lou Knack with added chords:

FE|"D"D3F A2d2|fedc d2A2|"G"B2d2 "D/F#"A2d2|"G"BAGF "A"EGFE|
"D"D3F A2d2|fedc "Bm"d2A2|"G"B2G2 "A"AGFE|"D"D4- D2:|
g2|"D"f2a2 "A"e3c|"Bm"d3e "A"dcBA|"D"f2a2 "E"e2^g2|"A"a4- a2=g2|
"D"f2a2 "A"e3c|"G"d3e "D/F#"dcBA|"G"B2G2 "A"AGFE|"D"D4- D3g|
"D"f2a2 "A"e3c|"Bm"d3e "G"dc"D/F#"BA|"G"B2d2 A2d2|BAGF "A"EGFE|
"D"D3F A2d2|"A"fedc "Bm"d2A2|"G"B2G2 "A"AGFE|"D"D4- D2|]

Sounds weird as a reel. I’ve only ever heard it as a slow air(?), played in many sessions all over England and Scotland.

I agree. It’s hardly a tune for dancing, but the fact that it is in 4-4 automatically gets it listed as a reel for the purposes of this site’s tune database.
Trevor

Perhaps Jeremy should add a section for slow airs. It seems ridiculous that they are listed in other categories e.g. reels although, admittedly. some tunes like the Hills of Glenorchy have slow and fast versions.

John

John, I expect Jeremy has seriously considered this, but there may be deep technical difficulties to do with the structure of the database why it has not happened (yet).
So we are left with the situation that if you want to submit a genuine slow air, which are so often metrically free form, that clearly isn’t, and can never be, a dance form, then you have to write it as a waltz, reel or whatever. Anyway, something that is the closest fit to the tune you’re working with.
Trevor

AFAIK this nice tune was composed by the great old Shetland fiddler Tom Anderson in the sixties.

I remember a tale of where the tune came from, that Tom had driven out into the country at night and could see his village in the distance. Feeling sad after the death of his wife, he stopped and watched the lights going out one by one, and thinking that there weren’t as many lights as there used to be in his youth as people were leaving the Island.
I always thought it was a lighthouse, but found out a "Slockit" light is a "broken" one.

According to most of the sources I’ve been able to find, "slockit" means "extinguished", rather than "broken". One source claims it is the glowing tip at the end of an extinguished candle.

—-Michael B.

As with so many other words in Shetland this is a Scandinavian word and as Michael suggests it means a light that is turned out, quenched or extinguished. I have never ever thought about the fact that there is no synonymous word in Standard English.
For me, as a Swede, it’s always funny with the Shetland tongue, ‘cos it is most often self explanatory, from a Scandinavian point of view (and as a fact there are many words in Scots as well that are closer to Scandinavian tongues than to Standard English)

We heard this tune played by Walt Michael - a hmmer dulcimer player from the States - at Sidmouth at couple of years back. He toldusthat when Tom Anderson died this tune was played at his funeral and now if you play this tune in the Shetland Islands people stand. I don’t know if this is true but it struck a chord wih us and our friend turned to us and said "you can play that at my funeral". A year later when he died suddenly at the age of 48 his son remembered this and it was played on Uillean pipes during the service. It’s nce to hear that other people held this tune in the same way as the first comment shows.

I’ve heard it was also played at Tom Anderson’s own funeral —- quite fitting.

Does anyone have the sheet music for the counter melody for Da Slockit Light? I played it once from a friend’s music, and it was beautiful, but haven’t been able to find it since, other than the regular melody. Thanks.

I think you can find it in JC’s tune database. Just enter "slockit," and click "Da Slockit Light - 2nd part" or "Da Slockit Light - Harmony."

To add some more info of the tune, I heard this tune was also written just after the death of the composer’s wife. So, "the extinguished light" has another meaning.

Though this is a beautiful tune, it’s somewhat irrelevant in the Irish music session.

Thanks very much. I’m brand new to this site, so please forgive my ignorance, but what is JC’s database? If it’s the Session, it’s not in here, but if you can instruct me to get to JC’s database (if not this one), I would appreciate it. Again, sorry for the ignorance.

I realize it isn’t strictly Irish, but we have a small very un-strict group that plays a bit of everything just for fun, so any help is appreciated. Thanks!

http://jc.tzo.net:1742/~jc/cgi/abc/FindTune

A thousand thanks! Yet another really great site!

Rather than the idea of this as a reel or a ‘slow air’, though the latter is closer, I have always heard it, including the playing of the composer, as more like a slow march. As you can imagine, "The Slockit Light", and the meaning, a light extinguished or turned out, it has also featured at funerals. It is a beautiful tune and I’ve been known to shed a few tears playing it… Tom Anderson was a musician and a magician…

On second parts, one of the publications featuring Tom’s tunes has a second part written out. I’ll see if I can find it. I also remember a second part by that fine American fiddler and fiddle teacher Pam Swing. I’ll see if I can find these things here and return with the specifics.

Slainte ~ it’s not irrelevant old buddy if Irish musicians sometimes choose to play it… our respect extends to other traditions and players, even the occassional Japanese bloke who chooses to do us the honour of giving it a go ~ only a rare few of us are jingoistic over music… It doesn’t surprise me that those who are have usually taken it on secondhand, such as second generation Irish, and later, as well as other ‘foreigners’…

😉

Oh yes, relevance elsewhere where talent and inspiration and heart are concerned:

"Judique On The Floor"
One of Cape Breton’s finest fiddlers ~ Buddy MacMaster

https://thesession.org/recordings/999

Tom Anderson
Shetland Times Ltd., 1983
ISBN: 0 900662 40 9

20 - Da Slockit Light
21 - Da Slockit Light Second Fiddle

"Traditional Shetland music and dance. Tunes old and new collected together by the late Tom Anderson, the well respected fiddle player and teacher from Shetland. Published in 1983 it has become an important collection of Shetland tunes and dances."

http://www.shetlandtoday.co.uk/
http://www.shetlandtoday.co.uk/Shop/book_details.asp?Category=27

The Edinburgh Shetland Fiddler’s Society
http://www.e-s-f.fsnet.co.uk/

Shetland Music ~ Written Tune Sources
http://www.e-s-f.fsnet.co.uk/sources.htm

~ from a tape recorded interview with Tom by a student in 1970:

"I was coming out of Eshaness in late January, 1969, the time was after 11pm and as I looked back at the top of the hill leading out of the district I saw so few lights compared to what I remembered when I was young. As I watched, the lights started going out one by one. That, coupled with the recent death of my late wife, made me think of the old word ‘Slockit’, meaning, a light that has gone out, and I think that was what inspired the tune."

http://mmcconeghy.com/ ~ the homepage out of respect
http://mmcconeghy.com/RIMUSIC/ ~ and then, finally:

Da Slockit Light
http://mmcconeghy.com/RIMUSIC/images/daslockitlighttomanderson.pdf

Second part by Ellen Thomas ~ the one known by most…
http://mmcconeghy.com/RIMUSIC/images/daslockitlight2ndingpart.pdf

Ellen, like the previously mentioned Pam Swing, were friends of and studied under Tom Anderson. Pam with Tom produced another excellent little volume of music from the Shetlands, also highly recommended:

"Haand me doonda fiddle"
Tom Anderson & Pam Swing
The University of Sterling, 1979
ISBN: 0 901636 25 8

If you ever get the opportunity to learn from Pam, she’s a charm, gifted ~ take it. You’d be a fool to pass it up… She’s a great dance musician too…

C: Ellen Thomas
FE |
"D" A,3D F2 A2 | dc AG "Bm7" F2 D2 | "G" G2 B2 "D" F2 A2 | "Em" GF ED "A7" A,4 |
"D" A,3D F2 A2 | dc AG F2 D2 | "Em" G,4 "A7" A,3 C | "D" [A,6D6] :|
g |
"D"d2 A2 "A7"c3E | "Em" G4 "A7" FE DC | "D" D4 "E7" ^G3 E | "A7" C2 A,2 B,2 C2 |
"D" D4 "A7" A4 | "Em" G6 GF | "G" G2 B,2 "A7" A,B, A,C | "D" DA, B,G, A,4 |
"D" D4 "A7" C4 | "Em" B,6 GF | "G" G2 B2 "D" F2 A2 | "Em" GF ED "A7" A,4 |
"D" A,3 D F2 A2 | "D+" ^A4 "Bm7" F2 D2 | "Em" G,4 "A7" A,3 C | "D" [A,7D7] ||

Norwegian word slukke:
verb. extinguish, quench, put out, turn off, dowse, switch off

verb. [om ild] put out (f.eks. put out a candle, a cigarette or the fire

verb. [kontakt] turn off

verb. (elektrisitet) switch off, put off
verb. [lys(light)] switch off

verb. [stille f.eks tørst, også fig] quench, satisfy

slukket :

adj. extinct

adj. out (fx the lights are out

I wonder if slockit has an etymological link to the word ‘slaked’ which is most often applied to thirst but I think can be applied more generally to dousing or throwing liquid onto things.

As I understand it, the Shetland tradition is that what would be more baldly called "Lament to or for So-and-so" in the Irish tradition, is instead named after some object that reminds one of the deceased.
I believe there’s another one called "Old Swarra", the old shirt, which I remember a friend of mine playing in memory of another friend.

""Old Swarra", the old shirt" A "swarra" is a woollen garment (and the wool used for it), and in this case (jupie or joopie), it refers to a vest (worn underneath), rather than a shirt.

very similar to The Hills of Lorne by Charlie Hunter, did one inspire the other?

https://youtu.be/Xq5JBSu5tqY?t=2m46s

play video

and I’m betting that this is the view from where he was seeing those lights go out:

https://goo.gl/maps/XfJWqkiNx8S2

Such a pretty tune. The bit on the e-string is the first thing I’ve ever really loved playing on the e on the fiddle.

This may be a harmony line for Da Slockit Light (written by Ed Pearlman) but it’s a grand tune in its own right. At least two harmonies have been written for this tune but this is a good’un. Tom Anderson wrote the tune in Shetland, partly to honour his late wife. I know nothing of Ed Pearlman and what else he has done.

Hi Susan,
Would this not have been better posted under "Da Slockit Light" like the other harmony part already posted there, or do you wish this to be treated as a tune on it’s own?

DonaldK I think it is quite nice to be played on its own but I take your point. Vanity prevailed and I wanted to post it as a new tune. I believe a young American lass wrote another good harmony when she got to know Tom Anderson and that’s good too (Jenny Wrigley knows it I think). But we can see how good Da Slockit Light is and how it inspired folk?

Sorry I didn’t know there was a harmony for this posted already.

Different from the harmony we usually play in Scots Music Group: it has a rather creepy Bb in the second half of the tune, 2 bars from the end, which sounds very strange when you first hear it, but you get used to it and grow to like it! (For the technically minded the interval between the melody and harmony notes is an augmented fifth!)

Augmented fifth - a bit strange. In choir we learned about the tritone, the devil’s interval. Is that an augmented fourth I dunno. Old age leads to loss of nous.

Ed Pearlman has performed, taught, and promoted fiddle music, particularly that of Scotland and Cape Breton for over 30 years. He has worked with many of the top fiddlers from Scotland and Cape Breton. He tours often as a duo with his son Neil, an accomplished professional pianist who seamlessly melds Scottish traditional tunes with Latin, funk, and jazz (info on Ed and Neil as a duo). Ed’s wife, Laura Scott, is a Highland dancer who incorporates Cape Breton step, Highland folk, and creates improvs and new choreographies. Their family band (www.highlandsoles.com) includes their son Neil, along with Lilly, an excellent fiddler and dancer, and Jesse, who plays whistle and dances. Ed has toured with Highland Soles throughout the USA and in Canada and Scotland. (from Google, with thanks) ED PEARLMAN is the composer of this harmony.

"Different from the harmony we usually play in Scots Music Group: it has a rather creepy Bb in the second half of the tune, 2 bars from the end"

Technically speaking, it’s really an A# rather than a Bb. It’s part of an A#dim(7) chord (or, more correctly, anF#7b9 chord) leading to Bm (the relative minor of D).
Another way to look at it is that the fifth of D is A. If you augment the fifth it becomes A#.

There now. Isn’t that just wonderfully pedantic.

Glory be : thanks DonaldK.

That very esoteric point did occur to me as I was writing it, Donald. I was taught not to mix sharps and flats in the same score, so yes, it should be shown as an A# and not a Bb (pedants would say that’s a hashtag and not a sharp sign!) However the scores for the harmony part that I have seen show it as a Bb! And the note it is set against in the melody is an F# above (oh dear, I’ve done it again!) I’ll get ma jaikit!
Thanks for combining the threads.

The Ed Pearlman harmony is X:4

JC is John Chambers, a multitalented musician from the Boston area. Also a talented computer person who maintains JC’s Tune Finder.
Sylvia Miskoe, Concord NH USA

There is a beautiful setting of this tune on the"Sheer Pandemonium" album on track 14. This can be heard at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5_rDpZHRrc

play video

With good harmony parts, it is worth a listen.

Here’s what the Dictionar o the Scots Leid has to say, s.v. slocken:

(4) To quench or extinguish (fire), to put out (a flame) (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Uls. 1953 Traynor Gl.; Cai., Wgt., Rxb. 1970). Also fig.
Fif. 1704 in G. Sinclair Satan’s Invisible World Discovered (1871) 259:
Having confessed her compact with the devil, and using of spells; and particularly her slockening the coal in water.
Gall. 1711 Session Bk. Penninghame (1933) I. 302:
She wished that John M’Kies blood might slocken the fire of hell.
Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 104:
Foul Water slockens Fire.
Abd. 1778 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 88:
Thir words a wee did slocken Lindy’s fire.
Sc. 1802 Scott Minstrelsy I. 129:
I would set that Castell in a low, And sloken it with English blood.
Sc. 1812 Scots Mag. (April) 296:
Her hearth was sloken’d out with care.
Ayr. 1823 Galt R. Gilhaize I. vi.:
The soldiers are slockening the ashes.
m.Sc. a.1846 A. Rodger Poems (1901) 55:
What I’ve drunk might have slockened the sun.

And this is the etymology:
O.Sc. sloken, to extinguish fire, a.1400, to quench thirst, 1423, North. Mid.Eng. slokken, of fire, O.N. slokna, of a fire, to go out.

Still heard in the Borders, especially ‘ti slocken a drouth’ with e.g. a cold beer