The Grieg Society of Scotland is pleased to announce the release of two special resources in support of its physical heritage project Monumentally Grieg! – a short documentary film produced and narrated by the Society’s Honorary Director, and a complementary online 3D model built by conservation experts Spectrum Heritage in exciting, cross-discipline collaboration with the Society. Together they tell the story of the Edvard Grieg ancestral gravestone at Rathen, Aberdeenshire, how it came to be erected, how the Society set about conserving it, and what it means today.
Our Honorary Director was delighted to be invited along this month to the opening of a very special community garden in the village of Rathen, Aberdeenshire. Inventively named by the children of the local primary school, the garden celebrates the community’s deep-rooted links with Norway and an exciting family connection with composer Edvard Grieg.
North East Scotland was enjoying one of those bonnie summer days with blue skies, barely a breeze, and birds that canna help but sing, when our Honorary Director arrived at the peaceful village of Rathen – kindly invited there by the staff and children of Rathen Primary School, to attend a grand ‘opening’!
Rathen Primary School
‘Aye, foos it gaun?’ [hvordan går det?] came the cheerie cry as folks came up the brae, assembling not far from the kirkyard where composer Edvard Grieg’s paternal ancestors lie buried. It was a grand morning. But what none of us expected as we wandered by the granite school building, was the beautiful, neatly planted garden which greeted us, and the beautifully choreographed opening ceremony which followed.
The children create a colourful Scottish-Norwegian greeting for their garden guests
Invited to sit round a neat fence and carefully cut patch of grass, we had much to admire – early tatties in neat rows, birds at the bird feeders, borders full of blossoming begonias, and an abundance of bushes and trees providing a natural sheltering hedge.
Waiting for the children at the Opening Ceremony 07 June 2018.
Settled, or rather, gently squeezed into our appointed places, we waited as an impressively long line of schoolchildren filed by, and sitting row by row, filled the deep green grassy space before us until it became a waving sea of blue jumpers and happy faces.
This was going to be fun!
A hush descended over the gathering as the youngsters delivered their speeches of welcome and thanks. The Grieg Society of Scotland, along with representatives from Aberdeenshire Council, were warmly welcomed, as were the two most important guests of the day – Mr and Mrs Greig, who farmed by the village, and who had kindly gifted the land to the community for the purposes of making this excellent and educational garden.
Mr & Mrs Greig open the garden.
Mr Jim Greig, whose folks had farmed in the district for generations, had ‘aye thocht’ he was related to Edvard Grieg, and so it was, with this musical and family link in mind, the children had chosen a special and thoughtful name for their fertile plot. Proudly announcing the opening of ‘Grieg’s Healthy Hedge Community Garden’ (a name we feel sure will blossom in many ways!) there came a vote of approval too, as a worm, the cause of great wriggling and hilarity, suddenly made its appearance amidst the children on the grass – a ‘healthy’ sign indeed!
After a tree was planted and a ribbon cut, it was back to the village hall for a ‘fly cuppie’ and a ‘fancy piece’, all rounded off with a song – spoken in Scots, sung in Norwegian – from our Honorary Director who much enjoyed her day in the garden with Grieg!
Mr & Mrs Greig – still farming close by Edvard Grieg’s ancestral home
Skotsk – Norsk
Aye, foos it gaun? – hvordan går det?
Tatties – poteter
Aye thocht – alltid tenkte
Fly cuppie – en hastig kopp te eller kaffe
Fancy piece – et lite kakkestykke
Over two bright, but bracing January days, our Honorary Director made a special visit to the Aberdeenshire village of Rathen to set the Society’s project Monumentally Grieg! in motion. Though the weather was chill, the welcome could not have been warmer.
Day 1 was set aside to meet informally with representatives of Banff and Buchan Community Council and Aberdeenshire Council, to chat and scope out ideas for the local community’s participation in both conservation and interpretation aspects of the project. We were delighted to find that word had spread, and as we gathered for our conversation in the kirkyard, our meeting with three, grew to a gathering with seven interested individuals, including two members of the local kirk session, plus one of the two head teachers and the pupil support assistant at Rathen Primary School.
Left to right: Frances Kelly (Pupil Support Asst, Rathen Primary School), David Bellany (Chair, Banff & Buchan Community Council), Ian Campbell (Session Clerk, Rathen West Church), Cllr Charles Buchan (Aberdeenshire Council), Linda Walker (Sec, Banff & Buchan Community Council), Kathleen Catto (Dep Session Clerk, Rathen West Church), Dr Sally LK Garden (Hon Director, Grieg Society of Scotland). Out of shot: Jacqueline Geddes (Head Teacher, Rathen Primary School).
The meeting generated a number of productive themes the Society can help develop with the input of the community. These include: education and language-learning, local heritage and family history, tourism, and community participation in conservation workshop activity.
We learned too, that composer Edvard Grieg is ‘aye ca’d’ – always called, in the lilting Doric tongue of his ancestors, simply ‘Edward Greig’ – a fine compliment, and sure sign that his spirit is alive in the community!
Day 2 we welcomed our conservation expert Clara Molina Sanchez of Spectrum Heritage, to make a site visit to assess the condition of the gravestone. This, in the midst of a snell wind, brought a surprise, and puzzle. Beneath the grass, lay a layer of mortar. A discovery, from our conservation point of view, which will need some thought!
Conservation expert Clara Molina Sanchez of Spectrum Heritage assesses the condition of the Grieg ancestral gravestone.
A lot now has to be done to develop our formal plans and submissions to relevant authorities, a process that will take us into early spring. But looking round the kirkyard, maybe that’s not so far off – isn’t there a change of season in the air?
Snowdrops at Rathen Old Kirkyard, a gentle sign of spring close by the grave of Edvard Grieg’s great great grandparents John Greig and Anne Milne.
Above our heads the corbies cawed and circled, settling softly on the winter-bare branches, curious perhaps to see such a gathering below. And round our feet, the first shy snowdrops, sheltering among the stones, listened to our chatter and laughter. With these first hints of Spring, finally, gently, the first phase of Monumentally Grieg! was underway!
