Jessie Niven MacLachlan (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

: Seònaid NicLachlainn) (18 June 1866 – 13 May 1916) was a Scottish Gaelic soprano.

Early life

Jessie Niven MacLachlan was born at Oban, the eldest of eight children born to Alexander MacLachlan and Margaret Campbell Niven. Her father was an auctioneer.

Career

MacLachlan achieved fame as a stage singer of Gaelic song. She performed for

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

, at Balmoral Castle in 1892. She toured extensively. She shared a bill with singer

Harry Lauder Sir Henry Lauder (; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)Russell, Dave"Lauder, Sir Henry (1870–1950)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011, accessed 27 April 2014 was a S ...

and violinist Mackenzie Murdoch on a Scottish tour. She toured in North America in 1901; while in Canada, she sang with a teenaged

Henry Burr Henry Burr (January 15, 1882 – April 6, 1941) was a Canadian singer, radio performer and producer. He was born Harry Haley McClaskey and used Henry Burr as one of his many pseudonyms, in addition to Irving Gillette, Henry Gillette, Alfred Alex ...

, at the Opera House in Saint John. 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. In 1905 she sang at a Burns Monument Fund benefit concert in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. She performed in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

in 1905 and again in 1907. During her North American tour MacLachlan was celebrated in newspapers and helped to increase the popularity of Gaelic song there. "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. In September 1899 MacLachlan made the first commercial

gramophone record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts ne ...

ing of Gaelic song, performing "Oro Mo Nighean Donn Bhòidheach" ("Ho-ro my nut-brown maiden") to piano accompaniment. She made further recordings in England in 1903.

Personal life

Jessie MacLachlan married her accompanist, fellow musician Robert Buchanan, in 1887. They had a son. She died in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

in 1916, aged 49 years, shortly after making a "hazardous journey" from France during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Her grave is in Cathcart Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maclachlan, Jessie 1866 births 1916 deaths Scottish sopranos Scottish Gaelic singers People from the Isle of Mull Burials at Cathcart Cemetery 19th-century British women singers

External links

A postcard photograph of Jessie MacLachlan
from the National Library of Australia.
An autographed souvenir photograph of Jessie MacLachlan
from the St. Marys Museum photo collection.
Jessie MacLachlan
in the British Academy of Music (BAM) Archives. *; People from Oban