Grummore

A tone poem about the highland clearance at Grummore, Loch Naver.

I, Ian Sumner and my wife Jan Riley were partners in general medical in the West Midlands.
I have played oboe since 1992 and then took up the cello in 2007 following early retirement.
( Jan plays bassoon and double bass). We both rehearse regularly with three orchestras.

I wrote Grummore, for cello and lever harp in 2015 following a visit with friend Dr Alan Carr
to the site of the cleared village of Grummore on Loch Naver in Sutherland.

The Strathnaver clearances took place in 1810.
They started at the western end of Loch Naver, Grummore being the first village to be cleared.
The inhabitants were given one hour's notice. All buildings, including barns and cowsheds were set on fire.

Alan Carr lives in Glenbuchat, Strathdon, Aberdeenshire.
He plays the lever harp. He initiated the Aberdeen Harp project which aimed at inviting composers
to write music for lever harp and for ensebles with lever harp and other instruments.

Following our visit in 2015, I had a quick lesson from Alan on lever harp 'technology'
and then wrote 'Grummore' for harp and cello.

The music is in four sections:

• Loch Naver – representing the beautiful, austere remote setting in StrathNaver.

• Crofters – lively, happy music describing a tough but sustainable and happy existence prior to the clearance...
  but then becoming  gradually more sinister as the clearance approaches.

• Clearance – sounds of impending doom followed by the extreme violence of the clearance.
   The harp plays loud discords underpinned by rapid low anxious chords on the cello.
   These reach a climax which is followed by painful cries of anguish which then gradually fade as
   the village is irretrevablely burned and lost.

• Lament – A slow sad theme on the cello which is finally repeated by the harp.

 A Sibelius computer synthesisis at:  http://g3vpx.net/harp/grum20.wav

The sheet music is on the Aberdeen harp project site:   https://sound-scotland.co.uk/participate/aberdeen-harp-project-1

Grummore was first performed by me on cello and Alan Carr on harp
at a harp+ concert at Migvie church, Aberdeenshire in 2016.

I susequently performed grummore before 200 musicians at the member's concert
of the NLMS summer school (with a piano pretending to be a harp!).
I prefixed the performance with a very brief history lesson on the highland clearances.
(I did this because I had become aware that a large section of the English popuplation,
across all walks of life had no knowledge of the clearances.)

After the concert, a German lady came and sat next to me at dinner.
She said: "Ian, I liked you piece..... You know we in Germany have a horrific history
... and we are completely open about it . You in this country have obviously hidden yours!".
... I thought ... wow that's heavy ....

Ian Sumner

ian@g3vpx.net