Saltire Music Group Explained

The Saltire Music Group or Saltire Singers were a Scottish musical group founded by composer Isobel Dunlop (1901–1975) in 1950 for The Saltire Society and directed and conducted by Hans Oppenheim (1892–1965).^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} In addition to performing traditional songs the group also commissioned and performed new works from Scottish composers.^[5]

Discography

• Burns Night - Songs And Poems Of Robert Burns, with poetry readings by Ian Gilmour and Meta Forrest Angel Records ANG 35256 1956^[6]
  • Also released as An Evening With Robert Burns, Columbia Records 1956
• William Byrd Madrigals, Motets, & Anthems, The Saltire Singers Lyrichord LLST 7156 1966
• Scotland In The Festival - Songs And Poems Of Scotland, The Saltire Music Group SIF 01 1970
• John Dowland Music Of Love And Friendship, Saltire Singers with Desmond Dupré, Musical Heritage Society MHS 870

Notes and References

1. David Daiches - A Companion to Scottish culture -1982 - Page 106 "With Hans Oppenheim she founded the Saltire Music Group and the Saltire Singers, for whom she wrote various vocal and instrumental pieces and actively commissioned new works from the rising generations of Scottish composers. Her children's opera, The Scarecrow, was performed in Malvern in 1955 and 1956 and other instrumental and choral works have been broadcast in recent years, including the one-act opera The Silhouette (1969, BBC Commission), Fantasy Quartet .
2. The Musical Times - Volume 106 1965 -- Page 790 "HANS OPPENHEIM, the conductor, died in Edinburgh on Aug 19; he was 73. He was born in Berlin where he formed the opera group Deutsche Musikbiihne. In 1933 he came to England; he conducted Mozart at Glyndebourne, directed the Darlington Hall Music Group 1937-45, worked with the English Opera Group in 1946 and with the Glyndebourne Opera at the 1949 Edinburgh Festival. He admired and promoted particularly Monteverdi, Schiitz, Purcell and Britten, in Scotland ..."
3. Elizabeth L. Ewan, Sue Innes, Sian Reynolds -The Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women - 2006 - Page 109 0748626603 "Although she is best remembered for her work for the Saltire Society, in particular her founding of the Saltire Music Group and Saltire Singers, Isobel Dunlop's contribution as a composer deserves re-evaluation. Her works include a one-act opera, The Silhouette (1954), as well as a number of keyboard and vocal works, including cantatas. Her Fantasy String Quartet, depicting the four seasons, was commissioned by the University of Glasgow and performed at the 1972 McEwen Memorial concert. ..."
4. Scottish Music and Drama 1946 -- Page 78 "The 1951-52 season is the natural development from the experimental season of last year when the Saltire Music Group was first created. This consisted, and still consists of a group of musicians, amateur and professional, but with one bond between them, that of making music together. Their cradle is the headquarters of the Saltire Society, Gladstone; Land, that lovely old house in the Lawnmarket, Edinburgh, where the first four concerts were held last winter. The Scottish programme ..."
5. Scottish International - Volumes 6-7 - Page 39 1973 THE SALTIRE SOCIETY As part of its 1973 Edinburgh Festival programme, the Saltire Society presents SUNDAY, 19th August, at 5.30 p.m. The programme will include “The Wanderer" by Martin Dalby commissioned by the Saltire Music Group and the poetry of Robert Tait and OtherS. Clifford Hughes (Tenor), Margaret Evans (Piano), Robert Tait (Reader). The programme will include "Scena" by David Dorward and the poetry of Stewart Conn.
6. Billboard - 21 Jan 1956 - Page 26 This collection of the poems and songs by Scotland's national poet is flawlessly recorded by the Saltire Music Group. In addition to the singers, there are two speakers, Ian Gilmour and Meta Forrest, who declaim the verses. The package is a distinghished addition to the broadening areas of culture now considered a proper activity for the record industry.