Echoes from Torloisk: Music from the Maclean Clephane Manuscripts

Ailie Robertson

Echoes from Torloisk: Music from the Maclean Clephane Manuscripts

Ailie Robertson (Performer)

Research output: Performances, compositions and other non-textual forms › CD/DVD/other digital output

Details

The Maclean Clephane manuscripts were compiled by Anna-Jane and Margaret Maclean Clephane at Torloisk House, Mull, between ca. 1808 and 1825. Margaret (1791 – 1830) and Anna Jane (1793 – 1860) were the eldest daughters of Marianne Maclean of Torloisk (1765-1840) and William Douglas Clephane of Carslogie (1759 - 1803).

They had a keen interest in the arts –both wrote poetry, were fluent in Gaelic and studied other languages, and of course, were musical (McAulay, 2013). Alexander Campbell wrote in 1815: “the accomplished ladies of Torloisk are admirably skilled in handling the harp”, and Raeburn’s portrait of Margaret, painted in 1813, shows her playing the harp. The girls’ Erard Grecian harp is still held at Torloisk House, though sadly not in a playable condition (from private correspondence with Richard Compton Maclean).

The girls devoted themselves to the collection, transcription and arrangement of music. Sir Walter Scott wrote that they had “the largest collection of Highland Music I ever saw written down” (1811). The material ranges from rough, hurried transcriptions to more complex arrangements and privately printed volumes. Dr Karen McAulay presents a list of all the known manuscripts and materials associated with the Maclean-Clephane sisters in her paper, 'The Accomplished Ladies of Torloisk’ (2013). Whilst they show a great interest in Scottish Gaelic and Irish repertoire, the various manuscripts also include tunes from around the world, including Armenia, India and Russia, as well as ‘Classical’ repertoire by composers such as Haydn and Mozart, giving insight into the breadth of the musical culture that the girls were exposed to.

This recording focuses on manuscript MS 10615 which is now held at Trinity College Dublin, with copies at the National Library of Scotland and School of Scottish Studies. Of particular interest are the 36 Harp Airs and 11 Ports. These provide a direct link to the old harpers such as Murdoch MacDonald and Echlin O’Kane. When deciding which tunes to arrange and record, I focussed on those unique to this manuscript, and versions not found elsewhere.

Original language	English
Media of output	CD
Publication status	Published or Performed - 23 Jan 2026

Access to Document

https://ailierobertson.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-from-torloisk-music-from-the-maclean-clephane-manuscripts

Cite this

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title = "Echoes from Torloisk: Music from the Maclean Clephane Manuscripts",

abstract = "The Maclean Clephane manuscripts were compiled by Anna-Jane and Margaret Maclean Clephane at Torloisk House, Mull, between ca. 1808 and 1825. Margaret (1791 – 1830) and Anna Jane (1793 – 1860) were the eldest daughters of Marianne Maclean of Torloisk (1765-1840) and William Douglas Clephane of Carslogie (1759 - 1803). They had a keen interest in the arts –both wrote poetry, were fluent in Gaelic and studied other languages, and of course, were musical (McAulay, 2013). Alexander Campbell wrote in 1815: “the accomplished ladies of Torloisk are admirably skilled in handling the harp”, and Raeburn{\textquoteright}s portrait of Margaret, painted in 1813, shows her playing the harp. The girls{\textquoteright} Erard Grecian harp is still held at Torloisk House, though sadly not in a playable condition (from private correspondence with Richard Compton Maclean). The girls devoted themselves to the collection, transcription and arrangement of music. Sir Walter Scott wrote that they had “the largest collection of Highland Music I ever saw written down” (1811). The material ranges from rough, hurried transcriptions to more complex arrangements and privately printed volumes. Dr Karen McAulay presents a list of all the known manuscripts and materials associated with the Maclean-Clephane sisters in her paper, 'The Accomplished Ladies of Torloisk{\textquoteright} (2013). Whilst they show a great interest in Scottish Gaelic and Irish repertoire, the various manuscripts also include tunes from around the world, including Armenia, India and Russia, as well as {\textquoteleft}Classical{\textquoteright} repertoire by composers such as Haydn and Mozart, giving insight into the breadth of the musical culture that the girls were exposed to. This recording focuses on manuscript MS 10615 which is now held at Trinity College Dublin, with copies at the National Library of Scotland and School of Scottish Studies. Of particular interest are the 36 Harp Airs and 11 Ports. These provide a direct link to the old harpers such as Murdoch MacDonald and Echlin O{\textquoteright}Kane. When deciding which tunes to arrange and record, I focussed on those unique to this manuscript, and versions not found elsewhere. ",

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N2 - The Maclean Clephane manuscripts were compiled by Anna-Jane and Margaret Maclean Clephane at Torloisk House, Mull, between ca. 1808 and 1825. Margaret (1791 – 1830) and Anna Jane (1793 – 1860) were the eldest daughters of Marianne Maclean of Torloisk (1765-1840) and William Douglas Clephane of Carslogie (1759 - 1803). They had a keen interest in the arts –both wrote poetry, were fluent in Gaelic and studied other languages, and of course, were musical (McAulay, 2013). Alexander Campbell wrote in 1815: “the accomplished ladies of Torloisk are admirably skilled in handling the harp”, and Raeburn’s portrait of Margaret, painted in 1813, shows her playing the harp. The girls’ Erard Grecian harp is still held at Torloisk House, though sadly not in a playable condition (from private correspondence with Richard Compton Maclean). The girls devoted themselves to the collection, transcription and arrangement of music. Sir Walter Scott wrote that they had “the largest collection of Highland Music I ever saw written down” (1811). The material ranges from rough, hurried transcriptions to more complex arrangements and privately printed volumes. Dr Karen McAulay presents a list of all the known manuscripts and materials associated with the Maclean-Clephane sisters in her paper, 'The Accomplished Ladies of Torloisk’ (2013). Whilst they show a great interest in Scottish Gaelic and Irish repertoire, the various manuscripts also include tunes from around the world, including Armenia, India and Russia, as well as ‘Classical’ repertoire by composers such as Haydn and Mozart, giving insight into the breadth of the musical culture that the girls were exposed to. This recording focuses on manuscript MS 10615 which is now held at Trinity College Dublin, with copies at the National Library of Scotland and School of Scottish Studies. Of particular interest are the 36 Harp Airs and 11 Ports. These provide a direct link to the old harpers such as Murdoch MacDonald and Echlin O’Kane. When deciding which tunes to arrange and record, I focussed on those unique to this manuscript, and versions not found elsewhere.

AB - The Maclean Clephane manuscripts were compiled by Anna-Jane and Margaret Maclean Clephane at Torloisk House, Mull, between ca. 1808 and 1825. Margaret (1791 – 1830) and Anna Jane (1793 – 1860) were the eldest daughters of Marianne Maclean of Torloisk (1765-1840) and William Douglas Clephane of Carslogie (1759 - 1803). They had a keen interest in the arts –both wrote poetry, were fluent in Gaelic and studied other languages, and of course, were musical (McAulay, 2013). Alexander Campbell wrote in 1815: “the accomplished ladies of Torloisk are admirably skilled in handling the harp”, and Raeburn’s portrait of Margaret, painted in 1813, shows her playing the harp. The girls’ Erard Grecian harp is still held at Torloisk House, though sadly not in a playable condition (from private correspondence with Richard Compton Maclean). The girls devoted themselves to the collection, transcription and arrangement of music. Sir Walter Scott wrote that they had “the largest collection of Highland Music I ever saw written down” (1811). The material ranges from rough, hurried transcriptions to more complex arrangements and privately printed volumes. Dr Karen McAulay presents a list of all the known manuscripts and materials associated with the Maclean-Clephane sisters in her paper, 'The Accomplished Ladies of Torloisk’ (2013). Whilst they show a great interest in Scottish Gaelic and Irish repertoire, the various manuscripts also include tunes from around the world, including Armenia, India and Russia, as well as ‘Classical’ repertoire by composers such as Haydn and Mozart, giving insight into the breadth of the musical culture that the girls were exposed to. This recording focuses on manuscript MS 10615 which is now held at Trinity College Dublin, with copies at the National Library of Scotland and School of Scottish Studies. Of particular interest are the 36 Harp Airs and 11 Ports. These provide a direct link to the old harpers such as Murdoch MacDonald and Echlin O’Kane. When deciding which tunes to arrange and record, I focussed on those unique to this manuscript, and versions not found elsewhere.

M3 - CD/DVD/other digital output

ER -