Concert Band - Level 2 - Digital Download
SKU: A0.1440627
By Graham Hamilton. By Graham Hamilton. Celtic,Classical,Contest,Festival,Historic,Irish,Traditional. 70 pages. Hambone Music #1020604. Published by Hambone Music (A0.1440627).
The final movement of the 'Peebles Beltane Festival Suite' is rousing quick march, based upon the traditional Beltane Festal Song theme from the small town of Peebles in the Scottish Borders. The Beltane Fetstival which is celebrated every year has been going for almost 200 years.
The words to the traditional festal song are:
At Beltane in the aulden time, it was the custom gay, T
o gather on the village green and hail the festal day,
Huntsman gallant and sheperds grey, dought and blythsome men,
And Lassies blooming fresh and fair cam liltin’ doon the glen,
Through the greenwood haste away,... Sing aloud the festal lay,
Busk the the Beltane banner gay, to Peblis and the play.
Auld Neidpath, grim and grey wi’ years, looks doon wi war-scarred face,
And sentinels our royal toun wi’ majesty and grace,
Loyal sons of a fearless race, gather we here today,
And sing the auld-warld round-e-lay of ‘Peblis to the Play’,
Wave the Beltane banner high,
Ring the anthem to the sky,
While our silver stream rolls by,
The Tweeddale glen for aye.
Across the wild foam-crested wave, in distant lands of fame,
The exile oft wi’ pride recalls the dear auld Border hame,
And while we crown our Beltane queen, ‘mid flaming skies of June,
We pledge the leal hearts far a-wa and lilt our festal tune,
Honour is our watchword clear,
Truth our dauntless halberdier,
Liberty’s our heralds cheer,
Long live our Beltane Queen.
