SOCIETY member Betty Holiday was the recitalist at the recent meeting of Holcombe Brook and District Recorded Music Society, and her programme had the title Land of My Fathers.

Betty's maiden name was Bruce and in her introduction, she explained that her forebears lived not in Wales -- as expected from the title -- but in Scotland. She believed that Scottish music had been neglected in society meetings over the years and sought to remedy this by a selection of pieces inspired by Scotland's history, culture, literature and landscape.

The first musical offering set the scene -- a piece by our new Master of the Queen's music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. He used Orkney, a creative retreat, and was inspired by landscape and seascape there. We heard An Orkney Wedding and Sunrise, played by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra with the composer conducting. The atmospheric music told a story of the celebrations culminating in inebriated guests walking home at sunrise, depicted by bagpipes and drums.

As a contrast in time and mood, members heard a delightful peace by the Alsace composer Phillipe-Jacques Meyer. In 1772, he introduced the single-pedal harp, which was suitable in tone for Celtic music. Enthusiasm for Scotland by Europe's famous composers peaked and lasted through the 19th century. Mrs Holiday played the Duet in D minor on Scottish Airs, for harp and piano.

Two folk songs followed, sung by Kenneth McKellan and then the Benedictus, by Sir Alexander Mackenzie, with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra -- lovely, melodic, almost romantic music.

James McMillan -- born in 1959 -- is one of today's most successful composers and showed his subversive humour in Britannia, commissioned by the Association of British Orchestras. In this, we heard a collage of folk tunes, drinking songs and military music, mixed with moments of lyrical beauty and evocative use of percussion.

Hebridean folksong was used in the next piece by Sir Granville Bantock. Completed in 1940, his Celtic Symphony, for string orchestra uses six harps. We heard the fourth and fifth movements -- a stirring close to the programme's first half.

The Heather on the Hill, from the stage musical Brigadoon was a pleasant start after the interval. Mrs Holiday continued the theme but with a mood change, by playing Hills O'Heather, by Sir John Blackwood McEwen. Members heard the full orchestral version with Moray Walsh on cello.

Robbie Burns had to be included, a man steeped in Scottish history and folklore, and a genius in his field. The first of his songs played was Scots Wha Hae, evoking Bannockburn and then the romantic Ae Fond Kiss, sung by Moira Anderson.

The recital closed in great patriotic style with the Murray Pipe Band playing Flower of Scotland, and Barbara's Jig, and lastly, the best known of songs, Auld Lang Syne, hauntingly sung by Moir Campbell, with Dave Francis on guitar. This was a song of farewells -- an appropriate end to a programme, celebrating the land of Mrs Holiday's fathers. The next society meeting is on Thursday.

H.M.