Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Da Slockit Light

reel

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on August 3rd 2003 by lazyhound.

This tune has been added to 198 tunebooks.

Also known as Da Slokit Light, Slockit Light, The Slockit Light.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

But Why, Johnny? by John Halloran
Dóbró by Frankie Lane
Far From Home by Boys Of The Lough
Fire And Grace by Alistair Fraser With Natalie Haas
Foxglove by Moving Cloud
Helicon by Helicon
Humours Of Lissadell by Seamus And Manus McGuire
Judique On The Floor by Buddy MacMaster
Music At The House by Brendan Bulger, Marty Fahey And Kathleen Gavin
On Kielder Side by Kathryn Tickell
The Celtic Ray by Marcille Wallis
The Silver Bow: The Fiddle Music Of Shetland by Tom Anderson And Aly Bain
Traditional Music From Clare And Beyond by Gearoid O HAllmhurain

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Da Slockit Light

A Shetland tune that was a favourite of the concertina player and singer Alan Cormack of Bristol (UK), a well-known musician in local sessions and bands, who died recently at the age of 60. This tune was played at Alan's funeral by one of his pupils on Alan's own concertina which was then placed on the coffin for the rest of the service. The tune is played regularly in Bristol sessions.
Trevor

# Posted on August 3rd 2003 by lazyhound

I downloaded the abc from J-C's website.

Here is the abc transcription by Mary Lou Knack with added chords:

# Posted on August 3rd 2003 by lazyhound

Sounds weird as a reel. I've only ever heard it as a slow air(?), played in many sessions all over England and Scotland.

# Posted on August 3rd 2003 by Dow

Da Slockit Light

I agree. It's hardly a tune for dancing, but the fact that it is in 4-4 automatically gets it listed as a reel for the purposes of this site's tune database.
Trevor

# Posted on August 3rd 2003 by lazyhound

Perhaps Jeremy should add a section for slow airs. It seems ridiculous that they are listed in other categories e.g. reels although, admittedly. some tunes like the Hills of Glenorchy have slow and fast versions.

John

# Posted on August 3rd 2003 by Back for a while

Da Slockit Light

John, I expect Jeremy has seriously considered this, but there may be deep technical difficulties to do with the structure of the database why it has not happened (yet).
So we are left with the situation that if you want to submit a genuine slow air, which are so often metrically free form, that clearly isn't, and can never be, a dance form, then you have to write it as a waltz, reel or whatever. Anyway, something that is the closest fit to the tune you're working with.
Trevor

# Posted on August 3rd 2003 by lazyhound

Da Slockit Light :by Tom Anderson

AFAIK this nice tune was composed by the great old Shetland fiddler Tom Anderson in the sixties.

# Posted on August 6th 2003 by swisspiper

Tunes origin?

I remember a tale of where the tune came from, that Tom had driven out into the country at night and could see his village in the distance. Feeling sad after the death of his wife, he stopped and watched the lights going out one by one, and thinking that there weren't as many lights as there used to be in his youth as people were leaving the Island.
I always thought it was a lighthouse, but found out a "Slockit" light is a "broken" one.

# Posted on August 7th 2003 by geoffwright

Slockit

According to most of the sources I've been able to find, "slockit" means "extinguished", rather than "broken". One source claims it is the glowing tip at the end of an extinguished candle.

---Michael B.

# Posted on August 12th 2003 by MichaelBolton

Slockit

As with so many other words in Shetland this is a Scandinavian word and as Michael suggests it means a light that is turned out, quenched or extinguished. I have never ever thought about the fact that there is no synonymous word in Standard English.
For me, as a Swede, it's always funny with the Shetland tongue, 'cos it is most often self explanatory, from a Scandinavian point of view (and as a fact there are many words in Scots as well that are closer to Scandinavian tongues than to Standard English)

# Posted on August 13th 2003 by lars

Da Slockit Light

We heard this tune played by Walt Michael - a hmmer dulcimer player from the States - at Sidmouth at couple of years back. He toldusthat when Tom Anderson died this tune was played at his funeral and now if you play this tune in the Shetland Islands people stand. I don't know if this is true but it struck a chord wih us and our friend turned to us and said "you can play that at my funeral". A year later when he died suddenly at the age of 48 his son remembered this and it was played on Uillean pipes during the service. It's nce to hear that other people held this tune in the same way as the first comment shows.

# Posted on August 25th 2003 by Nutty Nessie

Da Slockit Light

I've heard it was also played at Tom Anderson's own funeral --- quite fitting.

# Posted on March 25th 2004 by sara g

Da Slockit Light

Does anyone have the sheet music for the counter melody for Da Slockit Light? I played it once from a friend's music, and it was beautiful, but haven't been able to find it since, other than the regular melody. Thanks.

# Posted on February 11th 2005 by swillybay

I think you can find it in JC's tune database. Just enter "slockit," and click "Da Slockit Light - 2nd part" or "Da Slockit Light - Harmony."

To add some more info of the tune, I heard this tune was also written just after the death of the composer's wife. So, "the extinguished light" has another meaning.

Though this is a beautiful tune, it's somewhat irrelevant in the Irish music session.

# Posted on February 11th 2005 by slainte

Da Slockit Light

Thanks very much. I'm brand new to this site, so please forgive my ignorance, but what is JC's database? If it's the Session, it's not in here, but if you can instruct me to get to JC's database (if not this one), I would appreciate it. Again, sorry for the ignorance.

I realize it isn't strictly Irish, but we have a small very un-strict group that plays a bit of everything just for fun, so any help is appreciated. Thanks!

# Posted on February 12th 2005 by swillybay

JCs database

http://jc.tzo.net:1742/~jc/cgi/abc/FindTune

# Posted on February 12th 2005 by gian marco

JC's database

A thousand thanks! Yet another really great site!

# Posted on February 15th 2005 by swillybay

The gifts of Tom Anderson ~

Rather than the idea of this as a reel or a 'slow air', though the latter is closer, I have always heard it, including the playing of the composer, as more like a slow march. As you can imagine, "The Slockit Light", and the meaning, a light extinguished or turned out, it has also featured at funerals. It is a beautiful tune and I've been known to shed a few tears playing it... Tom Anderson was a musician and a magician...

On second parts, one of the publications featuring Tom's tunes has a second part written out. I'll see if I can find it. I also remember a second part by that fine American fiddler and fiddle teacher Pam Swing. I'll see if I can find these things here and return with the specifics.

# Posted on October 20th 2005 by ceolachan

Irrelevance? ~

Slainte ~ it's not irrelevant old buddy if Irish musicians sometimes choose to play it... our respect extends to other traditions and players, even the occassional Japanese bloke who chooses to do us the honour of giving it a go ~ only a rare few of us are jingoistic over music... It doesn't surprise me that those who are have usually taken it on secondhand, such as second generation Irish, and later, as well as other 'foreigners'...

;-)

# Posted on October 20th 2005 by ceolachan

Widening Gyre ~

Oh yes, relevance elsewhere where talent and inspiration and heart are concerned:

"Judique On The Floor"
One of Cape Breton's finest fiddlers ~ Buddy MacMaster

http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display.php/999

# Posted on October 20th 2005 by ceolachan

"Ringing Strings:Traditional Shetland Music and Dance"

Tom Anderson
Shetland Times Ltd., 1983
ISBN: 0 900662 40 9

20 - Da Slockit Light
21 - Da Slockit Light Second Fiddle

"Traditional Shetland music and dance. Tunes old and new collected together by the late Tom Anderson, the well respected fiddle player and teacher from Shetland. Published in 1983 it has become an important collection of Shetland tunes and dances."

http://www.shetlandtoday.co.uk/
http://www.shetlandtoday.co.uk/Shop/book_details.asp?Category=27

The Edinburgh Shetland Fiddler's Society
http://www.e-s-f.fsnet.co.uk/

Shetland Music ~ Written Tune Sources
http://www.e-s-f.fsnet.co.uk/sources.htm

# Posted on October 20th 2005 by ceolachan

"The Ringing Strings" ~ Tom Anderson

~ from a tape recorded interview with Tom by a student in 1970:

"I was coming out of Eshaness in late January, 1969, the time was after 11pm and as I looked back at the top of the hill leading out of the district I saw so few lights compared to what I remembered when I was young. As I watched, the lights started going out one by one. That, coupled with the recent death of my late wife, made me think of the old word 'Slockit', meaning, a light that has gone out, and I think that was what inspired the tune."

# Posted on October 20th 2005 by ceolachan

A Second part & "Haand me doon da fiddle' ~ will yuh?

http://mmcconeghy.com/ ~ the homepage out of respect
http://mmcconeghy.com/RIMUSIC/ ~ and then, finally:

Da Slockit Light
http://mmcconeghy.com/RIMUSIC/images/daslockitlighttomanderson.pdf

Second part by Ellen Thomas ~ the one known by most...
http://mmcconeghy.com/RIMUSIC/images/daslockitlight2ndingpart.pdf

Ellen, like the previously mentioned Pam Swing, were friends of and studied under Tom Anderson. Pam with Tom produced another excellent little volume of music from the Shetlands, also highly recommended:

"Haand me doonda fiddle"
Tom Anderson & Pam Swing
The University of Sterling, 1979
ISBN: 0 901636 25 8

If you ever get the opportunity to learn from Pam, she's a charm, gifted ~ take it. You'd be a fool to pass it up... She's a great dance musician too...

# Posted on October 20th 2005 by ceolachan

"Da Slockit Light" ~ Second Part

C: Ellen Thomas
FE |
"D" A,3D F2 A2 | dc AG "Bm7" F2 D2 | "G" G2 B2 "D" F2 A2 | "Em" GF ED "A7" A,4 |
"D" A,3D F2 A2 | dc AG F2 D2 | "Em" G,4 "A7" A,3 C | "D" [A,6D6] :|
g |
"D"d2 A2 "A7"c3E | "Em" G4 "A7" FE DC | "D" D4 "E7" ^G3 E | "A7" C2 A,2 B,2 C2 |
"D" D4 "A7" A4 | "Em" G6 GF | "G" G2 B,2 "A7" A,B, A,C | "D" DA, B,G, A,4 |
"D" D4 "A7" C4 | "Em" B,6 GF | "G" G2 B2 "D" F2 A2 | "Em" GF ED "A7" A,4 |
"D" A,3 D F2 A2 | "D+" ^A4 "Bm7" F2 D2 | "Em" G,4 "A7" A,3 C | "D" [A,7D7] ||

# Posted on October 20th 2005 by ceolachan