Patuffa Kennedy-Fraser
b. 1889
Daughter of song collector and singer Marjorie Kennedy-Fraser (1857-1930) and grand-daughter of singer David Kennedy (1825-1886) she was a major influence on the revival of the clarsach through her performances of the Gaelic music and song collected and arranged by herself and her mother. She took up the harp in 1914 to ccompanying her mothers songs and made her own arrangements of them. She travelled widely throughout Scotland, Europe and The United States Her harp was a gut strung model by Morley of London developed originally for the Irish market. In 1920 she married Canon John Charles Fulton Hood (1885-1964 ) who, from 1921, was chaplain to the TA and in 1935 became chaplain to the High Sheriff. In 1940. He was the Chief Chaplain to British Forces in Norway 1940 and Iceland 1940-41. These recordings are thought to be the earliest of Scottish or Irish harp playing.
About 100 modern books on Scottish topics, especially Highland music and dance, history and literature were presented to Edinburgh University Library in the 1950s by Patuffa Kennedy-Fraser Hood and Mr David Kennedy-Fraser. The books complement Mrs M. Kennedy-Fraser’s papers and her collection of 280 wax cylinder recordings of Hebridean songs previously given in 1930.
The sign HOUSE FULL greeted me as I arrived for the end of the Hebridean concert, and I had the pleasure of feeling that fine work was at any rate in one instance receiving its due reward. Both the K-Frasers were in excellent form; and ROSING, although he had not wholly assimilated the Sea-Rapture (Kishmul) Song, at least demonstrated that the song will hold its place beside his best renderings of Moussorgsky. He is the first singer who has been adequate to the music, and we may expect the thing done with full mastery at his later recital. The swing, the spirit and savagery were already in his version of it, and the combination of his forces with those of the Kennedy-Frasers is a fortunate one for the public. Miss Patuffa K-Fraser showed her rhythmic skill delightfully in the “Ceol Brutha” and “Raasay. ”
William Atheling, The New Age, April 17 1919