Sound Installation on the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Harlaw (24th July 1411)

On 4th May 2011, I made several recordings in the area where the Battle of Harlaw was fought in 1411, close to the 1911 monument and in the surrounding fields; I also made recordings in the Chapel of Garioch churchyard. My overall impression when listening back to these recordings is one of peacefulness and a sense of calm, not at all in keeping with what is reputed to have taken place in the area in 1411.

I wanted to create an installation which paid homage to those who fought in the battle, not one which necessarily evoked the sounds of battle, but one which, using the current soundscape, somehow presented sound from a bygone era behind a veil of recognition which allows the listeners' minds to both wander and wallow. I took pitches from the ballad The Battle of Harlaw (as sung by Jeannie Robertson) for some of the material, reflecting the inconclusive nature of the battle by using the opening three notes (approx. D#, F# and G#), emphasising their apparent lack of resolution to either B major or G# minor.

I have always felt a personal connection with Harlaw. On first moving to the north-east almost 20 years ago, we lived for two years in the area, in East Balhagardy and I would regularly push my new-born son's buggy on walks in the area. Close friends bought Harlaw House in the late 1990s and still live there; 24th July also happens to be my birthday.