Soprano Elizabeth Wheeler ~ Loch Lomond (1910)

American soprano Elizabeth Wheeler (1875-1971) / Loch Lomond (traditional Scottish air) / Recorded: January 24, 1910 --

LOCH LOMOND (traditional Scottish air)

By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomon'.
where me and my true love were ever wont to gae
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomon'.

O ye'll tak' the high road and I'll tak the low road,
An' I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomon'.

The wee birdies sing and the wild flowers spring,
And in sunshine the waters are sleeping:
But the broken heart, it kens nae second spring again,
Tho' the waefu' may cease from their greeting.

O ye'll tak' the high road and I'll tak the low road,
An' I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomon'.

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Loch Lomond is a well-known traditional Scottish song, first published in 1841 in Vocal Melodies of Scotland. Loch Lomond is a large Scottish loch located between the traditional counties of Dunbartonshire and Stirlingshire. The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond is often the final piece of music played during an evening of revelry (a disco or dinner, etc.) in Scotland, a phenomenon not seen in other parts of the United Kingdom. There are many theories about the meaning of the song. One interpretation is that it is attributed to a Jacobite Highlander who was captured after the 1745 rising. The English played games with the Jacobites, and said that one of them could live and one would die. This is sung by the one who was sentenced to die, the low road referred to being the passage to the underworld. Another interpretation is that the song is sung by the lover of a captured rebel set to be to be executed in London following a show trial. The heads of the executed rebels were then set upon pikes and exhibited in all of the towns between London and Glasgow in a procession along the "high road" (the most important road), while the relatives of the rebels walked back along the "low road" (the ordinary road traveled by peasants and commoners). It captures some of the romantic spirit of the lost cause of Bonnie Prince Charlie. The full wikipedia article can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bonnie_Banks_o'_Loch_Lomond


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William Wheeler ~ Elizabeth Wheeler (pseudonym: Jane Kenyon)

Jim Walsh of Hobbies Magazine in1961 described Elizabeth Wheeler and William Wheeler as "the most successful husband and wife duet pair in the history of the phonograph." She was born Bess Nicholson in Kokomo, Indiana, in 1875; he was born in Shawano, Wisconsin in 1879. They married in 1904, and performed widely, doing standard ballads, light opera, and hymns. Mr. Wheeler made some solo recordings for Leeds & Caitlin, Edison and others, and then the two began their duet recordings in 1910, for Victor. "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" was an early hit, though it did not reach the 1917 Victor catalog, where there were 17 other titles by the pair. Their final Victor recording was the most popular one, "What a Friend We have in Jesus." Mrs. Wheeler made many solo Victors beginning in 1909; she sang ballads and children's songs, and also "Elizabeth's Prayer" from Tannhauser. William Wheeler did some solo work for Pathe. They did not record after the acoustic period, and "What a Friend" was the only one of their titles to reach the 1927 Victor catalog. Elizabeth Wheeler died in 1971; William Wheeler died in 1967. (From "The Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound in the United States" / edited by Guy A. Marco / Garland Publishing, Inc. - 1993)

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• American
• Soprano
• Elizabeth
• Wheeler
• Scottish
• Air
• Loch
• Lomond
• Acoustic
• 78
• rpm
• CurzonRoad

[65attila]

Doug

I can pay no higher compliment than to say that this performance

has me in tears of joy..

Regards-John

[CurzonRoad]

@65attila

John: So glad, grateful to resurrect the sounds of this fine, well nigh forgotten singer. Many thanks! Doug --

[thefrogmaster2]

russians sing this better!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CurzonRoad]

@thefrogmaster2

Oh? How so? Please explain...

Full details most welcome!

[Grundsau47]

Not only is her performance SO memorable, but this is one of the very, very clearest recordings that I've ever heard from that era!

Thank you so much for uploading this for all of the many appreciative listeners (Utubers??) such a myself...

[thefrogmaster2]

hi cruzon -only jokin- interesting that lizi is not scotish sounds like she is - beautifull and lovely

[CurzonRoad]

Elizabeth Wheeler really is in the "obscure and forgotten" category. A shame, because her communication is so real! Again, many thanks!

[99Gambo]

Perhaps not 'stellar' as you note. But goodness me how she would shine today.

[CurzonRoad]

Hi Gambo: Elizabeth Wheeler was very much from the USA; accent likely adjusted for this particular song. Many thanks! Cheers, etc. Doug --