Ailie Robertson - the Maclean Clephane Manuscripts

Aim

Bringing 200-year-old harp manuscripts back to life with a new book & CD. Help bring this project to life!

About Me

I’m a harpist with a lifelong passion for Scotland’s rich musical heritage. Like Anna-Jane and Margaret Maclean Clephane — the remarkable young women at the heart of this project — I play, research, and share the harp’s unique voice. Over the past few years I’ve performed widely, taught, and explored Scotland’s historic repertoire. This project is my way of connecting directly with the past, and making it accessible for today’s musicians and listeners.

The Idea

Anna-Jane and Margaret Maclean Clephane of Torloisk House on the Isle of Mull were harpists and devoted their free time to collecting traditional music and song. Margaret, (shown here playing the harp in a painting by Raeburn from 1813), was born on 13 December 1791 and Anna-Jane was born on 21 May 1793 🎵✨

In the early 1800s, while they were still only teenagers, they compiled several incomparable manuscripts of music — an extraordinary feat, especially for women of their time. These manuscripts have never been published, and are an almost unique example of early 19th-century Scottish women curating and preserving music.

The manuscripts contain a wide selection of Gaelic music, ranging from rough copies to highly arranged settings. As such, they give insight into the living Gaelic culture that surrounded the sisters. Cooke describes the material as; “a remarkable source of Gaelic melody as performed in the Inner Hebrides in the early 19th century…there is no other comparable early Gaelic source of texts with melodies.” Existing research suggests the collections have links with the old Scottish harpers. The manuscripts contain another 36 Harp Airs and 11 Ports. The Ports, presented as bare melody lines, are an exciting example of early Scottish harp music.

With your support, I’m creating:
📖 A beautifully typeset book of harp arrangements from the manuscripts
💿 A companion CD recording, bringing the music to life

Together, these will revive a forgotten chapter of Scotland’s musical history.

My Vision

This isn’t just about one recording or book — it’s about giving a voice back to Anna-Jane and Margaret, and making their legacy available to harpists, musicians, and listeners around the world. My vision is that their work will inspire new generations, spark performances, and enrich our understanding of Scotland’s cultural history. As early collections of traditional music by women are rare, I am keen to amplify the work of these historical female figures.

How Your Support Will Be Used

I have now completed the research and arrangements of the manuscripts, and have spent a week at a recording studio recording them on a gorgeous 200-year-old Erard harp. 

Your pledges will help me now:

• Typeset and print the harp book
• Mix and Master the CD and print physical copies
• Design, artwork, and production for book + CD
• Promote and distribute so the music reaches as wide an audience as possible

Every contribution brings me closer to getting this project over the finish line.

Thank you so much!!!

“The Maclean-Clephane MSS are important historical artefacts of 19th century understanding of Scottish harp music but are particularly important as documentation by women of that era. Further study of the MSS as regards notation, repertoire and context will certainly shed additional light on both harp music and the musical lives of women in the 19th century Scottish Highlands and provide new material for both historically-informed and contemporary arrangements for harp today.” - Josh Dickson, Head of Traditional Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made