From Caledonia to the Capital: Scottish Musicians, Music-Making and Culture in London during the Long Eighteenth Century - 1688-1815

My research asks what it meant to be a Scottish musician in eighteenth century London, and how Scottish affiliations and identities contributed to professional lives in the capital. How were networks of Scottish musicians and patrons formed, and how did they act to promote Scottish music in London? Where did Scottish musicians live in the capital? Who listened to and enjoyed Scottish music in London during this period, and why? Although a rich body of existing scholarship has explored Scottish music of this period, a concentration on origins has led to neglect of the crucial role of diaspora in shaping Scottish expressive culture. My focus on transcultural and transnational musical experience in an urban context will represent a new approach in this field, combining a historical analysis of the dynamic migration of Scottish musical identity with a focus on the role of Scottish musicians in the creative context of eighteenth century London.
First, I will explore how Scottish musicians asserted, or in some cases subverted, their "Scottishness" once settled in the capital, asking how Scottish-born 'professional' musicians interacted in London's musical scene, and whether they formed a distinct musical Scottish diaspora. A case study of James Oswald (1710-1769) whose secret 'Society of the Temple of Apollo' fostered a London circle of Scottish musicians, provides a case study from which to identify other influential Scottish musicians in London, such as the publisher Robert Bremner, who maintained businesses in both Edinburgh and London, and the composer and military general John Reid.
My second question moves from individuals to the geography of Scottish music in London, specifically where Scottish music was most performed and appreciated. In the context of the well-established evidence for Catch and Glee club culture, London hosted many clubs and societies with a Scottish focus (for example the Highland Society, est. 1778), which acted as mechanism for the dissemination of Scottish culture and music. Most eighteenth century Scottish musicians and patrons were Freemasons and I will also explore the role of Masonic lodges in the promotion of Scottish music in the capital. Many Scottish organisations were based in modern day West End (Covent Garden/The Strand), suggesting the fascinating possibility of a geographical centre for musical Scottish diaspora in London.
Thirdly, I will seek to establish how individuals of different classes, genders and musical capacity responded to and interacted with Scottish musical culture and identity in London. In the context of an increased fascination with Scottish culture surrounding the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, I will explore Scottish elements in contexts which formed the basis for musical enjoyment, including domestic music making, the Pleasure Gardens, and Scottish Country dance gatherings. Here, female engagement will be considered as an important case study: to what extent was appreciation of Scottish music a feminised pursuit, and if so, what were the characteristics which made it so?
In addressing emigrant musical identities in the eighteenth century, my research both builds upon a flourishing body of scholarship and addresses a significant lacuna in Scottish historical research. Recent decades have seen a notable increase in scholarship on historical Scottish musical culture, accompanied by the discovery of several important musical manuscripts and collections throughout Scotland. Drawing upon these finds, several music historians have established a strong literature on the development of Scottish music from its beginnings.
Through the research outlined above, I hope to make a significant contribution to the field of Scottish historical musical research, exploring the cultural impact of migration through analysis of the intersection of Scottish diaspora and the urban London context, in order to produce a new historiography of Scottish music-making in eighteenth century Britain.