Jessie MacLachlan
Scottish Gaelic soprano (1866–1916)
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Jessie Niven MacLachlan (Scottish Gaelic: Seònaid NicLachlainn) (18 June 1866 – 13 May 1916) was a Scottish Gaelic soprano.
Jessie MacLachlan | |
|---|---|
Jessie MacLachlan, from a postcard published in Australia, circa 1900; from the National Library of Australia | |
| Born | 18 June 1866 Oban, Scotland |
| Died | 13 May 1916 (aged 49) Glasgow, Scotland |
| Other name | Seònaid NicLachlainn (Gaelic) |
| Occupation | Singer |
Early life
Career
MacLachlan achieved fame as a stage singer of Gaelic song.[2] She performed for Queen Victoria, at Balmoral Castle in 1892.[3] She toured extensively. She shared a bill with singer Harry Lauder and violinist Mackenzie Murdoch on a Scottish tour.[4] She toured in North America in 1901;[5] while in Canada, she sang with a teenaged Henry Burr, at the Opera House in Saint John.[6] In 1902, she sang at the Scottish Concert of the London Inverness-shire Association, to raise funds for Scottish scholarships and a "Home Club for Highland Lads" in London.[7] In 1905 she sang at a Burns Monument Fund benefit concert in Boston.[8] She performed in New Zealand in 1905 and again in 1907.[9][10]
During her North American tour, MacLachlan was celebrated in newspapers and helped to increase the popularity of Gaelic song there.[11] "Whether it is crooning a Highland cradle song, or a call to the clans to take up arms, she is equally successful", observed one New Zealand reviewer in 1907, about her repertoire.[12]
In September 1899, MacLachlan made the first commercial gramophone recordings of Gaelic song, performing "Oro Mo Nighean Donn Bhòidheach" ('Ho-ro my Beautiful Brown Maiden') and "Mo Dhachaigh" ('My Home') to piano accompaniment.[13][14] She made further recordings in England in 1903.[15]
In October 2024, it was announced there would be a tribute to MacLachlan at the Royal National Mòd in November 2024.[16]
Personal life
Jessie MacLachlan married her accompanist, Robert Buchanan, in 1887.[1] They had a son. She died in Glasgow in 1916 at the age of 49, shortly after making a "hazardous journey" from France during World War I.[1] Her grave is located in Cathcart Cemetery.[17]