Over the Sea to Skye

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It is often played as a slow lullaby or waltz, and entered into the modern folk canon in the twentieth century with versions by Paul Robeson, Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, Roger Whittaker, Tori Amos, and many others. While season 1's was exceptionally Scottish, Mashable explained that season 2 added the string instrument called a viola de gamba to echo a Parisian sound since Jamie and Claire found themselves in France. When the couple traveled to Jamaica in season 3, the tune changed during episode 9, "The Doldrums," when it took on a Caribbean flair, strengthening its drum-led beats. And of course in season 4, the slower pace, addition of a banjo, and distinct bluegrass sound ("might be my personal favorite," McCreary says) signaled Claire and Jamie had made it to America.

The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin recorded an arrangement by their artistic director Desmond Earley for their 2015 album Invisible Stars: Choral Works of Ireland and Scotland [15]

Michael Tippett originally included the song, titled as "Over the Sea to Skye", in his arrangements of Four Songs from the British Isles for unaccompanied four-part chorus in 1957, commissioned by North West German Radio, Bremen, for a festival of European folk song. The amateur choir for which they were intended found the songs too difficult, and the first performance took place in July 1958, given by the London Bach Group, conducted by John Minchinton, at Royaumont in France. Tippett's Selected Letters states that he proposed to replace "Over the Sea to Skye" because it was "too strictly held by a publisher here". [ citation needed]

The text of the song gives an account of how Bonnie Prince Charlie, disguised as a serving maid, escaped in a small boat after the defeat of his Jacobite rising of 1745, with the aid of Flora MacDonald. The song draws on the motifs of Jacobitism although it was composed nearly a century and a half after the episode it describes. [3] Especially Stevenson's version, which gives the boat's course (Mull was astern, Rum on the port, Eigg on the starboard bow) seems to describe Charles's flight from the mainland, but that is unhistorical. The only time Charles was in Skye was when he left Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides to avoid the increasingly thorough government searches. It is unlikely that a boat from Benbecula would sail south of Rum to travel to Skye. Bear McCreary adapted the song as the opening titles of the 2014 TV series Outlander, sung by Raya Yarbrough, changing the text of Robert Louis Stevenson's poem "Sing Me a Song of a Lad That Is Gone" (1892) to " Lass" to fit the story. [3] [13]It's not simply the geography," he said. "The changing of the main title comments on an evolution of the characters. We knew that we wanted something dramatic and cinematic."

George Donaldson of Celtic Thunder sang it in the 2015 show "Heritage" (arr. Phil Coulter) and on the CD and DVD of the same name. Celtic Thunder Limited. USA Sony Music Entertainment.Please read Understanding catalogue records for help interpreting this information and Using footage for more information about accessing this film. A Gaelic proverb is apt on the first day’s sailing, from Corpach to Tobermory: Am fear a bhios fad aig an aiseig gheibh e thairis uaireigin. Which means, “He that waits long for the ferry will get across sometime.” Sing me a Song of a Lad that is Gone by Robert Louis Stevenson". Poetry Foundation. 24 May 2018 . Retrieved 12 October 2021. Kuntz, Andrew. The Fiddler's Companion: A Descriptive Index of North American and British Isles Music for the Folk Violin and Other Instruments.