iyi<^*
THE GLEN COLLECTION OF SCOTTISH MUSIC
Presented by Lady DOROTHEA Ruggles-Brise to
the National Library of Scotland, in memory of her
brother, Major LoRD GEORGE Stewart Murray,
Black Watch, killed in action in France in 1914.
28th January 1927.
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive
in 2011 witii funding from
National Library of Scotland
http://www.archive.org/details/songsofscotland01grah
> ^ALL.:-. ' 'U -a
THE
SONGS OF SCOTLAND
ADAPTED TO THEIR APPROPIUATE MELODIES
ARRANGED WITH PIANOFORTE ACCOMPANIMENTS BY
G. F. GRAHAM, T. M. MUDIB, J. T. SURENNE, H. E. DIBDIN,
FINLAY DUN, &c.
SlhtStrateb ifit^ ^igtovicat, SBiogra^j^icnl, anb Sritical 3lottccS
BY GEORGE FAEQUHAR GRAHAM,
AUTHOR or THE ARTICLE " MUSIC " IN THE SEVENTH EDITION OF THE ENOYCLOP.EDIA BRITANNICA, ETC. ETC.
VOL. II.
WOOD AND CO., 12, WATERLOO PLACE, EDINBURGH;
J. MUIR WOOD AND CO., 42, BUCHANAN STREET, GLASGOW ;
OLIVER & BOYD, EDINBURGH; CRAMER, BE ALE, & CHAPPELL, REGENT STREET; CHAPPEIX,
NEW BOND STREET; ADDISON & HODSON, REGENT STREET; J. ALFRED NOVELLO,
DEAN STREET; AND SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO., LONDON.
MDCCCXLVIII.
EDINBURGH ; PRINTED BY T. CONSTABLE, PRINTER TO HER JIAJESTY.
INDEX
TO THE FIRST LINES OF THE SONGS IN THE SECOND VOLUME.
PAGE
92
64
144
18
114
118
30
146
128
112
108
76
32
SO
10
6
70
152
167
ISO
147
164
48
136
148
S8
62
130
16
140
72
86
52
122
1S4
Now bank and brae are clad in green, {App. 164,) 120
Now in her green mantle blythe Nature arrays, 66
O Bessie Bell and Mary Gray, ... 96
Oh! dinna ask me gin I lo'e thee, (note,) . 11
[O] hearken, and I will tell you how, . . 98
Oh, I ha'e been on the fiow'ry banks o' Clyde, 106
O I ha'e seen great anes, and sat in great ha's, 90
Adieu, Dundee ! from Mary parted.
And are ye sure the news is true ? {App. 1S9,)
And O, for ane-and-twenty. Tarn ! {App. 167,)
And ye shall walk in silk attire, {App. 158,) .
Argyle is my name, and you may think it strange,
At Willie's wedding on the green, {App. 163,)
Baloo, my boy, lie still and sleep,
Behold, my love, how green the groves,
Bonnie lassie, will ye go ?
Come o'er the stream, Charlie,
Donald Caird's come again !
Farewell to Lochaber, farewell to my Jean,
First when Maggie was my care.
Flow gently, sweet Afton,
«
Gin a body meet a body,
Gin livin' worth could win my heart, .
He's o'er the hills that I lo'e weel.
How lang and dreary is the nicht.
Husband, husband, cease your strife, {App.)
I dream 'd I lay where flow'rs were springing,
If those who live in shepherds' bowers, {note,)
I ha'e layen three herring a' sa't, {App.)
I met four chaps yon birks amang, {App. 159,)
I'm a' doun, doun, doun,
I'm o'er young to marry yet,
I sigh, and lament me in vain, .
It fell about the Mart'mas time,
It fell on a day, .....
It was in and about the Mart'mas time, {App. 157,)
Keen blaws the wind o'er Donoeiit-head,
Let us haste to Kelvin grove, bonnie lassie, O,
Loudon's bonnie woods and braes.
My heart is sair, I daurna tell, .
My Peggy's face, my Peggy's form, {App. 164,)
My sheep I neglected, I broke my sheep-hook,
PAOC
116
22
8
28
34
0 lay thy loof in mine, lass,
O, lassie, art thou sleepin' yet ?
O, Mary, at thy window be, .
O my love is like a red red rose, {App. 158,) .
Oh ! thou art all so tender,
O, wae's my heart ! O, wae's my heart ! {App. 163,) 104
O wha's at the window, wha, wha 1 . . 60
Owhereha'eye been, Lord Ronald, my son! {App.lGQ,) 74
O Willie brew'd a peck o' maut, . . 80
Rising o'er the heading billow, . . 142
Roy's wife of Aldivalloeh, ... 78
Saw ye my wee thing? Saw ye mine ain thing ? 94
She's fair and fause that causes my smart, . 12
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, . . 36
Strike up the bagpipe's boldest blast, . . 56
Sweet fa's the eve on Craigie burn, . . 20
Sweet Sir, for your courtesie, (.<ljBp. 166,) . 1,S2
The gloomy night is gath'ring fast, . . 44
The last gleam o' sunset in ocean was sinkin', 124
The lass of Patie's mill, {App. 159,) . . 40
The last, the dreaded hour is come, . . 46
The moon had climbed the highest hill, . S4
The smiling Spring comes in rejoicing, (Ajip. 160,) 84
The sun has gaen down o'er the lofty Ben-loniond, 88
There's eauld kail in Aberdeen, {note,) . 153
Tho' Boreas bauld, that carle auld, {note,) . Ill
Though a' the leaves o' my bonnie bower, . 1
Thy cheek is o' the rose's hue, . . . 138
'Twas on a simmer's afternoon, {App. 167,) . I.'i4
Were I but able to rehearse, . . . 126
Wha wadna be in love wi' bonnie Maggie Lauder ? 110
What ails this heart o' mine? (.(4 /)/>. 139,) . 42
Wha wadna fight for Charlie ? {App. 1S7,) . 14
When first I came to be a man of twenty years,
or so, {App. 158,) .... 24
Why should thy cheek be pale ! . . 100
Why weep ye by the tide, ladye ? . . 68
Will ye gang to the Hielands, Le3zic Lindsay ? B2
Wilt thou go, my bonnie lassie ? . . 102
Ye banks, and braes, and streams around, . 38
Ye banks and braes o' bonnie Doon, {App. ITi?,) 4
Young Peggy bloom.'! n\n' I. onniest lass, . 2(j
INDEX
TO THE AIES CONTAINED IN THE SECOND VOLUME AND ALSO TO THOSE
MENTIONED IN THE NOTES.
Adieu, Dundee !
Afton water,
Air by Handel, in his Alcina, {note,)
Alace tliis niglit yat we suld sinder, [note and App.
An tliou wert mine ain tiling, [notes,)
Ancient French Air, [note,)
And ye shall walk in silk attire, (App. 158,)
Armstrong's farewell, [note,)
Auld lang syne, .
Auld Rob Morris, [note,)
Bannocks o' barley-meal,
Barbara Allan, (App. 167,)
Bessie Bell and Mary Gray,
! Bonnie Dundee,
V Ca' the ewes to the knowes, (App.)
V Cauld kail in Aberdeen,
,Comin' thro' the rye,
'. Craigie-burn-wood,
Dainty Davie, (note,)
Donald Caird's come again !
Doun the burn, Davie, .
Duncan Davidson, (note,)
For the sake o' somebody,
■ Get up and bar the door,
Gilderoy,
He's o'er the hills that I lo'e weel,
Hughie Graham,
., I fee'd a lad at Michaelmas, (rioie,)
I ha'e laid a herrin' in saut, (App. 1 64,
;- I'll never leave thee,
I'm a' doun for lack o' Johnnie,
■ , I'm o'er young to marry yet,
, Jenny's bawbee, (App. 159,)
vJenny dang the weaver, (App. 163,)
'/ Jessie, the flower o' Dunblane,
v,Jock o' Hazeldean,
John of Badenyon, (App. 158,)
', Katherine Ogie, .
[ Kelvin grove,
■ Kind Robin lo'es me, (note,)
King James' March to /rland, (notes,)
Kinloch of Kinloch,
Lady Anne Bothwell's Lament,
t Leezie Lindsay, .
Lilliburlero, (note,)
Limerick's Lamentation, (tiote,)
Lochaber no more, (notes, 75, 77,)
Loeh-Eroch side,
Long er onie old man, (note and App.'
'■ Lord Ronald, (App. 160,)
\Low down in the broom, (note,)
'Maggie Lauder, .
Maclean's Welcome,
■ Major Graham, (note,) .
Marquis of Hastings' Strathspey,
Marry Ketty, (note,)
Mary of Castlecary, (note,)
Mary's dream, .
Mary's dream, (old set,)
Mary Morison,
Muirland Willie,
PAGE ' PAGB
£)2 My ain fireside, . . . « . 90
SO My apron dearie, . . . . 154
109 My dearie, an' thou dee, (?(o^e,) . . 43
105,163 Myjo Janet, (/Ipp. 166.) . . . I3'2
27, 45 My love has forsaken me, ... 34
S3 ' My Nannie's awa', .... 66
18 My Nannie, 0, (App.) .... 168
,91 My only jo and dearie, O, . . . 138
36 ; My Peggy's face, (App. 164,) . . . 122
45 ! O lay thy loof in mine, lass, . . . 116
114 O let me in this ae night, ... 52
16 I - C) my love is like a red red rose, (App. 15B
96 ! O wae's my heart that we should sunder ! (.,471;).
94 .0 wha's at the window, wha, wha ?
171 I O Willie brew'd a peek 0' maut,
152 Pi^ggy, I must love thee,
10 Queen Mary's Lament,
20 j Robin and Janet, (Ajyp.)
185 { ; Roy's wife,
108 ! Russian air, (note,)
146 ;. Russian boat-song, (App.)
103 ) She's fair and fause,
52 ( Sour plums in Galashiels,
62 j The auld wife ayont the fire,
46 ', The birks of Aberfeldie,
70 \ The black eagle, {note,) .
44 • The blue bells of Scotland,
>.
37 i The boatman, (note,)
120 j The bony (bonnie) brow, (Kote,)
100 j The bonnie house o' Airly,
136 i The braes aboon Bonaw,
148 \ The bush aboori Traquair, (7iote,)
48 i '. The Caledonian Hunt's Delight, (note
118 j The cook laird, (note,) .
88 } The Cordwainer's March, (note,)
68 The Dream,
24 5 ' The ewie \vi' the crookit horn, .
38 5 The keiking glasse, (moie an(i .4 pjD.)
72 i The lads of Leith, (liofe,)
27 ; Thelass of Cessnock-banks, (.i4;)jt).)
75, 77 \ - The lass of Patie's mill, (App. 159,)
124 i The last time I cam' o'er the muir, (note,)
30 j The lowlands of Holland, (note,)
82 I The maid of Islay,
27 \ The Miller, (mofe,)
75 > The Miller's daughter, {note,) .
76 \ The moudiewart, (App. 167,)
1,34 > The old man, (7iote a«rf ^/ip.) .
133, 166 ^ ,The ruffian's rant, (note,)
74 ■; The smiling Spring, (Ajyp. 160,)
29 ] The waefu' heart,
110 ! .The weary pund o' tow, (.4j[)p.)
112 ? There'll never be peace till Jamie come hame, («oie,) 67
29 I ■ There's nae luck about the house, (App. 159,) 64
86 > To dance about the bailzeisdubb, (Mofeaniyl pp.) 105, 163
15 ! -^ Wha wadna fight for Charlie ? (App. 157,) . 14
95 ', , What ails this heart o' mine? (^/ip. 1,59.) . 42
54 > \ Whistle o'er the lave o't, ... 32
140 I William's ghost, (Kofe,) .... 51
8 < Willie and Annet, (note,) ... 69
98 , Ye banks and braes o' bonnie Doon, (App. K57,) 4
163,) 104
60
80
26
58
167
78
117
166
12
1
• 56
128
51
106
45
69
130
102
45
S
61
117
ISO
126
133, 166
13
169
40
51
51
142
9
11
144
166
79
84
6
172
13:
SCOTTISH SONGS.
THE FADED BOWER.
AIR, "SOL'R PLUJIS IN GALASHIELS."
AKEANGED BY T. 51. MCDIE.
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MODEKATO.
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2
SCOTTISH SONGS.
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My heart still is true, and it sliares my sigh,
When the breeze has ceased frae blawing,
And it drinks oft a drop frae this lanely eye,
When nae dews frae heaven are fa'ing.
But his heart may be here, though his step be far
On the wilds o' the glens and moorlands,
While he thinks on the times when he wove for my hair,
0' the boughs and the blossoms the garlands :
And the bonnie, bonnie blue forget-me-not,
Shall spread not its leaves to lose them,
Till twined wi' my locks, on this blessed spot.
It fade on his beating bosom.
" The jaded eowek." Air, " Sour plums in Galashiels." The old title, says Burns, was probably the beginning
of a song to this air, which is now lost. The tune of Galashiels was composed about the beginning of last century,
1700, by the Laird of Galashiels' piper: and INIr. Cromek adds, that the piper of Galashiels was the subject of an
unpublished mock-heroic poem by Hamilton of Bangour. — Rdiques. In the Additional Illustrations to the Museum,
Mr. Laing of the Signet Library gives a portion of a Journal kept by Alexander Campbell, the editor of Albyn's
Anthology, when on a Border tour in 181G, for the purpose of collecting local tunes. This contains notices of the
best Border pipers of the eighteenili century, taken down from the conversation of Mr. Thomas Scott, (the uncle
of Sir Walter Scott.) who was himself a skilful performer on the Lowland or bellows pipe. One of these was
Donald Maclean of Galashiels, " a capital piper, and the only one who could play on the pipe the old popular tune
of ' Sour plums of Galashiels,' it requiring a peculiar art of pinching the back-note of the chanter with the thumb,
to produce the higher notes of the melody in question." Sir Walter Scott records, that his uncle, Thomas Scott,
died in 1823, aged 90. He, "being a great musician on the Scotch pipes, had, when on his death-bed, a favourite
tune played over to him by his son James, that he might be sui-e he left him in full possession of it. After hearing
it, he hummed it over himself, and corrected it in several of the notes. The air was that called, Suur plums in
Galashiels." — Lockhart's Life of Scott, vol. i. This old tune first appears in the Orpheus Caledouius, 1725.
The old words, beginning, " Ah, the poor shepherd's mournful fate," were written by Hamilton of Bangour, and
published by Ramsay in his Tea-Table Miscellany in 1725. The verses which we have adopted for this work, were
written by the Rev. Henry Scott Riddell, and are here published by his espress permission.
SCOTTISH SONGS.
YE BANKS AND BRAES 0' BONNIE BOON.
AKKjUiGED BY J. T. SURENNE.
ritenuto.
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fresh and fair; How can ye chant, ye
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fu' o' care! Ye'U break my heart,
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YE BANKS AND BRAES 0 BONNIE BOON.
a tempo.
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flow' - ry thorn; Ye mind me
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Oft ha'e I roved by bonnie Boon,
To see the rose and woodbine twine ;
And ilka bird sang o' its love,
And fondly sae did I o' mine.
Wi' liglitsome heart I pu'd a rose,
Fu' sweet upon its thorny tree ;
But my fause lover stole my rose,
And ah ! he left the thorn wi' me.
" Ye banks and braes o' bonnie boon." In a letter to Mr. Thomson, November, 1 79-1, Burns says, " There is
an air, ' The Caledonian Hunt's Delight,' to which I wrote a song that you will find in Johnson — 'Ye banks and
braes o' bonnie Doon ;' this air, I think, might find a place among your hundred, as Lear says of his knights.
Do you know the histoi'y of the air ? It is curious enough. A good many years ago, Mr. James ]\Iiller, writer
in your good town, a gentleman whom possibly you know, was in company with our friend Clarke ; and talking
of Scottish music. Miller expressed an ardent ambition to be able to compose a Scots air. Mr. Clarke, partly by
way of joke, told him to keep to the black keys of the harpsichord, and preserve some kind of rhythm, and he
would infallibly compose a Scots air. Certain it is, that, in a few days, Mr. Miller produced the rudiments of an
air, which Mr. Clarke, with some touches and corrections, fashioned into the tune in question. Ritson, you know,
has the same story of the hlack kei/s ; but this account which I have just given you, Mr. Clarke informed me
of several years ago. Now, to show you how ditficult it is to trace the origin of our airs, I have heard it repeat-
edly asserted that this was an Irish air ; nay, I met with an Irish gentleman who affirmed he had heard it in
Ireland among the old women ; while, on the other hand, a Countess informed me, that the first person who intro-
duced the air into this country was a baronet's lady of her acquaintance, who took down the notes from an
itinerant piper in the Isle of Man. How difficult then to ascertain the truth respecting our poesy and music !
I, myself, have lately seen a couple of ballads sung through the streets of Dumfi-ies, with my name at the head of
them as the author, though it was the first time I had ever seen them."
Another and an earlier version of this song was found by Cromek among Burns' papers, and was admitted
into the " Reliques." It is even more simple and touching than the altered version ; and it is said that whenever
the genius of Burns was a topic of conversation, Cromek used to descant on the exquisite simplicity and force of
his sentiments and language, and generally instanced the last two verses of the first copy of " The banks o' Doon,"
as a fine specimen of his natural powers. See Cunningham's Burns, vol. iv. p. 245.
SCOTTISH SONGS.
THE WAEFU' HEART.
A-RRANGED BY T. U. MUDIE.
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Gin liv - in' worth could win my heart, You would not speak in
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Yet, oh ! gill heaven in mercy soon
Would grant the boon I crave,
And take tliis life, now naething worth.
Sin' Jamie's in his grave !
And see! his gentle spirit comes,
To show me on my way ;
Surprised, nae doubt, I still am here,
Sair wondering at my stay.
I come, I come, my Jamie dear,
And, oh, wi' what gude will
I follow, wheresoe'er ye lead !
Ye canna lead to ill !-^
She said, and soon a deadly pale
Her faded cheek possess'd ;
Her waefu' heart forgot to beat ;
Her sorrows sunk to rest.
" TuE waefu' heart." Mr. Stenhouse's Note on this air is as follows : — "Both the words and music of this
elegant and pathetic song were taken from a single sheet, printed at London about the year 1788, and sold by
Joseph Dale, No. 19, Cornhill, ' sunj by Master Knyvett.' From these circumstances, I am led to conclude that
it is a modern Anglo-Scottish production, especially as it does not appear in any of the old collections of our
songs. If it be an imitation of the Scottish style, however, it is a very successfal one." See Museum Illustra-
tions, vol. iii. p. 228. Patrick Maxwell, Esq., the editor of the Poetical Works of Miss Susanna Blamire, tlie
" Muse of Cumberland," (Edinburgh, 1842,) has no doubt that she was the authoress of " The waefu' heart." He
says, "Having long had a settled conviction in my mind that the writer of 'The Siller Crown' was also the
■writer of ' The waefu' heart;' and having ascertained beyond a doubt that the first-mentioned song was the pro-
duction of Miss Blamire, I thought it would be useful to print the songs together, the better to examine their styles,
and to see how closely they resembled each other in sentiment and expression. I think it cannot fail to strike
every one, that the second song is a continuation of the first; had the 'Jamie' of the latter but been the 'Donald'
of the former, the likeness would have been perfect," i.c. See "Memoir of Miss Blamire," pp. xl. xli et seij.
SCOTTISH SONGS.
MARY MORISOK
MODERATO
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Teneeezza.
AKRANGED BY PIN'LAT DUX.
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Ma - ry, at thy win - dow be ; It is the wish'd, the tryst - ed' hour: Those
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MARY MOEISON.
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t^
-p-p-f — =F f ^'-*-^-^-*-S^#i^
=i^=^?
-i9-
-I
-*- •-
-^t
-©-
Testreen, when to the stented' string
The dance gaed through the lichtit ha',
To thee my fancy took its wing —
I sat, but neither heard nor saw.
Though this was fair, and that was braw,
And yon the toast 0' a' the town,
I sigh'd, and said amang them a',
Te are na Mary Morison.
0, Slary, canst thou wreck his peace,
Wla for thy sake wad gladly dee?
Or canst thou break that heart of his,
Whase only faut is loving thee?
If love for love thou wilt na gi'e,
At least be pity to me shown,
A thocht ungentle canna be
The thocht of Mary Morison.
Appointed; agreed upon. 2 Bust; metaphoricaUy — labour, hardship.
3 Tightened.— In some editions " trembling " is substituted for " stented."
" Maet Morison." In Johnson's Museum the air is called " The Miller ; " and is there given with verses written
by Sir John Clerk of Pennycuik, Bart., one of the Barons of the Coui-t of Exchequer in Scotland, and a man of
remarkable learning and accomplishments in his day. One of his younger sons was John Clerk of Eldin, Esq.,
distinguished for his woi-k on " Naval Tactics," and the father of the late Lord Eldin, an eminent Scottish lawyer.
See Museum Illustrations, vol. ii. pp. 120-203. The humorous verses by Sir John Clerk do not appear to us to be
very suitable to the air, which is in a minor key, and of a tender and rather pathetic character. We have there-
fore substituted for them the words by Burns, which begin, '■ 0, Mary, at thy window be," and wliich were, as he
says, "one of his juvenile works." He had written them to the air of "Bide ye yet;" and we think his having
done so exhibits one of the very rare instances in which Burns did not perceive that the aii- was not well suited
to the words that he wrote for it. The air of " The Miller," on the contrary, is well adapted to the song of " Mary
Morison."
The author of the air is not known. Its date seems to belong to a period not earlier than the commencement of
the last century. Captain Charles Gray, R.M., in his " Cursory Remarks on Scottish Song," introduces " Mary
Morison" as follows : — "The late William Hazlitt, who wrote many works on the helUs lettres, pays a high compli-
ment to the genius of Burns, in his ' Lectures on the British Poets.' The passage has often been quoted, but as the
memories of all the admirers of our Bard may not be so good as our own, we may be pardoned if we quote it again.
' Of all the productions of Biu:ns, the pathetic and serious love-songs which he has left behind him, in the manner
of the old ballads, are perhaps those which take the deepest and most lasting hold of the mind. Such as the lines
on ' Mary Morison,' those entitled, ' Jessie,' and the song beginning, ' Oh, my love is like a red, red rose.' ' Now,
it so happens that ' My love, &c.,' is an old ballad, which proves the discernment of Hazlitt as a critic."
10
SCOTTISH SONGS.
COMIN' THRO' THE RYE.
'=72
MODERATO.
AEBANGED BY T M. Hl'DIE.
m.
s
'ir^-
^
3^
^
i±
^:cIZ,rJ^
g^^-^fE^E^^
P
i
^^^^^^
|s=t5=tE
p
4-44
-4^-4^—*-
Gin ^ a bo - dy meet a bo - dy com -in' thro' the rye^
33S;
^PP^
^
f=^
T *
-^
?6=M^
33
^-^ s > >
^^tefe
?^
#-r-
Gin a bo - dy kiss* a bo - dy, Need
bo - dy cry ?
Ilk - a^ las-sie
s
m
3
^
'4 ^-
-^«&:
e*
d"
riten. ^
ic^
has her lad - die, Nane, they say, ha'e I ! Yet a' the lads they smile at me. When
^fc=Q
m^
colla voce.
^—jr
* Often sung "greet."
^-J-
COM[K THRO THE RYE.
11
a t'miM
Gin a body meet a body
Comin' frae the well,
Gin a body kiss a body,
Need a body tell ?
Uka lassie has her laddie.
Ne'er a ane ha'e I ;
But a' the lads they smile on mo
When comin' thro' the rye.
Gin a body meet a body
Comin' frae the town,
Gin a body greet a body.
Need a body gloom.
Uka lassie has her laddie,
Nane they say ha'e I ;
But a' the lads they lo'e me weel,
And what the waur am I ?
Miss Stephens was accustomed to conclude the song with the following lines sung to the first part of the air :-
Amang the train there is a swain
I dearly lo'e mysel' ;
But whaur his hame, or what his name,
I dinna care to tell.
* Each ; every.
" Comin' thro' the rye." There are three versions of this air inserted in Johnson's Museum, the first of which
was probably communicated by Burns. As the second is the most popular, as well as the most characteristic, we
have adopted it in this work. Mr. Stenhouse's Notes upon them are as follows : — " 1st Set. This song was written
by Burns. The air is taken from the third and fourth strains of the strathspey called ' The Miller's Daughter.' See
Gow's First Collection." — " 2d Set. The words and music of this song, beginning, ' Gin a body meet a bodj',' are
parodied from the first set, which was published as a single sheet song before it was copied into the Museum. Mr.
John Watlen, musician and music-seller, formerly in Edinburgh, now in London, afterwards altered the first strain
of the former tune a little, and published it with the new words. His edition had a considerable run." The
third version is adapted to the words, " I've been courtmg at a lass, these twenty days and mair." It bears a
Btriking resemblance to the others ; but is styled by Mr. Stenhouse, " Ah, ha ! Johnnie, lad, you're nae sae kind's
ye sud ha' been." See Museum Illustrations, vol. v. p. 377.
The following stanzas are very frequently sung to this air ; they were written by Mr. Dunlop, Collector of
Customs, PortGlasgow : —
Oh ! dinna ask me gin I lo'e thee ;
Troth, I daurna tell :
Dinna ask me gin I lo'e ye ;
Ask it o' yoursel'.
Oh ! dinna look sae sair at me.
For weel ye ken me true ;
0, gin ye look sae sair at me,
I daurna look at you.
When ye gang to yon braw, braw town,
And bonnier lasses see,
0, dinna, Jamie, look at them.
Lest you should mind na me.
For I could never bide the lass
That ye'd lo'e mair than me ;
And 0, I'm sure, my heart would break,
Gin ye'd prove false to me.
12
SCOTTISH SONGS.
SHE'S FAIR AND FAUSE.
ARKASGHD BY J. T. SURENNE.
f='
= 116
Larghetto
doioeoso.
t-^^^^^^x
m
-^ 1 r
M
She's fair and fause that caus - es my smart, I lo'ed her meiUle and
4^
1^^=^^
pfi^t'^"=^=^^^^^^^fi^?ll^^ri
^=5:
Sit
ff
1
1
-Hv
=t^=*-
^^^^=p=i^^^^i^^p
lang; She's bro - ken her vow, she's bro - ken my heart, And I may e'en
*:t
n
t:
r-fe
^Ss^s^i
-tj
Bit:
^r T
* — ^
?:
^-
g^=^^^
^
-•r^ ;•-
-^it=t?=
^^
:t^l
I
hang.
fe
A
coof cam' in wi'
routh^ o' gear,^ And
^-^=^3=
It
m/
^
SHE S FAIR AND FAUSE.
13
S=^=F^
^
•f* — # ^— »
5^
i^^^i
=^-:f
^=^
wo - man is but warld'a gear,
F=?
ha'a tint* my dear - eat dear ; But
Sas
Whae'er ye be that woman love,
To this be never blind,
Nae ferlie' 'tis tbo' fickle she prove,
A woman has't by kind.
0 woman lovely ! woman fair !
An angel form's fa'n to thy share,
'Twad been o'er meikle to [ha'e] gi'en thee i
I mean an angel mind.
' Fool.
2 Plenty.
s Riches ; goods.
I Lost.
^ Wonder.
" She's fair and fause." Mr. Stenhouse informs us, that " Burns picked up this charming old melody in the
country, and wrote the verses to which it is so happily adapted in the JIuseum." See Museum Illustrations, vol.
iv. p. 359. We have no doubt that this was the case, for Burns, as we have already had occasion to remark, was
very successful in recovering old melodies that were but little known, and at once giving them a more extended
circulation, by writing songs for them. In this instance, however, Oswald had already rescued the air from obli-
vion, by printing it in his Caledonian Pocket Companion, book iv., where it appears under the title of " The lada
of Leith." In the first stanza of the song, the repetition of the word "gear" in rhyme, is rather a blemish.
In his "Cursory Remarks on Scottish Song," No. 3, Captain C. Gray, R.M., quotes Burns regarding "A
Collection of Songs;" — "That volume was my tade mecum. I pored over them dui-ing my work, or walking to
my labour, song by song, verse by verse — carefully noticing the true tender or sublime, fi'om afifectation or fustian ;
and I am convinced, that I owe to this practice most of my critic-craft, such as it is." Captain Gray thinks that
this Collection of Songs, so much studied by Burns, was most probably the first or second edition of the, " Scots
Nightingale;" the second edition, "with one hundred modern songs," having been printed in 1779. Captain Gray
gives reasonsfor his opinion by quotations; and, among others, quotes from the "Scots Nightingale," "The Address;"
the last four lines of which seem to have suggested to Burns a striking idea in his song, " She's fair and fause."
The four last lines of the " Address " are : —
" To bless is Heaven's peculiar grace ;
Let me a blessing find :
And since you wear an angel's face,
Oh show an angel's mind ! "
Burns, doubtless, borrowed the idea ; but he improved it, as his verses show. Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, and
other great poets, were great borrowers— improving upon the ideas they adopted from others. The first poet who
borrowed nothing from any one is yet unknown. In No. 4 of his Remarks, Captain Gray mentions another book,
— "The Lark, being a Collection of the most celebrated and newest Songs, Scots and English, 1765,"— which
also contains " The Address " above quoted ; and thence infers, that " The Lark " may, still more probably, have
been the Collection referred to by Burns.
14
SCOTTISH SONGS.
WHA WADNA FIGHT FOR CHARLIES
ARRANGED BY II. E. DIEDM.
= 100
Allegretto. <
&
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1 1 1 — 1 — » — m » — * — I — \-
i
s=^
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S
^=i^.
Wha wad - na fight tor Cliarlie? Wha wad - na draw the sword ? Wha wad - i;a up andral-ly
l^g
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p^g=g
At the roy - al Prince's word ? Think on Sco - tia's an - cient he - roes, Think on fo - reign
S^3^:
V
BS
=^=
.'jr^I^Ai^
g^g^
&ES
^f ? ^
^ii^-^3^
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foes re- pell d, Thiuk on glo - riuus Bruce and Wallace,
^SS
Who the proud u - surpers queli'd.
fe=s^:
^ — ^~
^^m:
ti
-<i — ^-
fi
es
CL-^l-
f
f^
"^
WHA WADNA FIGHT FOK CHAELIE?
15
^ \ ^ ^^
^^
^^
-^ s- *
Wha wad - na figlit for CSiar - lie ? Wha wad - na draw the sword ? Wha wad - na up and ral - \y
■&r -3-"
i
m
^ »-"S-
f*p
J
i
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=5=
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At
the roy
al Prince's woi'd ?
^=S=
f
^^
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et
/
#
ii
1
?
r^r-E
Kouse, rouse, ye kilted wan-iors !
Ronse, ye heroes of the north !
Rouse, and join your chieftains' banners—
'Tis your Prince that leads you forth !
Shall we basely crouch to tyrants ?
Shall we own a foreign sway?
Shall a royal Stuart be banish'd,
While a stranger rules the day ?
Wha wadna fight, &c.
See the northern clans advancing !
See Glengarry and Lochiel !
See the brandish'd broadswords glancing !
Highland hearts are true as steel !
Now om- Prince has raised his banner,
Now triumphant is om- cause,
Now the Scottish lion rallies —
Let us strike for Prince and laws.
Wha wadna fight, &c.
" WuA WADNA riGUT FOR CnARLiE?" James Hogg gives this song and air in the second series of his "Jacobite
Relics of Scotland," pp. 100, 101; Edinburgh, William Blackwood; London, Cadell and Davies. 1821. Hogg's
Note upon it, ibid, p. 305, is as follows: — "Song LIV. '^Yha, wadna tight for Charlie?' is likewise a Buchan
song, sent me by Mr. John Wallace. The air has the same name ; but in the south is called, ' Will ye go and
marry, KatieV" The air is evidently a strathspey. It is printed in Johnson's Museum, vol. v., with the words,
"Will ye go and marry, Katie?" wliich appear to have been recovered and sent to the publisher of that work
by Burns. In Gow's Second Collection of Strathspeys and Reels, it is called, " Marry Ketty."
Hogg does not say whether this lyric was sent to him as a real Jacobite war-song, written to rouse the clans to
foUow their Prince into the field, or whether it is merely a modern imitation. Internal evidence would lead us to
Oie belief that its composition dates much nearer to 1845 than to 1745. To be an old song, it is too correct in
rhymes, too refined in language, and it wants that characteristic of the Jacobite muse — unsparing abuse of tJie
House of Hanover.
16
SCOTTISH SONGS.
BARBARA ALLAN.
auban'ged by j. t. suuenke.
Andamte
Paieiico.
fez
-k y— p — w
S
!art' - mas time, When the green leaves were ;
-& — I-
It was in and a - bout the Mart' - mas time, Wlien tlie green leaves were a - fall - in', That
?
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r
^
aa
i£
:ifc L 1 L
fi:
?^:
-V— [^-
-F^
t^-Sj:
ifii:
Sir John Grseme, in the west coun - try, Fell in love wi' Bar - b'ra Al - Ian.
He
i=^:
J-
I
3P
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Ii221
vt—4z
-^^^"^■
a«
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re- -,-
^^^ — I -^^^— I
pi
s
:>;=-t
3=t=ir
ig
iE
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:it==:
sent his man down thro' the town. To the place where she was dwall - in' : O, haste and come to my
3:
3E33:
r
m,
■%T
:2±
-<!— F-
BARBARA ALLAK.
17
A
S:
i^PI^I^^^^J^
-g F-
F-
B
mas - ter dear, Gin ye be Bar - b'ra A\ - Ian.
iE^^=^m^
■z^
0, hooly,' hooly, rase she up
To the place where he was lyin',
And when she drew the curtain by —
Young man, I think ye're dyin'.
It's oh, I'm sick, I'm very very sick,
And it's a' for Barbara Allan.
0, the better for me ye'se never be.
Though your heart's blude were a^spillin'.
Oh, dinna ye mind, young man, she said.
When the red wine ye were fillin'.
That ye made the healths gae round and round,
And slichtit Barbara AUan ?
He turn'd his face unto the wa', i
And death was with him dealin' :
Adieu, adieu, my dear friends a',
And be kind to Barbara Allan.
And slowly, slowly rase she up,
And slowly, slowly left liim,
And sighin', said, she could not stay,
Since death of life had reft him.
She hadna gane a nule but twa,
When she heard the deid-bcll knellin',
And every jow^ that the deid-bell gi'ed.
It cried, Woe to Barbara Allan.
Oh, mother, mother, mak' my bed.
And mak' it saft and narrow.
Since my love died for me to-day,
I'll die for him to-morrow.
> Slowly.
speal.
" Babbaka Allan." " This ballad is ancient. Bishop Percy had an old printed copy in his possession, which
was entitled, 'Barbara Allan's Cruelty, or the Young Man's Tragedy,' reprinted in the thu-d volume of his Ancient
Songs and Ballads, at Loudon in 1767. It is evidently an embellished edition of the old Scottish ballad in the
Museum, which is taken verbatim from that preserved in Ramsay's Miscellany in 1724. The learned prelate's
copy makes the heroine's residence at Scarlet Town, (the city of Carlisle, perhaps,) and calls the hero Jemmye
Grove. In other respects the story is nearly the same in both ballads, and may possibly have had its origin from
circumstances that really occurred. Be that as it may, it has been a favourite ballad at every country fire-side in
Scotland, time out of memory. The strains of the ancient minstrel who composed this song may, indeed, appear
harsh and unpolished when compared with modern refinements ; nevei-theless he has depicted the incidents of his
story with such a bold, glowing, and masterly pencil as would do credit to any age. A learned correspondent
informs me, that he remembers having heard the ballad frequently sung in Dumfries-shire, where it was said the
catastrophe took place — that there were people of the name of Allan who resided in the town of Annan — and that,
in some papers which he had seen, mention is made of a Barbara of that family ; but he is of opinion she may have
been baptized from the ballad." See Museum Illustrations, vol. iii. pp. 213, 214. In the Add. lUust., p. 300*
C. K. Sharpe, Esq., writes as follows, regarding the preceding Note : — " In this Note Mr. Stenhouse alludes to me.
Unluckily I lost the paper I found at Hoddam Castle, in which Barbara Allan was mentioned. I remember that
the peasantry of Annandale sang many more verses of this ballad than have appeared in print, but they were of no
merit — containing numerous magnificent offers from the lover to his mistress — and, among others, some ships in
sight, which may strengthen the belief that this song was composed near the shores of the Solway. I need scarcely
add, that the name of Grahame, which the luckless lover generally bears, is still quite common in and about Annan."
Allan Cunningham remarks of this ballad : — " Never was a tale of love-sorrow so simply and so soon told ; yet
we learn aU that we wish to know, and any further incidents would only cumber the narrative, and impair the
effect. I have often admired the ease and simplicity of the first verse, and the di-amatic beauty of the second."
The melody bears marks of antiquity, from the nature of the tonality employed. Its author is unknown. We
find in Mr. W. Chappell's "National English Airs," a melody of the same name, wliich is, however, quite different
from the Scottish melody, besides being in a major key, and in thi-ee crotchet time.
No. XII. B
18
SCOTTISH SONGS.
AND YE SHALL WALK IN SILK ATTIRE.
AERAMGED ET T. M. MUDID.
,• = 80
Andante
espressivo.
"^m
^=€f=S^-J^
f
s^ggj^P^^i
-• — n-
^E
*
Sz
r 1 F-
gE^^
And ye shall walk in
^H-g-j-^j;
i
j-rr'JT^^^?"?
^
BJS
^S^3
=t£
^
^S
i— t
^=P^
^^^mi^s^i^^
3EEEE?E*
^^■
■^
silk at - tire. And ail - ler ha'e to spare, Gin ye'U con - sent to
^^g^
:^
^
=s=i=i
3tJ:
■p^^
gi
JJ3-J-
H^-^^-bF^^T^g
BS
EE
W^
w^^
:ss
-I — » * J-
?=
-•-i^ •-
PeeSeEe*
be his bride, Nor think o' Don - aid mair. Oh ! wha wad buy a
fe;=^^
^4^.
gEi=fl
i=T
^^^n^w'-A
^^^s^
3E5
g=F=^
-« — -»b
^
^5=
AND YE SHALL WALK IN SILK ATTIRE.
19
fe^^S^?^
fep^E^
=PE^
i
ar^=g^
silk - en gown
P!^
315
^^^
^^^
?
what's to me a sil - ler crown, Gin frae my love I
part ?
=^
il^^P^
eM
igli^
i^
e
a:
^^^
&
^i3i=ii=S
3^s^
f~'rr^tn~tf^
^E
^
SS
The mind whase every wish is pure,
Far dearer is to me ;
And ere I'm forced to break my faith,
I'll lay me down and dee ;
For I ha'e pledged my virgin troth.
Brave Donald's fate to share,
And he has gi'en to me his heart,
Wi' a' its virtues rare.
His gentle manners wan my heart,
He gratefu' took the gift ;
Could I but think to see it back.
It wad be waur than theft.
For langest life can ne'er repay
The love he bears to me ;
And ere I'm forced to break my troth,
I'll lay me down and dee.
" And te shall walk in silk attire." This song, also known under the title of " The Siller Crown," was
written by Miss Susanna Blamire, of Cumberland. See Note upon " The waefu' heart," p. 7 of this volume.
Mr. Stenhouse says : — " This fine song was originally published by Napier as a single sheet song, from which it
was copied into the Museum ; but neither the author nor the composer are yet known. An excellent parody of
the older verses, by a modern hand, and set to a beautiful tune, composed by Miss Grace Corbet, is inserted in
the sixth volume of the Museum, see Notes on song No. 58.3, entitled ' 0 Mary, ye'se be clad in silk.' Urbani
reprinted this latter song in his Collection, under the title of 'I'll lay me down and die.' " See Museum, Illustra-.
tions, vol. iii. p. 225.
20
SCOTTISH SONGS.
f = 104
Lento
CON
ESPRESSIONE.
CRAIGIE -BURN -WOOD.
AREANGED BY J. T. SUKENNE.
^
H^=
n^^
^s
^
<!)-«-.:
E^^e^
^s^
f^
fa's the
Sweet
eve on Craig - ie bum, And blythe a - wakes the
^
S3:
=i-=Ji
Bi
T-r
:?2:
EeSe
fe:^^@=pE^Eg
=P=q*:
&
^^=tg=^^^^
^
mor - row; But
a' the pride o' spring's re - turn Can vield me nocht but
m
-9 *~^~
r
gr
^
UJJ.:
221
ri:
-^--
i
3^^
aES
E
sor
the flowers and spread - ing trees, I
E^
a ■ •-
^
t:
ii~=^
^i
-L
^
*
CRAIGIE-BURK-WOOD.
21
ii
H?--
m
"T ^T-tf-
=#=P^
SE^=
i^^^P^
^S^E
hear the wild birds sing - ing; But
what
3:
f=
BBL^EE
eSe^-zeS;
wea - ry wight can please, And
r \ L. I K 1
V I P
g^^^^
Fain, fain would I my griefs impart.
Yet dare na for your anger ;
But secret lore will break my heart,
If I conceal it langer.
If thou refuse to pity me,
If thou slialt love anither,
When yon green leaves fade frae the tree,
Around my grave they'll wither.
" Craioie-buen-wood." Burns wrote his first version of this song to aid the eloquence of a Sir. Gillespie, who
was paying his addresses to Jean Lorimer, then residing at Craigie-burn-wood, near Moffat. Neither the poet'a
verse nor the lover's language could prevail: the lady married an officer of the name of Whelpdale — Uved with
liim a few months — quitted him in consequence of great provocation — and afterwards took up her residence in
Dumfries. The song was re-written in 179-, for Mr. George Thomson's Collection, and the chorus, part of an old
ballad, was discarded. Mr. Stenhouse tells us, — " The air called ' Craigie-burn-wood,' taken down fi'om a coimtry
girl's singing, was considered by the late Mr. Stephen Clarke, as one of our finest Scottish tunea. At the foot of
the manuscript of the music of this song (written for Johnson's Museum) is the following note, in the hand-writing
of Mr. Clarke ; — There is no need to mention the chorus. The man that icou/d attempt to sing a chorus to this beauti-
ful air, should have his throat cut to prevent him from doing it again! !" " It is remarkable of this air," says Burns,
"that it (its name) is the confine of that country where the greatest part of our lowland music, (so far as from the
title, words, &c., we can localize it,) has been composed. From Craigie-burn, near Moffat, until one reaches the
West Highlands, we have scarcely one slow air of any antiquity." — lieliques.
Dr. Currie informs us, that " Craigie-burn-wood is situated on the banks of the river Moffat, and about three
miles distant from the village of that name, celebrated for its medicinal waters. The woods of Craigie-bui'n and of
Dumcrieff were at one time favourite haunts of Burns. It was there he met the ' Lassie wi' the lint-wliite locks,'
and that he conceived some of his beautiful lyrics.' " See Museum Illustrations, vol. iv. pp. 295, 296.
22
SCOTTISH SOKGS.
0 LET ME IN THIS AE NIGHT.
AERA>JGED BY T. M. MUDIK.
' = 80
Am) ANTE.
r r
ii=|_,.^-fr
F-
m
0, las - sie, art thou sleep - in' yet ? Or art thou wauk - in',
ja^^
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31
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I would wit ? For love has bound me hand and foot, And I would fain be
it
d-^Jd=E^;
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Si
^i=t
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in, jo. 0, let me in this ae night. This ae night, this
il=ri=i=
m.
"^^H
ei
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-e-
1 *1 ^
"» — *"
3±:
0 LET ME IN THIS AE NIGHT.
23
m
:=1:
m
ae niglit; For pi - ty's sake, this
-\-
^m
m
ae night, O
rise and let me
k^
T
T
FF¥
as
^^.
Thou hear'st the winter wind and weet ;
Nae star blinks through the driving sleet
Tak' pity on my wearie feet,
And shield me frae the rain, jo.
0, let me in, &c.
The bitter blast that round me blaws,
Unheeded howls, imheeded fa's ;
The cauldness o' thy heart's the cause
0' a' my grief and pain, jo.
0, let me in, &c.
IIEK ASSWEK.
0 tell na me of wind and rain.
Upbraid na me wi' cauld disdain !
Gae back the gate ye cam' again ;
I winna let you in, jo.
I tell you now, this ae night,
This ae, ae, ae night ;
And, ance for a', this ae night,
I winna let you in, jo.
The snellest blast, at mirkest hours,
That round the pathless wand'rer pours.
Is nought to what poor she endures.
That's trusted feithless man, jo.
I tell you now, &c.
* The.first verse of the answer may be substituted for
The sweetest flower that deck'd the mead,
Now trodden like the vilest weed ;
Let simple maid the lesson read.
The weird may be her ain, jo.
I tell you now, &c.
The bird that charm'd his summer day.
Is now the cruel fowler's prey ;
Let witless, trusting woman say.
How aft her fate's the same, j o.
I tell you now this ae night,
This ae, ae, ae night.
And, ance for a', this ae night,
I winna let you in, jo.
the last of the song: or a verse of each may be sung alternately.
" 0, LET ME IN THIS AE NIGHT." " This tune is very old. There is a copy of it in square-shaped notes in a
manuscript book for the Virginals, in the Editor's possession, under the title of, ' The newe gowne made.' The
ballad beginning, '0, let me in this ae night,' was printed in Herd's Collection, in 1776; but it was retouched by
Burns, to render it less objectionable, before Johnson would give it a place in the iMuseum." In 1795, Burns
altered the old verses a second time, and wrote the lady's answer^both for Mr. George Thomson's work. " If the
song, as it stands in Herd's Collection, has lost anything in point of wit and humour, it has at any rate gained
much in respect of elegance and modesty by the judicious alterations of our bard." See Museum Hlustrations,
vol. iv. pp. 302-4. The old air, as well as the old words, has been subjected to alteration. It was rather lively,
and possessed somewhat of a humorous cast, and in consequence was not so well adapted to give effect to the
imploring character of Burns' verses as the modern version. We have therefore given the latter in this work.
24
SCOTTISH SONGS.
JOHN OF BADENYON.
ARRANGED BY G. F. GRAHAM.
100
MODEEATO.
Msr=fc
t^^'^^^^^^^^^^^m^
m
twenty years, or so, I thought myself a handsome youth,and fain the world would know; In best at - tire I
E^^^^i
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li^li?!
stept abroad, with spirits brisk and gay; And here, and there, and ev'rywhere,was like a morn in May.
m
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No care I had, no fear of want, but rambled up and down ; And for a beau I might have pass'd in
-f—p^-
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t=^
■^^
^1
I
JOHN OP BADENYON.
25
fct
^^m^^^^^^^^^
ii
country or in town ; I still was pleas'd where'er I went, and when I was a - lone, I tuned my pipe and
i=^
fz^^Z^^^E^EJE^E^^
-F— =1-
pleas'd my - self with John of Ba - den - yon.*
Now in the days of youthful prime, a mistress I must find ;
For love, they say, gives one an air, and ev'n improves the mind :
On Phillis fair, above the rest, kind fortune fixed mine eyes ;
Her piercing beauty struck my heart, and she became my choice.
To Cupid, now, with hearty pray'r, I oifer'd many a vow,
And danced and sung, and sigh'd and swore, as other lovers do ;
But when at last I breathed my flame, I found her cold as stone —
X left the girl, and tuned my pipe to John of Badenyon.
When love had thus my heart beguiled with foolish hopes and vain,
To friendship's port I steer'd my course, and laugh 'd at lover's pain ;
A friend I got by lucky chance — 'twas something like divine ;
An honest friend's a precious gift, and such a gift was mine.
And now, whatever may betide, a happy man was I,
In any strait I knew to whom I freely might apply.
A strait soon came ; my friend I tried — he laugh'd, and spurn'd my moan ;
I hied me home, and tuned my pipe to John of Badenyon.
What next to do I mused a while, stUl hoping to succeed ;
I pitch'd on books for company, and gravely tried to read :
I bought and borrow'd every where, and studied night and day,
Nor miss'd what dean or doctor wrote, that happen'd in my way.
Philosophy I now esteem'd the ornament of youth.
And carefully, through many a page, I hunted after truth :
A thousand various schemes I tried, and yet was pleased with none ;
I threw them by, and tuned my pipe to John of Badenyon.
* Johnson and Stenhouse give " Badenyond ;" while others give " Badenyon." The latter rhymes better irith the final word of the seventh
line of each stanza, unless the final d of " Badenyond" is silent.
" John of Badenyon." The words are by the Rev. John Skinner, the author of the song of " Tullochgorum "
already given in this work, vol. i. pp. 52, 53. The tune is an old Highland strathspey. The foui-th and sixth
stanzas of the song have been omitted here for want of space ; they will be found in the Appendix.
26
SCOTTISH SONGS.
YOUNG PEGGY BLOOMS OUR BONNIEST LASS.
AIK, " PEGGY, I MUST lOVE THEE."
ARKAHGED BY J. T. SCEENNE.
Andante
Amoroso.
I I SjT h>j s\ J ISaJJ— J
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Young Peg - gy blooms cup bon - niest lass, Her blush is like the
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as
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morn - ing, The ro - sy dawn, the spring - ing grass, With ear - ly* gems
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ei
fe=i-
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1— ^
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dorn - ing : Her eyes oiit - shine the ra - diant beams That gild the pass - ing
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d 4
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si-
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L
P'
m
^-<^-^-4
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" Pearly," in some editions.
YOUNG PEGGY BLOOMS OUE BONNIEST LASS.
27
iai
show - er, And glit - ter o'er the crys - tal streams, And cheer each fresh' - ning
A
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Her lips, more than the cherries bright,
A richer dye has graced them ;
They charm th' admiring gazer's sight,
And sweetly tempt to taste them ;
Her smile is, like the evening, mild,
When feather'd tribes are courting.
And little lambkins wanton wild,
In playful bands disporting.
Were Fortune lovely Peggy's foe,
Such sweetness would relent her,
As blooming Spring unbends the brow
Of surly, savage Winter.
Detraction's eye no aim can gain,
Her winning powers to lessen ;
And spiteful Envy grins in vain.
The poison'd tooth to fasten.
Ye Powers of Honour, Love, and Truth,
From every ill defend her ;
Insph'e the highly-favour'd youth
The destinies intend her ;
Still fan the sweet connubial flame,
Eesponsive in each bosom ;
And bless the dear parental name
With many a filial blossom.
"Peggy, I must love tiiee." Part of Mi\ Stenhouse's Note upon this air and song is as follows: — "Mr. J.
Stafford Smith, in his ' Musica Antiqua,' vol. iii. p. 183, gives this beautiful air as the composition of the celebrated
Henry Purcell, because John Playford bad printed it as such in his ' Musick's Handmaid,' published at London in
1689. The old Irish air called ' Lilliburlero,' is likewise given by Smith as Purcell's composition. But neither the
Scotch nor the Irish air were (was) composed by Pm-ceU, (although he might have put a bass to them for his old
friend Playford,) nor have (has) either of them the smallest resemblance to any of the other compositions of this
truly eminent master. The Scottish air appears in a very old manuscript music-book, now in the possession of
the Editor, written in square or lozenge-shaped notes, imder the title of ' Peggie, I must love thee,' in all proba-
bility long before Purcell was born. Of this ancient song nothing remains but the tune and the title, for the verses
to which the air is adapted, both in the Orpheus Caledonius, and in the Scots Musical Museum, were the production
of Allan Ramsay." " Musick's Handmaid," mentioned above, is a collection of " New Lessons and Instructions for
the Vu'ginals or Harpsichord," and consists of two parts, the first of which was printed in 1678, the second in
1689. It is in the latter that this air occm-a. There, it has no name attached to it, but is merely called " A new
Scotch tune;" at the end of it is inscribed, "Sir. H. Purcell," but whether as the composer or arranger is not
stated. The air is certainly Scottish in character, and bears a very marked resemblance in several passages to
"An thou wert mine ain thing," and " Kind Robin loes me." The most probable solution of the difficulty is, that
the MS. old air mentioned by Mr. Stenhouse, contained the germ or rudiments of the flowing melody into which
Purcell amplified it for Playford's Virginal Book. For an example of a similar transformation, see vol. i. p. 77.
The verses here given were written by Bui-ns ; they are now, for the first time, united to this air.
28
SCOTTISH SONGS.
0 MY LOVE IS LIKE A RED RED ROSE.
• = 120
1/
MODEEATO.
s
AKRANGED BY T. M. MUDIE.
legato. p.,,^ ,. -^ '^eJ' 6 — ^
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O my love is like a red red rose, That's new - ly sprung in June ; O my
^^
love is like a me-lo-die, That's sweetly plaj'd* in tune. As fair art thou, my bon-nielass, Sae
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deep in love am I ; And I will love thee still, my dear. Till a' the seas gang dry. Till
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colla voce.
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-(—;—•-
ai
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^
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* Some editions have " sung."
0 MY LOVE IS LIKE A RED RED ROSE.
29
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a' the seas gang dry, my dear, Till a' the seas gang dry, And I will love thee still, my dear, Till
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the seas gang dry.
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Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun ;
[0] I will love thee still my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only love,
And fare thee wecl a while !
I
And I will come again, my love,
Though it were ten thousand mile !
Though it were ten thousand mile, my love !
Though it were ten thousand mile !
And I will come again, my love,
Though it were ten thousand mile !
" 0 MY LOVE IS LIKE A RED KED KOSE." In a former Note, vol. ii. p. 9, we have already alluded to this being an
old song, which Burns revised and extended for Johnson's Museum. The subject must at one time have been a
favourite with our minstrels, for no less than three versions of it are given in the second volume of Burns' works
edited by Hogg and Motherwell. The first was furnished by Mr. Peter Buchan, who says, — " The song which
supplied Burns with such exquisite ideas, was written by Lieutenant Hinches as a farewell to his sweetlieart."
No farther information is given as to this gentleman ; not even when or where he lived. This is unfortunate, for
authorities are desirable in old songs as well as in gi-aver matters. The next version is ft-om a common stall
ballad, picked up by Mr. I\lotherwell, entitled, " The turtle-dove, or True love's farewell." The third is taken from
a small Garland, without date, but supposed to be printed about 1770, entitled, "The Horn fair Garland, containing
six excellent new songs." This tract is believed to have been in the possession of Bui'ns, as his name, in a boyish
hand, is scrawled on the margin of the last page. The present song seems to owe some of its lines to Song VI.,
" The loyal lover's farewell to his sweetheart on going a long joiu-ney ; " and Mr. Motherwell observes, " this song
shows how tenaciously his (Burns') memory retained every idea which a rude ditty suggested to his creative mind."
We are in possession of further information on the subject, but this we shall reserve for the Appendix, merely
remarking here, that the first six lines do not appear in any of these old versions.
In Johnson's Museum the song was set to two diiferent airs, one a strathspey, called by Gow, " Major Graham,"
and the other a fine old melody of one strain, called, " Queen Mary's Lament." Neither of these has retained
possession of the song, which is now invariably sung to a modern version of "Low down in the broom," the air to
■ which it is adapted in this work. Sibbald, in his Chronicle of Scottish Poetry, vol. iii. p. 274, states it as his
opinion, that to this tune was written, " My love murnis for me, for me," one of Wedderburne's " Psalms and
Ballands of Godlie purposes." These spiritual songs were undoubtedly sung to the popular tunes of the day ; but
every attempt to identify the latter with any air now known, must, with perhaps a few exceptions, rest purely on
conjecture. Wedderburne's " Gude and Godlie Ballates," are supposed to be alluded to in a Canon of the Pro-
vincial Council, 1549, which denounces severe punishments against those who kept in their possession " aliquos
libros rythmorum seu cantilenarum vulgarium, scandalosa ecclesiasticorum, aut quamcunque haeresim in se con-
tinentia." See Sibbald, vol. iii. p. 238.
30
SCOTTISH SONGS.
LADY ANNE BOTHWELL'S LAMENT.
ARKAHGED BY nUlAY DUST.
f = 80
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Ba - loOj my boy, lie still and sleep, It grieves me sore to hear thee
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weep;
If thou'It be
lent, I'll be
^^S=
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Thy moan - ing
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makes my heart full
Ba - loo, my boy, thy mo-ther's joy, Thy fa-ther
S=E
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IF
^cir
LADY ANNE BOTHWELL S LAMENT.
31
i
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=iS
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P=E
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bred me great an - noy, Ba - loo, ba - loo, ba - loo, ba - led, Ba - loo, ba -
ei
^
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V— »— 1 — • 1 — «
Pi?=HE=Ei
W-^-
-»~i — -i —
O'er thee I keep my lonely watch,
Intent thy lightest breath to catch ;
Or, when thou wak'st, to see thee araile-
And thus my sorrow to beguile.
Baloo, my boy, thy mother's joy.
Thy father bred me great annoy ;
Baloo, my boy, lie still and sleep.
It gi'ieves me sore to hear thee weep.
Twelve weary months have crept away
Since he, upon thy natal day,
Left thee and me, to seek afar
A bloody fate in doubtful war.
Baloo, my boy, lie still and sleep.
It grieves me sore to hear thee weep ;
If thou'lt be silent, I'll be glad.
Thy moaning makes my heart full sad.
I dream'd a dream but yester-night : — ■
Thy father slain in foreign fight ;
He, wounded, stood beside thy bed — ■
His blood ran down upon thy head ;
He spoke no word, but look'd on me —
Bent low, and gave a kiss to thee !
Baloo, baloo, my darliag boy,
Thou'rt now alone thy mother's joy.
* Instead of the nursery burden of " lillilu," &c., the singer may repeat the first two lines of the stanza.
"Lady Ahne Bothwell's Lament." "A fragment of this ancient and beautiful ballad," Bishop Percy informs
us, " is inserted in his Manuscript Poems, written at least as early, if not before, the beginning of the reign of
Queen Elizabeth, in 1558. It consists of seven stanzas of eight lines each. A more perfect version of the ballad,
but evidently modernized, appears in Watson's iirst (third) Collection, printed at Edinburgh in 1711. This ballad
with the music, was afterwards published by Thomson in his Orpheus Caledonius in 1 725, from whence it was
copied into Johnson's Museum." See Museum Illustrations, vol. ii. pp. 124, 125. Mr. C. K. Sharpe, (Additional
Illustrations, vol. ii. pp. 203-5,) states, that the personages of the ballad were Lady Anne Bothwell, daughter of
the Bishop of Orkney, and her cousin. Colonel Alexander Erskine, son of the Earl of Mar. As he was killed in
1640, Bishop Percy must have made a mistake in his estimate of the date of his manuscript. The old ballad,
though poetically meritorious, is so coarse in most of its stanzas as to be repugnant to modern feelings of propriety.
We have, therefore, adopted only the first stanza of it, the additional stanzas here given having been written by
a friend of the Publishers.
32
SCOTTISH SONGS.
WHISTLE O'ER THE LAVE O'T.
f = 72
MODERATO
SOSTESUTO.
ARRANGED BY J. T. StIRENNE.
S
l_^
m
^^
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f^=T
;):, ,, f
5S
^
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— S — iH — *— ^
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First when Mag-gie was my care, Heaven I thought was
in her air ;
^^
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*
^1
p-
r
ei
if^i^
^ii^^^
IS
^=:::?s
ESS^E^E.
i/— «* 4
Now we're married, speir' nae mair, But whistle o'er the lave^ o't. Mec was meel; and
w=^-
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Meg wa3 mild, Sweet and harm - less as a child; Wis - er men than me's heguiled; Sae
WHISTLE o'eB the LAVE o'T.
33
i
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t=^--
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i
whistle o'er the lave o't.
m
;ES
-»-r-
I
=EE
How we live, my Meg and me,
How we love, and how we gree,'
I care-nfi-by* how few may see;
Ssie, whistle o'er the lave o't.
Wha I wish were maggots' meat,
Dish'd up in her winding sheet,
I could write — but Meg maun see't ;
Sae, whistle o'er the lave o't.
r- ff
^ Rest : romamder.
jigrco.
** A Scottish idiom meaning "I am totally indiffferent."
" Whistle o'er the lave o't." " This fine air was formerly adapted to some witty, but indelicate verses, a
fragment of which is preserved in Herd's Collection. The humorous song in the Museum, beginning, ' First when
Maggie was my care,' was written by Burns in 1789, as a substitute for the old verses. The air was composed
about the year 1720, by John Bruce, a musician of the town of Dumfries ; and Oswald afterwards published it
with variations in the last volume of his Caledonian Pocket Companion." See Museum Illustrations, vol. iii.
p. 236. John Bruce's title to be considered the composer of this air is at best very doubtful. We learn from John
Mayne, who mentions him among his worthies in the " Siller Gun," 1836, that Bruce was born at Braemar — was
engaged in the rebellion of 1745— was taken prisoner, and confined for some time in Edinburgh Castle— and after-
wards settled in Dumfries, where he spent the remainder of his life. Mayne adds — " He is supposed by Burns
to have been the composer of the favourite Scots air of ' Wliistle o'er the lave o't.' This opinion is altogether
erroneous ; for, although John Bruce was an admirable performer, he never was known as a composer of music.
The air in question was composed long before he existed."
In order to render the melody of the seventh bar (measure) more vocal, a slight alteration has been made upon
it ; but the original passage is given in the first bar of the ritornel.
This air affords examples of what has been called the " Scottish catch," or "snap," a characteristic of the strath-
spey, which, though not confined entirely to that species of dance music, is yet only occasionally met with in our
old slow vocal airs. This peculiarity was seized upon during last century by the English imitators of Scottish
music, and was used most unsparingly in their productions. Of this the Anglo-Scottish airs contained in the first
volume of Johnson's Museum afford abundant proof; among these we may particularise " The banks of Tweed,"
" My dear Jockey," " Kate of Aberdeen," and " Sweet Annie frae the sea-beach came." The use or abuse of this
" catch" was not confined, however, to imitations of Scottish airs, but was even introduced into the Italian Operatic
music of the day. Writing of the London Opera in 1748, Dr. Burney, (History of Music, vol. iv. p. 457,) says, —
" There was at this time too much of Scots catch, or cutting short the first of two notes in a melody, thus : —
i
1=
^
^
*
-gf Si "
-W A -V
#
^
=51
Again, at p. 466, note (d), writing about Tito Manlio, an opera brought out by Abos, a composer of the Neapolitan
school, in 1756, he says, — " The first air, however, is pleasing, ' Se che piil amor,' but has too much repetition and
Soots snap of the first two notes." And again, same page, note (c), giving some account of the airs in the pasticcio
" Olimpiade," brought out in 1755, he says, — "' Grandi fe ver,' by Pergolesi, not in his best manner, nor without
Scoticisms." As we have not seen the music here alluded to, we suppose that he refers to the " snap" or " catch"
that he mentions elsewhere as being so prevalent. At p. 472, speaking of the Neapolitan school, he says, — " The
Scots snap seems to have been contagious in that school at this time, (1759,) for all the three masters concerned in
this opera. (Vologeso,) are lavish of it." The masters alluded to are Perez, Cocchi, and Jomelli.
No. xni. 0
34
SCOTTISH SONGS.
OH! THOU ART ALL SO TENDER.
AIR, "MY LOVE HAS FOKSAKEN ME.
AJIRANGED BY T. M. MUDIE.
'= 63
Andante.
pf r f ^ T f J.
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Oh ! thou art all so ten - der, so
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love - ly, and mild, The
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heart
ne - ver ■wan - der, which
thou hast be
guiled.
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as the calm e
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of
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oh! thou art all so tender.
35
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BE
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&^.
t^
fLzji^.
^=iii
^P^:
•— 1^— •-
joy, And fair, as fair - est
bios - sonij that o - pens to the
:^:
^
is^;
^
sky.
■■B-
Concluding Sj/7tiphoni/.
Though long and deep my sorrow, all lonely thus may be.
Oh ! still my heart shall borrow a ray of joy from thee ;
To thee the charms seem given of earth that never sprung,
The melting hymns of heaven are round thy spirit sung.
Then let thy form be near me, that I that form may see,
I've tried to live, but eerie, I cannot live from thee ;
Nor grudge deep kindness either, to sooth me when I sigh,
I know thoul't give it rather than thou would'st see me die.
Though mine thou may'st be never, and ceaseless woes betide,
Still nouglit on earth shall ever my love ii'om thee divide ;
My mind may cease to cherish the hope of bUss to be,
But of the hopes that perish the last shall breathe of thee.
" Oh ! THOU AM ALL SO tenher." This song was written by the Rev. Henry Scott Riddell, and is here repub-
lished by his express permission. The air is that given in Johnson's Museum, vol. ii., under the name of "My
love has forsaken me," and which is stated, by Mr. Stenhouse, to have been furnished for the Museum by Doctor
Blacklock, about the close of 1787. It has somewhat of a Gaelic cast, and from the simplicity of its style, and the
tonality on which it is composed, we would pronounce it to be considerably older than Dr. Blacklock's time.
As a preliminary to the consideration of Riizio's alleged authorship of many Scottish melodies, we subjoin a
few particulars of his life. We are told by Chalmers that David Rizzio* was born at Turin, of poor parents ; and
that he came to Scotland in the suite of the Piedmontese Ambassador, towards the end of the year 1561. Soon
afterwards he entered the service of Queen Mary, for we find that on the 8th January 1.561-2, he received £50
Scots, as " virlet of the Queen's chalmer ; " and again, three months later, £15, as " chalmer-chield," (page or
usher.) The account given of his entrance into the Queen's household, is, that a fourth singer was occasionally
wanted to take a part in the performance of madrigals and other concerted vocal music, and that he, having a good
voice and being skilled in music, was engaged to fill the situation. In this position he seems to have remained for
several years, for in 1564 we find that four payments were made to him at the rate of £80 a-year, still as " virlet."
In 1565, the Queen's French Secretary having been dismissed, Rizzio was appointed to succeed him, but did not
long enjoy his new office, as he was murdered about the close of the same year, (9th March); having thus been
little more than four years in the country.
* Or rather Riccio ; for thus Queen Srary spells the name in writing an account of the murder to the .Archbishop of Glas'^ow, then her
Ambassador at the Court of France.
36
SCOTTISH SONGS.
AULD LANG SYNE.
AKBAKUKD BY J. T. SL'BKNNIi.
S^^i
±=3i
T^-=-l^±J
Should auld ac-quain-tance
lEJ^E*
^.
,-&-
^^r^—jJL- ^
^li^E©
p^
Bi
^E
^qi:i=izi?=
?
T
f^^^f^^
3
3=^
i^^l^
^^^^^
^zi-g^it
be for - got, And ne - ver brought to mind? Should auld ao-quain- tance be for - got, And
li
1^=^
N=i='^
-*-
IS*
^
-• — •-
^
^==^=
m--
days o' lang syne ?
For auld
lang
syne, my dear, For
i^
m
r=3=f
m/
1
es
?=i=
3
AULD LANG SYNE.
37
We twa ha'e run about the braes,
And pu'd the gowans' fine,
But we've wander'd mony a weary foot.
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, &c.
We twa ha'e paidelt" in the burn,'
Frae morning sim till dine ;
But seas between us braid ha'e roar'd.
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, &c
1 Daisies. 3 Walked
J Corapanion. — In yome editioas the word is
And here's a hand my trusty fere,*
And gi'es a hand o' thine ;
And we'll take a richt-gude-willie waught,'
For auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, &c.
And surely ye'll be your pint-stonp.
And surely I'll be mine ;
And we'll tak' a cup o' kindness yet.
For auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, &c.
backwards and forwards. b Brook.
" friend." 5 A draught mth riglit gcpod wil].
" AuiD LANG STNE." " Biu'ns admitted to Johnson, that three of the stanzas of Lang-syne only were old ; the
other two being written by himself. These three stanzas relate to the cup, the plnt-stoiip, and a gude-wiUie wauyht;
those two introduced by Burns have relation to the innocent amusements of youth, contrasted with the cares and
troubles of maturer age." In introducing this song to Mrs. Dunlop of Dunlop, the daughter of Sir Thomas Wallace
of Craigie, and a descendant of the race of Elderslie, the poet says : — " Is not the Scotch phrase, ' auld lang syne,'
exceedingly expressive? There is an old song and tune (of this name) which have often thrilled through my
soul Light be the turf on the breast of the heaven-inspired poet who composed this glorious fragment !
There is more of the fire of native genius in it than in half-a-dozen of modern Bacchanalians !"
As Burns had mentioned that the old tune adapted to the song in Johnson's Museum was but mediocre,
Mr. Thomson got the woi-ds arranged to the air, " I fee'd a lad at Michaelmas," to which they are now always
eung. " Shield introduced it in his overture to the opera of Rosiua, written by Sir. Brooks, and acted at Covent-
Garden in 1783. It is the last movement of that overture, and in imitation of a Scottish bagpipe tune, in which
the oboe is substituted for the chanter, and the bassoon for the drone." In Cumming's Collection the air is found
under the title of "The miller's wedding." Gow, in one collection, called it "The miller's daughter;" while in
another he gave it the name of " Sir Alexander Don's strathspey," in compliment to the late baronet of Newton-don,
in the county of Roxburgh, who was both a good violin-player, and a steady patron of the musical art. Seo
Museum Illustrations, vol. v. pp. 874, 875.
38
SCOTTISH SONGS.
HIGHLAND MARY.
AIE, "KATUERINB OGIE."*
AllKANQED BY T. M. MTJDIE.
P = 72
i
Andante
Mesto.
m
BEjgz- =^=iig3r =^=1^^=^=^^ =E^|i*=&^?
rr"
? *-
eis
^^^"r
P
:EJt
r
ST
F-
35
^
:^
szz^zn^M
3^:
P^^l
•— #-
Ye banks, and braes, and streams a - round The cas - tie o' Mont -
S
m- &-
fe^=
n
r r
r
-:g--
-T==Si — ■'
B?=¥=F
^
fe^i=t
=pa=
pa— ] — ff* j- — --- ■"- r3-
^
-^i« — #-
^F^S=:^
me-ry, Green be your woods, and fair your flow'rs, Your wa - ters ue - ver
iS
t
|r.EE«^^S^E™^:
^m
w
* — *--
e^
H^ — r— «i"
-a — g-
"^
^^
F£
»^^
E^E
::p^=i=
drum - lie ! There sim - mer first un - fauld ber robes, And
H H
l^EEaE
^=«t
:^
-c^
i=i^^;
ai±
=^=
-^-
* Ogre, in the Celtic, meana liiile or young.
HIGHLAND MARY.
39
^^^^^^i^^^^^H
there the lang - est tar - ry ! For there I took the last fare - weel O'
i;
mm
i^^=
»3
#
V I^
w
EME^
^
T
ee:
'mW^'^Zrr
"I J i • J P
jj^
How sweetly hloom'd the gay green birk,
How rich the hawthorn's blossom,
As underneath their fi-agrant shade,
I clasp'd her to my bosom !
The golden hours, on angel wings.
Flew o'er me and my dearie ;
For dear to me as light and life
Was my sweet Highland Mary.
Wi' monie a vow, and lock'd embrace,
Our parting was fu' tender ;
And pledging aft to meet again.
We tore ourselves asunder :
But, oh ! fell death's untimely frost,
That nipp'd my flower sae early !
Now green's the sod, and cauld's the clay,
That wraps my Highland Mary !
0 pale, pale now those rosy lips
I aft ha'e kiss'd sae fondly !
And closed for aye the sparkling glance
That dwelt on me sae kindly ;
And mouldering now in silent dust,
That heart that lo'ed me dearly !
But still within my bosom's core
Shall live my liighlaud Mary.
"Highland Mart." Burns composed this song to the air of "Katherine Ogie." In a letter to Mr. George
Thomson, dated 14th November 1792, he says : — " I agree with you that the song, Katherine Ogie, is very poor
Btuff, and altogether unworthy of so beautiful an air. I tried to mend it, but the awkward sound Otjie recurring
so often in the rhyme, spoils every attempt at introducing sentiment into the piece. The foregoing song pleases
myself; I think it is in my happiest manner ; you will see at first glance that it suits the air. The subject of the
song is one of the most interesting passages of my youthful days ; and I own that I should be much flattered to
see the verses set to an air which would insure celebrity. Perhaps, after all, 'tis the still glowing prejudice of my
heart that throws a borrowed lustre over the merits of the composition." It appears that the air of Katherine
Ogie, with the words, " As I went furth to view the plain," which are characterized by Burns as " very poor stuff,"
was sung with great applause by Mr. John Abell, one of the gentlemen of the Chapel-Royal, at his concert in
Stationers' Hall, London, in the year 1680. Also, that it was printed with the music and words, by an engraver
of the name of Cross, as a single sheet song, in the course of that year. The air appears as Scottish in D'Urfey's
Pills, and various subsequent publications. It is found in the Leyden MS., a copy of which was lately presented
by the Editor to the Library of the Faculty of Advocates, Edinburgh.
40.
SCOTTISH SOKGS.
THE LASS OP PATIE'S MILL.
AKBANGED BY O. P. GEAHAM.
f==r
ff9s=5
^
~B — • '~
:1-T
m
s
m
:9t±
^:=b&=^:atii
The las3 of Pa - tie's
mill.
BE
ss
3^
Pl=
'^^
So bon - nie, bijthe, and
^^
i--.N
--^^A
-!9-
l^Tf-
n
^
a~
^
e
:^E^
:n-
epite of all my
a
gay,
In
skill,
She stole my heart a -
i35
S^
i
T^"^
r r
fedE
-&-
IZ2I
« •-
T
izz:
=J
:P=^
?EEE
e^
^
ii
way.
When
^
ted - ding of the
g of the hay,
Bare
M=ES
t^—-
eE
s
:p:pi*i
=3=
THE LASS OP PATIE S MILL.
41
Without the help of art,
Like iiow'rs "which grace the wild,
She did her sweets impart,
Whene'er she spoke or smiled.
Her looks they were so mild.
Free from affected pride.
She me to love beguiled ;
I wish'd her for my bride.
0 ! had I all that wealth
Hopetoun's high mountains' fill.
Insured long life and health,
And pleasure at my will ;
I'd promise and fulfil
That none but bonnie she.
The lass of Patie's mill.
Should share the same with me.
' The Lead-hills, belonging to the Earl of Hopctoun.
" The l.^ss of Patie's mill." Mr. Stenhouse, in his Note upon No. 20 of the Museum, gives a romantic account
of the heroine of this song, irom the Statistical Account of Scotland, which the reader may consult, if curious in
matters so uncertain as old family traditions of the sixteenth century. From that account we learn that she was
the only daughter of John Anderson, Esq., of Patie's Mill, in the parish of Keith-hall, and county of Aberdeen.
That she was very beautiful and accomplished, and a rich heiress in prospect. That a Mr. Sangster, the Laird of
Boddom, tried to carry off Jliss Anderson, clandestinely, about the year 1550, and was disappointed, and soundly
drubbed by her father. That she afterwards married a Mr. Anderson, who " composed a song in her praise, the
air of which only is now preserved." All this may be true, or not ; but Jlr. Stenhouse's assertion, that " the air
as has been shown, is at least as old as the middle of the sixteenth century," cannot be received without written
or printed evidence in musical notation ; of which there is not a shadow. The air, No. 20 of Johnson's Museum,
is very unlike a Scottish air of " the middle of the sixteenth century." So is the set given in the first volume of
John Watts' " Musical Miscellany," London, 1729, page 97 ; while that set differs materially from Johnson's. All
the sets of the air that we have seen, bear internal evidence — ft-om certain passages and cadences — of modern
structure, not earlier than the commencement of the eighteenth century. It is surprising that Mr. Stenhouse did
not perceive this. Mr. Stenhouse adds, in his Note on this song and air, " Allan Ramsay adapted his modern
words to the old melody, and transferred the heroine of his muse to the parish of Galston, in the county of Ayr,
where a mill with a similar name was existing. Burns gives us the following account of this translocation, upon
the authority of Sir William Cunningham of Robertland, Baronet, to whom the anecdote was communicated by
the late John, Earl of Loudon : — ' The then Earl of Loudon, father of Earl John before-mentioned, had Ramsay
at Loudon, and one day walking by the banks of Irvine water, near New-Mills, at a place yet called Patie's Mill, '
they were struck with the appearance of a beautiful country girl. His Lordship observed tiiat she would be a
fine theme for a song. Allan lagged behind in returning to Loudon Castle, and at dinner produced this identical
song.' " — Burns's Beliques. For further information regarding the .Song, see Appendix.
In this work the second stanza of Ramsay's song is omitted, for very obvious reasons.
SCOTTISH SONGS.
WHAT AILS THIS HEART 0' MINE 1
AREAMGED BY T. M. MUDIE.
88
Lahgiietto.
^
V
tr^^-^-^-^.
-&-
m
m^m
-r — ^-^-^
-^-*-w-
poco rail.
*^'
What ails this heart o' mine ! What ails this wa - fry e'e I What
^
n
H-f-
-ff
mi
^i
^
m
T^
p^^^g^B^a^Plfliglgip^ilE
EE*
gars* me a' turn cauld as death AVhen I take leave o' thee ? When thou art far a - wa^ Thou'lt
*
ii
r-=^=j=
T
^>-
s*
^
J h=^|]^
O-1-fS-
l=p=?=F^=i=^-
a piaecre.
mE^
"a — '^ "~
-»T-
^-
-(» —
^-ffl-^— ^-
=^
dear - er grow to me ; But change o' place an' change o' foil; May gar thy fan - cy jee."
=^=
fci
E^
colla voce.
-# . p
ail:
1=
^ — *
:^c=^
1=S^
U
WHAT AILS THIS HEART o' MINE?
43
^E
When I gae out at e'en,
Or walk at morning air,
Ilk ' rustling bush will seem to say
I used to meet thee there.
Then I'll sit down and cry,
And live aneath the tree.
And when a leaf fa's in my lap
I'll ea't a word frae thee.
I'll hie me to the bower
That thou wi' roses tied,
And where wi' mony a blushing bud
I strove mysel' to hide.
• Make ; cause.
I'll doat on ilka spot
Where I ha'e been wl' thee ,
And ca' to mind some kindly word
By ilka burn and tree !
Wi' sic thoughts i' my mind.
Time through the world may gae,
And find my heart in twenty years
The same as 'tis to-day.
'Tis thoughts that bind the soul,
And keep friends i' the e'e ;
And gin I think I see thee aye.
What can part thee and me !
P MoTB : change.
" What ails this heart o' mine ?" The words are by Miss Susanna Blamire ; two of whose songs have already
appeared in this work. See vol. ii. pp. 7, 19. The melody is old, and was formerly called, "My dearie, an' thou
dee:" it appears in its simpler form in the Leyden MS., referred to svpra, p. 25, &c. Mr. Patrick Maxwell, in
his edition of Miss Blamire's poems, 1842, informs us, that she was born at Cardcn Hall, Cumberland, on 12th
January 1747; that she passed a good deal of her time in Scotland — her eldest sister, Sarah, having married
Colonel Graham of Gartmore in 1767; and that she died at Carlisle on 5th April 1794. Mr. Maxwell says of
her : — " She had a graceful form, somewhat above the middle size, and a countenance, though slightly marked
with the small-pox, beaming with good nature ; her dark eyes sparkled with animation, and won every heart at
the first introduction. She was called by her affectionate countrymen, ' a bonnie and varra lish young lass,' —
which may be interpreted as meaning a beautiful and very lively young girl. Her afi'ability and total freedom
from affectation put to flight that reserve which her presence was apt to create in the minds of her humbler
associates ; for they quickly perceived that she really wished them happiness, and aided in promoting it by every
effort in her power. She freely mingled in their social parties, called mcrri/ nects, in Cumberland ; and by her
graceful figure, elegant dancing, and kind-hearted gaiety, gave a zest to the entertainments, which, without her
presence, would have been wanting."
In our first volume we had occasion to animadvert on the share that James Oswald had taken in the promulga-
tion of a belief that Rizzio was the composer of some of our old Scottish melodies. Since writers, who oun-ht to
have acquired better information, have not only re-echoed Oswald's mis-statement, but have, besides, asserted that
Rizzio was the originator of the Scottish style of melody, we consider it our duty to examine the question thoroughly,
with the view of bringing it to a true conclusion. This will require more space than can be afl'orded to any single
Note; we shall therefore present our materials in such paragraphs as they may naturally fall into. How or
when such a belief originated, may be difficult to determine; but certainly there are no traces of it for a century
and a-half after Rizzio's death. During all that time there is no historical hint that Rizzio ever composed anything
in any style of music; and not a vestige of any music, sacred or secular, is ascribed to him. Tassoni, his countrj--
man, (born in 1565, the year of Rizzio's murder,) speaking of music, says, that James, King of Scotland, invented
a new and plaintive style of melody. Whether this assertion be correct or not, is of no consequence to our present
inquiry. In either case Tassoni's assertion is sufficient to show, not only that no claim had till then been set up
in favour of Rizzio, but also, that an earlier origin was then assigned to Scottish melody. We here exclude from
consideration J.ames VI., as he was King of England long before Tassoni died, (1635) ; and we consider it probable
that James I. was meant — he at least being known to have included music among his accomplishments, and being
said to have been an excellent performer on the lute, the harp, and other instruments. (See p. 45 for the continu-
ation of this inquiry.)
44
SCOTTISH SOIfGS.
THE GLOOMY NIGHT IS GATH'RING PAST.
AIR, " HUGHIE GBAUAM."
ARRANGED BY J. T. SUKENNE.
Adagio
sostenuto.
gii^g^a
W^ r
HSfeS
T^
tf
^
^
^^
&
33^
iKF
122:
?^
izfi
I?Z3t
i^^ciii
I22I
The gloom - y night is
th'ring fast, Loud roars the
^55
If
I
■^
r -/
f
-SI-
"^""T
r
ff
THE GLOOMY NIGHT IS GATH RING FAST.
45
dim. ! r
if^
The hunter now has left the moov,
The scatter'd coveys meet secure,
While here I wander, prcss'd with care,
Along the lonely banks of Ayr.
The autumn mourns her ripening corn
By early winter's ravage torn ;
Across her placid azm-e sky
She sees the scowling tempest fly :
Chill rins my blood to hear it rave —
I think upon the stormy wave,
Where many a danger I must dare,
Far fi-om the bonnie banks of Ayr.
'Tis not the surging billows' roar,
'Tis not that fatal, deadly shore ;
Though death in every shape appear,
The wretched liave no more to fear :
But round my heart the ties are bound,
That heart transpierced with many a wound ;
These bleed afi-esh, those ties I tear,
To leave the bonnie banks of Ayr.
Farewell, old Coila's hills and dales.
Her heathy moors and winding vales ;
The scene where wretched fancy roves.
Pursuing past, unhappy loves 1
Farewell, my fi-iends, farewell, my foes,
My peace with these, my love with those ;
The bursting tears my heart declare ;
Farewell, the bonnie banks of Ayr.
" The GLOOJrr night is gath'king fast." " I composed this song," says Burns, " as I convoyed my chest so far
on the road to Greenock, where I was to embark in a few days for Jamaica. I meant it as my farewell dirge to
my native land." — Kdiques. This was in 1786. It appears that this song was set to music by, his friend Mr.
Allan Masterton, a Writing-master in Edinburgh. Masterton's air is mediocre enough, and is singularly unvocal
and ill-suited to the words in the first part of the second strain. At that period, and long before, as well as long
after, most of the am.ateur musicians in Great Britain were men who could merely play a little on some musical
instrument, or sing a little, without any farther knowledge of music, or cultivation of their own musical capabilities,
whatever these might be. Hence so many very indifl'erent Scottish melodies that infest our printed musical collec-
tions ; mere imitations, and mostly affected and bad ones, of the better and more ancient Scottish airs ; combining
want of knowledge of musical composition with want of feeling and judgment.
The air to which Burns' words are given in this work, is found in Oswald's Caledonian Pocket Companion, under
the name of " Drimon Duif ; " in the Museum, vol. iv., it is set to the Border ballad, " Hughie Graham." We beUeve
it to be an old Highland air, and that its original title was " Drumion dubh," or " The black cow." Whatever
its origin or its antiquity, it is undoubtedly Scottish, and is a very good and characteristic melody. For the old
ballad of " Hughie Graham," see Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, vol. iii. edit. 1833.
We now return to Rizzio. From what we have already stated, and from what follows, we are inclined to believe
that Rizzio's name was first connected with Scottish melody by his countrymen who were in England about the
beginning of last century. We know that Italian music was then fashionable in London, and that Scottish song
divided the public taste with it. Whether the flowing style of melgdy pecuUar to the Lowland pastoral airs induced
the belief that an Italian only could have written them, we do not pretend to say, but it is certain that Rizzio was
first heard of as a composer in 1725, when Thomson published his Orpheus Caledonius. In this there are seven
airs ascribed to Rizzio ; " An thou wert mine ain thing," " Bessie Bell," " Auld Rob Morris," " The boatman,"
"The bush iboon Traquair," "The lass o' Patie's mill," and "Down the burn Davie;" of these at least three
certainly had not existed much above half a century, and the last was probably a very recent composition. Such
is the earliest evidence in favoiu- of Rizzio, and slight as it is, its authority is considerably lessened by the fact,
that in the second edition of the Orpheus Caledonius, (1738,) Thomson, perhaps taking shame to himself for
■-■having been an accessory to the imposture, suppressed Eizzio's name entirely. (See p. 51 for a continuation
of the subject.)
46
SCOTTISH SONGS.
GILDEROY.
ARKANOEB BT EINLAT DUN.
' = 60
Lento
Mesto.
S^-BEF
a^
3=?=id=*=£:
^;i*-;^:
a
p
f
itii
*~ir
¥
ts
^m.
fe*:
S
^^s^^^^^^^^^M
:=PT
"K^
S
The last, the dread -ed* hour is come. That bears my love from
4 #*-*^
a=
^^
=P=2
Jzi* — ^i
■ I ri
3i^
^-" — = — ^-^
1^
-F — F-
3^:
fe^
P-
H-^-» *• » * , l-W — 1-- — >»J b-| — — • — C— J—
^
±=^:
^
hear the dead note of the drum, I mark the fa - tal +
'2:;'' P cres. ' J> '^.^ - —
I — \f r^^^ — — zj. — i ii^ — '
fe^
Eg
^^'
tree.
The hell has toU'd ; it shakes my heart : The trum - pet speaks thy
^:
SS^=
^
^-^'—w^-
m&i
'ft
3iS
t
cres. mf
-|S — ;
^
■-F-
I
• Oi'ig.. fatal, f Or/*?., galloTVEi. — These words have been altered, not as improvements on the poetry, but merely as more suitable for singing,
GlLDEROT.
4;-
fef^
i^
narae ;
'^
S
f'?5=S:
^^^1^^^
r^^r
And must my Gil - de - roy de - part To bear a death of
y^r
Si£^
&
^^
T
^=3=*
f^
ttp:
»T»-1»-
-a-t
^^Efei
The stanzas ■within brackets may be omitted in singings
[No bosom trembles for thy doom ;
No mourner wipes a tear ;
The gallows' foot is all thy tomb,
The sledge is all thy bier.]
Oh, Gilderoy ! bethought we then
So soon, so sad to part,
When first in Roslin's loTely glen
You triumph'd o'er my heart ?
Tour locks they gUtter'd to the sheen,
Your hunter garb was trim ;
And graceful was the ribbon green
That bound your manly limb !
[Ah ! little thought I to deplore
Those limbs in fetters bound ;
Or hear, upon the scaffold floor,
The midnight hammer sound.]
[Ye cruel, cruel, that combined
The guiltless to pursue ;
My Gilderoy was ever kind.
He could not injure you !]
A long adieu ! but where shall fly
Thy widow all forlorn,
When ev'ry mean and cruel eye
Regards my wo with scorn ?
Yes ! they will mock thy widow's tears.
And hate thine orphan boy ;
Alas ! his infant beauty wears
The form of Gilderoy.
[Then will I seek the dreary mound
That wraps thy mouldering clay.
And weep and linger on the ground.
And sigh my heart away.]
" Gilderoy." With regard to the origin of the air, we have no information. It has a modern aspect in the
current versions, which are nearly the same as that found in the Orpheus Caledonius, ed. 1733. The verses given
in this work were written by our celebrated countryman, Thomas Campbell ; we believe they are here adapted to
the air for the first time. The old ballad of Gilderoy seems to have been published about 1650. The current copy,
with alterations, ascribed to Lady Wardlaw, the authoress of " Hardyknute," is much too long for a sonc ; and is
besides, objectionable in other respects. The hero of the ballad, Gilderoy, was, it seems, a desperate freebooter
in Perthshire, who, after committing many atrocities, was seized and hanged, with five of his followers at the
Gallowlee, between Leith and Edinburgh, in July 1638.
Lord Hailes, in his Annals of Scotland, vol. i., ed. 1797, speaking of an Irish chief, Gilrodh, who made an
incursion into Scotland in 1283, appends a note regarding the name, p. 349 — " Properly Qilruadh, that is, the
red-haired lad. And hence the modern corrupted name of Gilderoy."
48
SCOTTISH SONGS.
I MET FOUR CHAPS YON BIRKS AMANG.
AIR, "JENNV'S DAWBEE."
0^
ARRANGED BY J. T. SURENNE.
'= 88
MOBERATO.
-F ^-
y-
-B=
:^
I i P — z} z*-?— • — y
mf
T r,
m
ffitfe
f-
^iE^fe
Ai=F
i=Eg^r=g^^fe5;^EJE^^^^E;g|^ig
ii
^
— *— •-
met four chaps ;'on birks amang, Wi' hing - ing lugs' and fa - ces lang : I spier'd^ at nee - hour
a
w
nirijfc.-
^^^iS
-^
^-^
:J^=ts;
.* .^ f-f
^
Baul - dy Strang, Wha's they I see 1 Quo' he, Ilk cream-faced paw - ky chiel,^ Thocht
3=E^=
a 1 ftJ
^:
zMz«z
^^
■» a^ *
-• — #~
to/
-r-
^
-& -*-
■^.==K
^=3^=i:
^=?^
=^^
^
V=t
-• — •-
he was eun - ning as the deil. And here they cam' a - wa' to steal
i»«=^
ig:
^S^.
r — r — r — r
r
-*
Bltt
P^
It
I MET FOUR CHAPS TON BIRKS AMANQ.
49
tt
S
1
&i
Jen - nv's baw - bee.''
P
* • 1^
-^-^
i^
r^ — ^* — ^-
rx r
a4
r. r
ny"
^g=B=3
^«^-^-^-
^=r
^^
The first, a Captain to his trade,
Wi' skull ill-lined, but back weel-clad,
March'd round the barn, and by the shed.
And pappit' on his knee :
Quo' he, "My goddess, nymph, and queen.
Your beauty's dazzled baith my een ! "
But deil a beauty he had seen
But — Jenny's bawbee.
A Lawyer neist, wi' blatherin' gab,*
Wha speeches woto like ony wab,
In ilk ane's corn aye took a dab,
And a' for a fee.
Accounts he owed through a' the to\ui,
And tradesmen's tongues nae mair could drown.
But now he thocht to clout his gouu
Wi' Jenny's bawbee.
A Norland Laird neist trotted up,
Wi' bawsand' naig and siller whup,
Cried, " There's my beast, lad, haud the grup.
Or tie 't till a tree :
What's gowd to me ? — I've walth o' Ian' !
Bestow on ane o' worth your han' ! " —
He thocht to pay what he was awn
Wi' Jenny's bawbee.
Brest up just like the knave o' clubs,
A TEiNG came neist, (but life has rubs,)
Foul were the roads, and fu' the dubs,'
And jaupit^ a' was he.
He danced up, squinting through a glass,
And grinn'd, " I' faith, a bonnie lass !"
He thought to win, wi' front o' brass,
Jenny's bawbee.
She bade the Laird gae kame his wig,
The Sodger no to strut sae big,
The Lawyer no to be a prig,
The fool, he cried, " Tehee !
I kenn'd that I could never fail !"
But she preen'di" the dishclout to his tail,
And soused him wi' the water-pail.
And kept her bawbee.
Then Johnnie cam', a lad o' sense,
Although he had na mony pence ;
And took young Jenny to the spence,"
Wi' her to crack '^ a wee.
Now Johnnie was a clever chiel.
And here his suit he press'd sae wcel,
That Jenny's heart grew saft a.s jeel.
And she birled'^ her bawbee.
' Ears. - Asked. ^ Sly fellow. < Fortune ; Scod'ce— toe!
*>' Babbling tongue. 7 Having a white spot on its forehead.
'" Pinned. ' ' The inner apartment of a country house. '- To chat.
literally — a half-penny. 5 Popped ; dropped,
s Puddles ; pools. 9 Bespattered.
13 Consented to share ; to birl, means also to toss up.
" Jenny's bawbee." This air has long been a favourite dancing tune ; but it appears also to have been early
adapted to words. A fragment of the old song is given by Herd, in his Collection of 1776 : its merits are not
great; but even had they been greater, it must still have been supplanted by the humorous verses which we give
above. These were written by the late Sir Alexander Boswell, Bart., and were published by him anonymously
in 1803. He afterwards presented them to Mr. George Thomson for his Collection of Scottish Melodies. Allan
Cunningham, in his Songs of Scotland, 1825, gives Sir Alexander's verses with an additional stanza, (the last,)
which did not appear in the earlier copies ; whether it was an after-thought of the author himself, or was added
by another, is uncertain. Sir Alexander Boswell was the eldest son of Dr. Johnson's biographer, and was born in
1775; he died 27th March 1822. He was distinguished as an amiable and spirited country gentleman, and also
as a literary antiquary of considerable erudition. Perhaps his taste in the latter capacity was greatly fostered
by the possession of an excellent collection of old manuscripts and books, gathered together by his ancestors, and
well known under the title of the " Auchinleck Library." From the stores of this collection. Sir Walter Scott pub-
lished, in 1804, the romance of " Sir Tristrem," which is believed to be the earliest specimen extant of poetry by a
Scotsman. Its author, Thomas of Erceldoune, called the Rhymer, flourished in the thirteenth century. See
Chambers' Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen.
No. XIV. ■ D
50
SCOTTISH SONGS.
AFTON WATER.
AEEANGED BY O. F. QKAHAJI.
P= 63
Lenio
CON
Teneeezza.
-*
-•
-J-
=^^g=EgfE^^;
^-^=^^
^m^
^-F 1^
::^
^
Flow gent - ly, sweet Af - ton, a - mong thy green
-f^
^JeI^^ePPP^e
ei
^
1=,=^
a=T^
=f »-j— j=j-
^
H'-o-^^g^
braes, Flow gent - ly, I'll sing thee a aong in thy praise ;
$^^^^^^g^^^
m
rj
t=^
^-■
=3=
^^^
^^
^=^
m^^
:t^
9—^
My Ma - ry's a
sleep by thy
mur - mur - ing
^^^
r*
^-
^
H
*^t
B?
^=:f=
j^i
f-r^-'T
T— r
AFTON WATEK.
51
^
i
stream ; Fluw
gent - ly,
Af - ton,
(lis
turb not her
12
^
m
^
-^-
m
dream.
m
m
iiczgi
S^
-a!-*-
Thou stock-dove, whose echo resounds through the glen,
Ye wild whistling blackbirds, in yon flow'ry den,
Thou green-crested lap-wing, thy screaming forbear,
I charge you, disturb not my slumbering fair.
How lofty, sweet Afton, thy neighbouring hills,
Far mark'd with the courses of clear- winding rills ;
There daily I wander, as morn rises high,
My flocks and my Mary's sweet cot in my eye.
How pleasant thy banks and green valleys below,
Where wild in the woodlands the primroses blow ;
There oft, as mild evening creeps o'er the lea,
The sweet-scented birk shades my Mary and me.
Thy crystal stream, Afton, how lovely it glides.
And winds by the cot where my Mary resides !
How wanton thy waters her snowy feet lave.
As, gath'ring sweet flow'rets, she stems thy clear wave!
Flow gently, sweet Afton, among thy green braes ;
Flow gently, sweet river, the theme of my lays ;
My Mary's asleep by thy murmiu-ing stream ;
Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream.
" Afton Watek." " This song was written by Burns, and presented by him, as a tribute of gratitude and
respect, to Mrs. Stewart of Afton Lodge, for the notice she had taken of the bard, being the first he ever received
from any person in her rank of life. He afterwards transmitted the verses, along with the beautiful melody to
which they arc adapted, to Johnson, the publisher of the Musetun. Afton is a small river in Ayrshire, a,
tributary stream of the Nith. Mrs. Stewart inherited the property of Afton Lodge, which is situated upon its
banks, in right of her father." See Museum Illustrations, vol. iv. p. 355. It does not appear whence Burns
obtained the ah-, of which the author is unknown. -
After the publication of the Orpheus Caledonius, (see p. 45,) we hear no more of Rizzio till the appearance of
Oswald's Second Collection of Scottish Airs in 1742. There we find four of those airs, formerly ascribed to Rizzio
by Thomson, passed over without any such ascription, while six others have the name of " Rizo " attached to them ;
these are, " The cock laird," " The last time I cam' o'er the muir," " Peggy, I must love thee," " The black eagle,"
"The lowlands of Holland," and " 'William's ghost;" the last of these airs being a composition of the day, perhaps
even by Oswald himself. We thus see clearly enough that no dependence can be placed on these men — their pre-
tended knowledge is mere assumption, which, however it might have imposed on the credulous and the uninforme(^,
will not bear the test of sober criticism. It is to be remarked, that both these works, the Orpheus Caledonius, and
Oswald's Second Collection, appeared in Loudon; and that the contemporaneous Edinburgh Collections, AUan
Ramsay's, circa 1726, Adam Craig's, 1730, and William Macgibbon's, 1742, while they contain most, if not all the
airs already named, do not make any mention whatever of Rizzio. On the contrary, Craig, in dedicating his work to
the " Musical Society of Mary's Chappell," states, that the airs are " the native and genuine product of the country; "
words which he would not have used without alluding in some way to Rizzio, had there been any tradition then
current in Scotland, connecting him with Scottish melody. (See p. 63 for a continuation of the subject.)
52
SCOTTISH SONGS.
FOR THE SAKE 0' SOMEBODY.
AEKA5GED BY J. T. SURENNE.
i
J^» — ;— =— ff ^— — A W . g d^ — dV*— -hi 1-
-«^— #
:p=5^
_^_!_
heart is saip, I daur - na tell, My heart is sair for some - bo - dy ; I could wake a
;i^
J^-
#
-=— « — a-
5=3==^
m^
E53
=?=^
^=s=
S
win - ter night. For the sake o' some - bo - dy.
Oh - hon, for some - bo - dy !
zi^i
^~i
m^^
• i— i ^—. — "~^ =?© ;|g-
*:
*=:=^
poco rail..
FOE THE SAKE 0 SOMEBODY.
53
Ye powers that smile on virtuous love,
0 sweetly smile on somebody !
Frae ilka danger keep him ft'ee,
And send me safe my somebody.
Oh-hon, for somebody!
Oh hey, for somebody !
I wad do — what wad I not ? —
For the sake o' somebody.
" For the sake o' somebody." In this work we have not adopted the set of the air given by Johnson in his
Museimi, but the long-received and established popular set of the an-. The superiority of the latter is sufficient to
justify this. Mr. Stenliouse says : — " The whole of this song, as printed in the Museum, beginning, ' My heart is
sau-, I daurna tell,' was written by Bm-ns, except the tliird and fourth lines of stanza first, which are taken from
Hamsay's song, under the same title and to the same old tune, which may also be seen m Oswald's Caledonian
Pocket Companion. To this work, Bm-ns, in a note annexed to the manuscript song, refers Johnson for the music.
Ramsay's verses are in the shape of a dialogue between a lover and his sweetheart ; but they possess very little
merit. The old air consists of one simple strain, ending on the third of the key. It is probable that the melody
had been originally adapted to a much older set of verses than those of Ramsay, and that the old song consisted
of stanzas of four, in place of eight Unes each." See Museum Illustrations, vol. v. p. 383.
Having shown (p. 45) that Rizzio's name as a composer was not heard of for 160 years after his death, we shall
now notice a few instances in which high merit is claimed for him as a melodist. Geminiani, in his '• Treatise on
good taste in the art of Music," London, 1749, has the following strange passage : — " Two composers of music have
appeared in the world, who, in their different kinds of melody, have raised my admiration ; namely, David Rizzio,
and Gio. Baptista Lulli : of these, which stands highest is none of my business to pronounce ; but when I consider
that Rizzio was foremost in point of time, that till then melody was entirely rude and barbarous, and that he found
means to civilize and inspire it with all the gallantry of the Scottish nation, I am inclinable to give him the pre-
ference." It is imnecessary for us to answer what we have already sho-wn to be a fiction of recent origin. We
shall merely place in opposition an extract from Dr. Campbell's Philosophical Survey of the South of Ireland : —
" That this music, or any one single Scottish air, was invented or composed by the unfortunate Rizzio, is only
noticed here as an absurd fable, which having no support, merits no refutation." Gcminiani's assertion, that " till
the time of Rizzio melody was entirely rude and barbarous," is signally refuted by many ancient popular airs of
France, Italy, and Germany. We may particulai-ly refer to the airs, Nos. 14 and 16, of the Plates given in G. F.
Graham's " Essay on Musical Composition," Edinburgh, 1838. One of these, a most graceful French air of the
15th century, we give below ; the other is a ft-ee and elegant German melody of 1425.
i
±
m
^
F=8=f=
^
^^=H=^#|:^^^#=^
i
iN^
H^^
i^
'Ozt
See No. 14 of Plates of Essay on Musical Composition. (See p. 61 for a continuation of the subject.)
54
SCOTTISH SONGS.
MARY'S DREAM.
AlfDASTIi
Lakqketto.
ARRANGED BY T. M. MUDIE.
t£g
^^^,=p^-^pE^
3IS
a
SEE
^3^
IT
^Ey=
—T"*^^ 7"^
B3=J-5:^
^
-F^f^-
:t=t
The moon liad climb'd the high - est hill, Which ris - es o'er the
i^S
E^
-a-
r^rf==r5=f
-*-
3H
^^
i
Se
f
g=tp=i=J-
i^^^^ii^^
£t
5==S=«
3t3rrfc
source of Dee, And from tlie east - ern sum - mit shed Her sil - ver light on
A-
S^S
:i=
-si-
:t*=3dz=j
r^-r
-c^ -^
;^
EEf
S
Hit
^
3^
3^:
tower and tree ;
When Ma - ry laid her down to sleep, Her
MART S DREAM.
53
3=
rail. ^,^a tempo.
— i ^_l
^
2p.4-=j=::j=qp=i
S3
-• •-
thoughts on San - dy far at sea; Wlien soft and low, a voice was heard, Say,
SE
zn^i-
-^r
^-
colla voce.
a temno.
V. zi:
spE^:
;3^^
%
m^^^m
3=
rail.
t=r
-r^-
** Ma - ry, weep no more for me !
Ht-sj-
coHa 1)006.
i^i^i^^ifi
-f bI ;-•-" IS —-»-.-ar«
^-ftrTT — rMTT~"r
ess^
2*
^
She from her pillow gently raised
Her head, to ask who there might be,
And saw young Sandy shivering stand,
With visage pale, and hollow e'e.
' 0 Mary, dear, cold is my clay ;
It lies beneath a stormy sea.
Far, far, from thee, I sleep in death,
So, Mary, weep no more for me !
Three stormy nights and stormy days,
We toss'd upon the raging main ;
And long we strove our bark to save,
But all our striving was in vain.
Even then, when horror chiU'd my Wood,
My heart was fill'd with love for thee :
The storm is past, and I at rest ;
So, Mary, weep no more for me !
0 maiden dear, thyself prepare ;
We soon shall meet upon that shore.
Where love is free from doubt and care.
And thou and I shall part no more ! "
lioud crow'd the cock, the shadow fled :
No more of Sandy could she see.
But soft the passing spirit said,
" Sweet Mary, weep no more for me ! "
" Maky's dream." It appears that this song was written in 1772, by Mr. John Lowe, a native of Kenmore, in
Galloway. He was the eldest son of the Hon. Mr. Gordon of Kenmore's gardener, and was educated at the parish
school of Kells. When fourteen years old he was apprenticed to a weaver named Heron, father of Robert Heron,
author of the History of Scotland, and other works. He afterwards received instructions from Mr. Mackay,
schoolmaster of Carsphairn. His abilities and good temper gained him friends, who enabled him, in 1771, to
study Divinity in the University of Edinbiu-gh. He became tutor in the family of Mr. M'Ghie of Airds, where he
composed a number of poetical pieces, many of which are lost. Mary, one of Mr. M'Ghie's daughters, had been
engaged to Mr. Alexander Miller, a sm-geon, who was lost at sea. This sad event gave rise to the beautiful
song of " Mary's dream." In 1773, Mr. Lowe went to America, where he was for some time tutor in the family
of a brother of the celebrated George Washington. He next opened an Academy in Fredericksburgh, Virginia,
which he abandoned on taking orders in the Church of England. Unfortunately, he then married a Virginian
lady, whose gross misconduct broke his heart, and caused his untimely death, in 1798, in the forty-eighth year
of his age. Mr. Cromek says, that "Mary's dream" was originally composed by Lowe in the Scottish dialect, but
afterwards given in the English form in wMch it is generally known. Mr. C. K. Sharpe declares this older version
to be a forgery by Allan Cunningham. See Museum Illustrations, vol. i. pp. 37, 115.
The air is evidently modern, and not Scottish in its character, except in a few passages, where the " Scottish
snap" as Burney calls it, is introduced. Mr. Stenhouse states, that it was composed by J. G. C. Schetky, the
eminent violoncello-player and composer, so long resident in Edinburgh ; this, however, is flatly contradicted by
a member of Mr. Schetky's family, to whom the Editor referred the question.
56
SCOTTISH SONGS.
WELCOME ROYAL CHARLIE.
AIR, "THE a:JLD wife ATONT THE pmE.
AREANGED BT J. T. SUEENNE.
P = 72
Cox
Spirito.
i^
^--^=?:
mf
'^^
3^
?EE
^F^
SEE
i:=MEs
5^ /
^feSSE
s
^
H^ — ^-
i±f=b
Strike up the bag - pipe's bold - est blast, Nor
:^=^-:
:^=!t
r?^
^:
SEjl
Wz
* — ^
^^^g-
fear a - gain some kit - tie east;^ Our Prince him - sel' has come at last; Thrice
' Untoward event.
WELCOME ROYAL CHARLIE.
57
eS
^
^s=iE^
?^3E?;
Lang, lang,
lang o
O ! ye've been lang o' com - in' ;
Lang, lang we look'tl, frae year to year —
While gleams o' hope our hearts wad cheer —
That some kind breeze wad blaw you here, —
Our ain, our Royal Charlie.
But, 0 ! ye've been lang o' comin', &c.
Be blest the day that saw you land,
And plant your banner on our strand ;
We'll march where'er you may command —
And fight for Royal Charlie.
But, 0 ! ye've been lang o' comin', &c.
Our Prince by right — our Prince by law !
We'll tak' you to your father's ha'.
And crown you King amang them a' —
Our leal — our Royal Cliarlie !
But, 0 ! ye've been lang o' comin', &o.
Auld Scotland, frae her mountains dun,
Watch'd like a mithcr for her son ;^
Ye've come at last — our cause is won —
Thrice welcome Royal Charlie !
But, 0 ! ye've been lang o' comin', &c.
" Welcome Rotai Chaklie." The words beginning, " When France had her assistance lent," which are given
in the second volume of " The Scottish Minstrel," to the air of " The auld wife ayont the fire," appeared to us so
prosaic and spiritless, that we rejected them. Fortunately, Captain Charles Gray, R.M., has been prevailed upon
to write verses upon the same subject, to the same air, expressly for this work. We are happy to give his animated
and characteristic song, which carries us back to the wild and sad days of the '45, and must at once supersede the
other milk-and-water " Welcome." It appears from Jlr. Stenhouse's information, that the tune is found in Crockat's
MS. Music-Book, written in 1709, under the name of "The old wife beyond the fire."
The song above noticed, " When France had her assistance lent," &c., is suggestive of some interesting historical
facts. In 1744, France and England being at war, it seems to have occurred to the French ministry that a diver-
sion in favour of their army in the Netherlands might be effected by an invasion of England. Accordingly, in that
year Prince Charles Edward Stuart was called fi'oni Rome to Paris, where it was agreed that the French should
land fifteen thousand soldiers in England under Marshal Saxe, Prince Charles having the chief command. But
the French invading fleet was not only intercepted by an English fleet, but was dispersed by a tempest. At last,
Charles rashly resolved to land in Scotland, with the sole support of his own name and private fortime, and the
aid of the Jacobites who might join his standard on landing. He was dissuaded from the attempt, but persisted.
On the 8th July 1 745 he set sail in a frigate, the Doutelle, accompanied by a French ship of war, the Elizabeth.
An English ship of war, the Lion, met these two ships — engaged the Ehzabeth and disabled her. The Doutelle,
having kept aloof in the action, made her escape and reached the Island of South Uist. There M'Donald of Bois-
dale represented the madness of the enterprise so strongly to Charles, that the latter wished to give it up and
return to France. But other counsel prevailed upon him to land at Moidart, on the 25th July 1745. There
Cameron of Lochicl, after arguing in vain with Charles on the folly of the enterprise, at last joined liira with noble
devoteduess, though against his own judgment. The future career of Charles we need not trace.
' " Lang watch'd for you ber darling son : " — This line w]l\ suit the accentuation of the tune better.
58
SCOTTISH SONGS.
QUEEN MARY'S LAMENT.
Andante
QUASI
Lento.
AKRANGED BT T. M. MUDIE.
3:
p1=[EJ=^=|=j=:j=i^=|E^=d=gp;
P
rrn r
-Pa-
=sti=
BSEE
^&z
:^=P=
mm
:^z
s-
f=f
-^
B^=
a==t
^^^
=f=t^^
I Bigh, and la - ment me in vain. These walls can but
m.
s
j^5~
^^
s
«i *
-& «-
r^
^—-8^
eis
fti
p
-# -^
S
-^ — g — »-
p
-©-
i>: — £^,
^
=i^=?c
-©-
=^
te=^
S
e - cho my moan ; A - las ! it in - creas - es my pain, To
EE
m
i^=f
^
-b-_s^
^^=t*
efi5
Efei
S=
122:
-iB^=r^-
— T-
-^^'^r-^-^
-m-^-^-
think of the
days that are
'— SI J
gone. ^
'hrough the grates of my
pri - son I
4J2 ^
1 1 1
1 1 H 1
Mf^^=^
1 1
: » ^
1
— F
1 1 \ 1
-1— a -^ jJ: ^ M
T ^ -2- ^ :J ^-^- -^-
'"»• U 1
1
-^
"^itH— d —
— F
^ •
d •
".J?, .J... ^. .
- -i '
-3-
^-^
-G>- •
QUEEN MAEY S LAMENT.
59
Ye roofs, where cold damps and dismay
With silence and solitude dwell-
How comfortless passes the day,
How sad tolls the evening bell !
The owls from the battlements cry.
Hollow winds seem to murmur around,-
' 0 Mary, prepare thee to die ! "
My blood it runs cold at the sound.
r=r=^F-FF
Unchanged by the rigours of fate,
I burn with contempt for my foes ;
Though Fortune has clouded my state,
This hope shall enlighten its close.
False woman ! in ages to come.
Thy malice detested shall be;
And when we are cold in the tomb.
The heart still shall sorrow for me.
" QcEEN Makt's Lajient." Hitherto, in collections of Scottish songs and melodies, the author of these words
and the author of the music have been said to be n-nhiiotcn. But even if the author of the words was unknown to
the Editors of these collections, that did not justify them in altering the lines and transposing the stanzas of the
original, so as to make a bad song out of a good one. The authoress of the words, (and we fully belieTe of the
music also,) was Mrs. John Hunter, wife of the celebrated John Hunter, Surgeon, London — the youngest child of
John Hunter of Kilbride, in the County of Lanark, Scotland, and brother of Dr. William Hunter, who built, at his
own cost, the Anatomical Theatre and Museum in Great Windmill Street, London. Mrs. John Hunter was a
daughter of Mr. Home, Surgeon to Burgoyne's regiment of lighthorse. Her poetical talents are shown in her
Poems, published in 1802, T. Payne, London. In that volume we find her own version of "I sigh and lament me
in vain ; " besides other songs set to music by Haydn in his inimitable canzonets ; and " The Spirit's song,"
and " 0 tuneful voice," also set to music by Haydn — two of the finest of his vocal compositions. His music to
" 0 tuneful voice," afterwards served as a model to Beethoven for his beautiful " Adelaida." Haydn, when in
London, in 1791 and 1793, was a frequent and honoured guest in John Hunter's house.
60
SCOTTISH SONGS.
0 WHA'S AT THE WINDOW, WHA, WHA ?
AEBANGED BY FINLAT DUN.
* = 132
MODEBATO
E
Semplioe,
wha, wha ? O wha's at the win - dow,
wha, wha? Wha but
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Iff:
blythe Jam - ie Glen, He's come sax miles and ten, To tak' bon - nie Jean - ie a
m
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ei^
^ !
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a - wa.
To tak' bon - nie Jean - ie
I-
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ea
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S
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^-
0 wha's at the window, wha, wha ?
61
^
*
^
j^^^
=p^
ei=F=r— fc=?=
-k-
/
lit,:
He lias plighted his troth, and a', and a',
Leal love to gi'e, and a', and a' ;
And sae has she dune,
By a' that's abune,
For he lo'es her, she lo'es him, 'bone a', 'bune a',
He lo'es her she lo'es him, 'bune a'.
Bridal maidens are braw, braw,
Bridal maidens are braw, braw;
But the bride's modest e'e,
And warm cheek are to me,
'Bune pearUns and brooches, and a', and a',
'Bune pearlins and brooches, and a'.
There's mirth on the gi'een, in the ha', the ha'.
There's mirtli on the green, in the ha', the ha'.
There's laughing, there's quaffing.
There's jesting, there's daffing,
And the bride's father's blythest of a', of a',
And the bride's father's blythest of a'.
Its no' that she's Jamie's ava, ava.
Its no' that she's Jamie's ava, ava,
That my heart is sae eerie
When a' the lave's cheerie,
But its just that she'll aye be awa', awa'.
Its just that she'll aye be awa'.
" 0 wha's at the window, wha, wha ? " This song and air are here republished by the permission of Mr. Joseph
M'Fadyen, Musicseller, Glasgow. The words were written by Mr. Alexander Carlile of Paisley ; the air is by the
late Mr. R. A. Smith. The late Allan Cunningham also wrote words to the same air. In the sixteenth century,
and early In the seventeenth, a icindoic song of this kind seems to have been very popular in England. Some verses
of it are simg in three of Beaumont and Fletcher's Plays ; in " The Knight of the Burning Pestle," m " The Woman's
Prize," and in " Jlonsieur Thomas." See .also a parody in Wedderburne's "Godly and Spiritual Songs," 1590.
In Jlr. Prior's edition of the works of Oliver Goldsmith, (London, Murray, 1837,) we find an "Essay on the
different Schools of Music," upon which it is necessary to make some animadversions, as it contains most erroneous
statements with regard to the music of Scotland. The Essay, indeed, as a whole, displays so much ignorance of
the subject it professes to discuss, that, but for the deserved high reputation of the author in other respects, we
would have passed it over as altogether unworthy of comment. After stating that the ItaUan school was founded
by Pergolese, (!) and that of France by LuUi, Goldsmith says : — " The English school was first planned by Purcell.
He attempted to unite the ItaUan manner that prevailed in his time with the ancient Celtic carol and the Scotch
ballad, which probably had also its origin in Italy ; for some of the Scotch ballads, ' The broom of CowdenknowB,'
for instance, are still ascribed to David Rizzio." — Vol. i. p. 175. In one of his Notes, Goldsmith wi-ites : — " It is
the opinion of the melodious Geminiani, that we have in the dominions of Great Britain no original music except
the Irish ; the Scotch and English being originally borrowed from the Italians. And that his opinion in this
respect is just, (for I would not be swayed merely by authorities,) it is very reasonable to suppose ; first, from the
conformity between the Scotch and ancient Italian music* They who compare the old French vaudevilles brought
from Italy by Rinuccini, with those pieces ascribed to David Rizzio, who was pretty nearly conteniporai-y with
him, will find a strong resemblance, notwithstanding the opposite characters of the two nations which have pre-
served these pieces. When I would have them compared, I mean I would have their bases compared, by which
the similitude may be most exactly seen. Secondly, it is reasonable, from the ancient music of the Scotch, which
is still preserved in the Highlands, and which bears no resemblance at all to the music of the Low country. The
Highland tunes are sung to Irish words, and flow entirely in the Irish manner. On the other hand, the Lowland
music is always sung to English words."
As to the opinion of "the melodious Geminiani," (whose music, by the way, is very dry and unmelodious,) it is,
like every other opinion, to be valued only so far as it is supported by evidence. We, therefore, point to the Collec-
tions of Martini, Paolucci, and Chorou; in which are preserved specimens of ancient and modern Italian music —
ecclesiastical and secular ; in none of which can be found one single melody bearing the slightest resemblance to
Scottish music. As to Rinuccini, who is said to have brought the "old French vaudevilles out of italt/," (!) the
mention of him is evidently a mere subtex'fugc, for it is not jiretended that his airs have any Scottish character.
It is in their bases (!) that we are to seek for the pretended resemblance ! This is almost too absurd for a serious
answer. Every musician knows, that to any given simple bass m.ay be written an air in the Italian or the Scottish,
in the military or tlie pastoral styles ; and every series of variations upon a given theme and bass by a skilful
composer will afford examples of what may be done in this way. Goldsmith's absurdities regarding Purcell's
style, as having been compounded of the Italian manner and the ancient Celtic carol and the Scotch ballad, we leave
to be dealt with hj Purcell's countrymen as they think proper. (See p. 71 for a continuation of the subject.)
* This subject bas been already tUscussed, pjige 99 of the First Volume of Wood's SoDg^ of Scotland. — Ed.
62
SCOTTISH SONGS.
GET UP AND BAR THE DOOE.
-p-r^ 1
AKEAKGED BY T. M. MCDIB.
— r 1
» = 76 /'
Allegketto J
SCHEKZOSO. \
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1 ^— ji-a—
r^~£R
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It
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(
^=^^^
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^^^^^S^^^e^^^eI^'^^ee^^;
S=tz3±^:
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fell a - bout the Mart' - mas time, And a gay time it was thcD, O ! When
^
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at
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our gude - wife had puddings to mal;', And she boil'd them
the
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5=«l=
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pan, O !
The wind blew cauld frae
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m
^^
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GET UP AND BAR THE DOOK.
63
s;33g;^$s|s^;^fe^^ii
m
w
=^^
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north to south, And blew in - to the
6oor, O ! Quoth cur gudeman to
-P=
m
i^^
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1
!SE
*=!
" My hand is in my husswyfskip,^
Gudeman, as ye may see, 0 !
An it should na be barr'd this hundred year,
It's no be barr'd for me, 0 ! "
They made a paction 'tween them twa,
They made it firm and sure, 0 !
Whaever spak the foremost word
Should rise and bar the door, 0 !
Then by there came twa gentlemen.
At twelve o'clock at night, 0 I
And they could neither see house nor ha',
Nor coal nor candle light, 0 !
Now, whether is this a rich man's house,
Or whether is it a poor, 0 ?
But never a word wad ane o' them speak,
For barring o' the door, 0 !
And first they ate the white puddings
And then they ate the black, 0 !
1 Household affairs ; houseivifeship.
Tho' muokle' thought the gudewife to hersel'.
Yet ne'er a word she spak', 0 !
Then said the ane unto the other —
" Here, man, tak' ye my knife, 0 !
Do ye tak' aff the auld man's beard,
And I'll kiss the gudewife, 0 ! "
" But there's nae water in the house.
And what shall we do then, 0?"
" "What ails ye at the puddin' broo'
That boils into the pan, 0 ? "
0 up then started our gudeman.
And an angry man was he, 0 !
" Will ye kiss my wife before my een.
And scaud me wi' pudding bree, 0 ? "
Then up and started our gudewife,
Gied three skips on the floor, 0 !
" Gudeman, ye've spoken the foremost word,
Get up and bar the door, 0 !"
Mucb. ^ Juice or soup.
" Get cp and bar the boob,." " This exceedingly humorous Scottish ballad was recovered by old David Herd,
and inserted in his Collection, vol. ii. p. 359, anno 1776. It appears to be an amplification of the fine old song
called ' Johnie Blunt,' which will be found in the fourth volume of the Museum, p. 376, song 365. It is a curious
circumstance that this ballad furnished Prince Hoare with the incidents of his principal scene in his musical enter-
tainment of ' No Song no Supper,' acted at Drury-lane, London, 1 70(r, (the music by Storace,) and since, at all the
theatres of the United Kingdom, with great success. It still continues a favourite on the acting list. Mr. Hoare
was also indebted to another old Scottish ballad for several other material incidents in the same piece, namely,
'The Freirs of Berwick,' written by Dunbar prior to the year 1568, as it is inserted in the Bannatyne Manuscript,
in the Library of the Faculty of [Advocates] Edinburgh, of that date, and which Allan Ramsay afterwards
modernized, in a poem called ' The Monk and the Miller's Wife.' " See Museum Illustrations, vol. iii. p. 292.
64
SCOTTISH SONGS.
AND ARE YE SURE THE NEWS IS TRUE?
Aia, " there's NAE luck ABOtlT THE HOUSE."
AURAJJGED EY J. T. SURENNE.
P = 96
MODERATO
ED
Animato.
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And are ye sure the
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news is true? And are ye sure he's weel? Is this a time to think o' wark? Ye
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a*^
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jauds, fling bye your wheel. I3 this a time to think o' "wark, When Co - Un"s at the
door? Rax' me my cloak, I'll to the quay. And see him come a - shore.
AND ARE YE SURE THE NEWS IS a?RUE 1
65
i^i
:=^:
£^
:i_i^
For there's nae luck a - bout the house, There's nae luck at a'; There's lit - tie plea -sure
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in the house. When our gudeman^s a - \va'.
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And gi'e to me my bigonet,'
My bishops' safdn gown,
For I maun tell the bailie's wife
That Colin's come to town.
My turkey slippers maun gae on,
My hose o' pearl blue ;
'Tis a' to please my ain gudeman,
For he's baitli leal and true.
For there's nae luck, &c.
Rise up and mak' a clean fireside ;
Put on the muckle pot ;
Qi'e little Kate her button gown,
And Jock his Svmday coat :
And mak' then' shoon as black as slaes,
Their hose as white as snaw ;
Its a' to please my ain gudeman,
For he's been lang awa'.
For there's nae luck, &c.
There's twa fat hens upon the bauk.
They've fed this month and mair ;
Mak' haste and thraw their necks about,
That Colin weel may fare ;
And spread the table neat and clean,
Gar^ ilka thing look braw;
For wha can tell how Colin fared,
When he was far awa'.
For there's nae luck, &c.
Sae true his heart, sae smooth his speech.
His breath like caller air ;
His very foot has music in't,
As he comes up the stair.
And will I see his face again ?
And will I hear him speak ?
I'm downright dizzy wi' the thought —
In troth, I'm like to greet.*
For there's nae luck, &c.
The cauld blasts o' the winter wind,
That thirled through my heart,
They're a' blawn by, I ha'e him safe,
Till death we'll never part :
But what puts parting in my head ?
It may be far awa' ;
The present moment is our ain,
The neist we never saw.
For there's nae luck, &c.
Since Colin's weel, I'm weel content,
I ha'e nae mair to crave ;
Could I but live to mak' him blest,
I'm blest aboon the lave :^
And will I see his face again ?
And will I hear him speak ?
I'm downright dizzy wi' the thought —
In troth, I'm like to greet.
For there's nae luck, &c.
1 stretch.
2 A linen cap, or coif.
3 Make.
* To shed tears.
5 Remainder.
"There's nae luck about the house." Although this air is certainly a modern production, the author of it is
not known. There has been much disputation regarding the authorship of the song ; opinions are divided between
William Julius Mickle, a native of Langholm, well-known as the translator of the Lusiad, and Jean Adams, a teacher
of a day-school at Crawford's-dyke, near Greenock. See Appendix for a further consideration of the question.
No. XV. E
66
SCOTTISH SONGS.
MY NANNIE'S AWA'.
Andante
Innocente.
ARRANGED BY T. M. MUOIB.
-F — ^-1^
P
poco rail.
Now
P^^E^^
i*
IS=3'^
^:^^^=
=is^=p
fe^^i^^
ji-zjiz
in her green man -tie blythe Na-ture ar - rays, And lis - tens the lambkins that
bleat ower the braes, While birds war - ble welcome in
~9~ -0-
il - ka green sbaw ; But to
^
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3E
SEJ
w
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sM
^^
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me its de - light - less, my Nannie's a - wa'. But to
me its de - light - less, my
i
m
f^SW
— I 1^" — \-
'\—%
colla voce.
:t
ei#
^^
'-W^
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MY NANNIE S AWA .
67
tf=fe
t
P^^=&
■^-
-F — 1-F
Nannie's a - wa'.
tf
IS
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p!3E^?
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« . 1— e^- Q
^
coZto voce.
P
dim.
'■^^
ri'—ir
B^
=^=F
:^t
The snaw-drap and primrose our woodlands adorn,
And violets bathe in the weet 0' the morn ;
They pain my sad bosom, sae sweetly they blaw !
They mind me 0' Nannie — and Nannie's awa'.
Thou laverock, that springs irae the dews of the lawn.
The shepherd to wai-n of the grey-breaking dawn.
And thou mellow mavis, that hails the niglit-fa';
Give over for pity — my Nannie's awa'.
Come, autumn, sae pensive, in yellow and grey,
And soothe me wi' tidings 0' Nature's decay :
The dark, dreary winter, and wild-driving snaw,
Alane can delight me — my Nannie's awa'.
"My Naknie's awa'." Upon this song Captain Charles Gray, R.M., in his ''Cursory Remarks on Scottish
Song," gives the following Note. Before quoting it, we might perhaps venture to suggest, that Burns' admiration
of Clarinda may find its remoter parallel in that of Petrarca, early in the fourteenth century, for the lady whom he
has rendered so celebrated, in verse and prose, imder the name of Laura. Petrarca, in his "Epistle to Posterity,"
calls his regard for Laura, " veementissimo, ma unico ed onesto." To say, that a very warm and sincere friend-
ship cannot innocently subsist between a married woman and an unmarried man, is not only to contradict daily
experience, but to utter a licentious libel upon human nature. Were such the case, many of the strongest heart-
ties between friends and relatives must be at once torn asunder, never to reunite in this world. *
" 'My Nannie's awa',' is one of the sweetest pastoral songs that Burns ever wrote. He sent it to Mr. Thomson
in December 1794, to be united to the old melody of, ' There'll never be peace till Jamie come hame.' In this song
the Bard laments the absence of Mrs. M'Lehose, (Clarinda,) who had left Scotland to join her husband in the
West Indies, in February 1792. We may be pardoned, perhaps, for saying a word or two about the lady whose
beauty and accomplishments had so captivated our Bard, and inspired him with this and some others of his most
beautiful love-songs. Burns, having published the second edition of his poems in 1787, was just about to leave
Edinburgh when he was introduced to Clarinda. One of our Poet's biographers alleges, that he was very tolerant
as to the personal charms of his heroines ; but as to the wit, beauty, and powers of conversation of Clarinda, there
can be no doubt. She seems to have completely fascinated him at the very first interview. That Mrs. M'Lehose
was no ordinary person is proved by her letters, now printed along with those of Burns ; and it is saying much for
her, that they do not suffer ii-om being placed in juxtaposition with those of the Bard. This romantic attachment
between the poet and poetess was not of very long duration ; but while it lasted, as many letters passed between
them as form a goodly sized octavo volume! The germ of 'Nannie's awa" is to be found in one of Clarinda's
letters, (see Correspondence, &c., p. 185,) written thirty-five days after they became acquainted. They were about
to part, and she says : — ' You'll hardly write me once a month, and other objects will weaken youi' affection for
Clarinda : yet I cannot believe so. Oh .' let the scenes of Nature remind you of Clarinda ! In winter, remember the
dark shades of her fate; in summer, the warmth, the cordial warmth of her friendship ; in avtumn, her glowing wishes
to bestow plenty on all ; and let spring animate you with hopes that your poor friend may yet live to surmount the
tcintry blast of life, and rerir.e to taste a spring-time of happiness !' This passage, so beautifully descriptive, in the
letter of his fair correspondent, was not overlooked hy Burns. He says, in reply :— ' There is one fine passage in
your last charming letter — Thomson nor Shenstone never exceeded it, nor often came up to it. I shall certainly
steal it and set it in some future production, and get immortal fame by it. 'Tis where you bid the scenes of Nature
remind me of Clarinda.' The poet was as good as his word. Some months after Clarinda had left this country,
Burns, reverting to the passage we have quoted from her letter, made it his own by stamping it in immortal verse,
bewailing the absence of Clarinda in a strain of rural imagery that has seldom or never been surpassed."
The air to which we have here united the words, we believe to be modern ; yet we have not been able to trace
it to any composer. Like many other airs, it probably owes its present form to several individuals. It appears
to have passed orally from one singer to another, until Mr. George Croall, Musicseller, Edinburgh, rescued it a
few years ago from threatened oblivion.
68
SCOTTISH SONGS.
JOCK 0' HAZELDEAN.
ARRANGED BY J. T. SUtiij^i^.
fe^»;gJ^^i^|^^^g^g^E^^gg=gpg^|
weep ye by the tide, la - dye ? Why weep ye by the
tide?
I'll wed ye to my
p:*|E^^
iiilP^
^=^-
:=;*=
youngest son, And ye sail be his bride ;
And ye sail be his bride, ladye, Sae
2^
aasJ^ES
come - ly to be seen : " — But aye she loot the tears down fa', For Jock o' Ha - zel -
if^Na
^^^■-
^^
;-r
m
m
t=^
i
colla voce.
^^3^^
^
JOCK 0 HAZELDEAN.
69
i
-F ^-
dean.
a tempo.
^^^^^m^^.
L."^ S ptJ^t?" ^
s
^=4^
^=P=
SWP
" Now let this wilful grief be done,
And dry that cheek so pale :
Young Frank is chief of Errington,
And lord of Langley dale ;
His step is first in peaceful ha',
His sword in battle keen : " —
But aye she loot the tears down fa',
For Jock o' Hazeldean.
" A chain o' gold ye sail not lack,
Nor braid to bind your hair.
Nor mettled hound, nor managed hawk,
Nor palfrey fresh and fair ;
And you, the foremost o' them a'.
Shall ride our forest queen :" —
But aye she loot the tears down fa',
For Jock o' Hazeldean.
The kirk was deck'd at morning-tide.
The tapers glimmer'd fair ;
The priest and bridegroom wait the bride,
And dame and knight were there ;
They sought her baith by bower and ha' ;
The ladye was not seen ! —
She's o'er the Border and awa'
Wi' Jock o' Hazeldean !
" Jock o' Hazeldean." There is mention made by some writers of an old ballad called " Jock o' Hazelgreen,"
but without documentary authority. It appears that Mr. Thomas Pringle gave, in Constable's Magazine, the first
stanza of the present song, as that of an old ballad which he had heard his mother sing ; and that Sir Walter Scott,
upon inquii-y, adopted that stanza as old, and added to it those that now make up his very popular song of "Jock
o' Hazeldean," which he wrote for the first volume of Jlr. Alexander Campbell's work, named " Albyn's Anthology."
The melody, in an older and more Scottish form, occurs in the Lej'den MS., No. 50, under the name of " The bony
brow;" but we give the version of the air now more generally current.' The melody published in Book Second of
Jo. Playford's " Choice Ayres," London, 1679, appears to have been that sung to an imitation of a Scottish song by
Thomas D'Urfey, in his comedy of "The Fond Husband, or the Plotting Sisters," acted in 1676; and closely
resembles the air given in the Leyden MS. Mr. Stenhouse, in his Note upon " The glancing of her apron," No.
445 of Johnson's Museum, says : — " With regard to the tune to which the words were originally adapted, it is
evidently a florid set of the old simple air of ' Willie and Annet,' which has lately been published in Albyn's
Anthology, under the new title of ' Jock o' Hazledean,' a ballad written by Sir Walter Scott."
Thomas Moore, in the Preface to the fifth volume of his Works collected by himself, London, 1841, remarks —
that, " with the signal exception of Milton, there is not to be found, among all the eminent poets of England, a
single musician." — p. v. In the same Preface he touches, gently, upon Sir Walter Scott's deficiency of musical
ear. The Editor of tliis work was personally acquainted with Sir Walter Scott, and had his own good-humoured
confession that he was totally destitute of an ear for music. Sir Walter himself, in his " Autobiography," after
speaking of his ineifectual attempts at sketching or drawing landscapes, says : — " With music it was even worse
than with painting. My mother was anxious we should at least learn psalmody ; but the incurable defects of my
voice and ear soon drove my teacher to despair.^ It is only by long practice that I have acquired the power of
selecting or distinguishing melodies ; and although now few things delight or affect me more than a simple tune
sung with feeling, yet I am sensible that even this pitch of musical taste has only been gained by attention and
habit, and as it were by my feeling of the words being associated with the tune ; although my friend Dr. Clarke,
and other musical composers, have sometimes been able to make a happy union between their music and my poetry."
See Lockhart's Life of Scott, vol. i. pp. 73, 74.
1 A copy of that Leyden MS. was deposited by the Editor in the Library of the Faculty of Advocates on 26th November ]S47.
^ That teacher may have been ignorant and unskilful, as too many were in Scott's early days. They required to go to school themselvCB. — En
70
SCOTTISH SONGS.
HE'S O'ER THE HILLS THAT I LO'E WEEL.
'= 138
MODEEATO.
AURANGEl) Bit T. M. MUDIE.
M:
1
i^=
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T~rrt
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p^^^^^^
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He's
o'er the hills that I lo'e weel : He's o'er the hills we
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e^g=s=
-i 0 — 0 — i^ — i V — h
^
=F=t'=
=i=p=pc
f^
l=^=
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daur - na name; He's o'er the hills a - yont 0umblane, Wha soon will get his
^g^^S^
m
:fl=^
j=i=f=s=s
T~f"
•-T^-
-tf--^-
B$
=p=^
i^zzje:
^^f=^^r?^^^^P^
1=^:
g^
^
=^
wel - come hame.
My
fa - ther's gane to
fight for him, My
ti^^-
^
-^-
9=t
^^Jr
^-r=^'
-^ F P-
^
he's o'er the hills that I lo'b weel.
71
p^^^
m
&
bri - tber3 win - na bide at hame, My mi - ther greets and prajs for them, And
m
m
J^=3=3=t:3=^=^^|=l=^=tS
^m
mm
-W=:W-
^^E
^=
:0:
^P^i^
-•—d-
-^— ^
« — #■
'deed she thinks they're no' to blame. Concluding Symphony.
^^^]^^
^~'r T
I
SEfe^
k — •-
[The succeeding verses begin with the second part of the melody.]
The Wliigs may scoff, the Whigs may jeer,
But, ah ! that love maun be sincere
Which still keeps true whate'er betide,
An' for his sake leaves a' beside.
He's o'er the hills, &c.
His right these hills, his right these plains ;
O'er Highland hearts secure he reigns ;
What lads e'er did, our lads will do;
Were I a lad, I'd follow him too.
He's o'er the hills, &c.
Sae noble a look, sae princely an air,
Sae gallant and bold, sae young and sae fair ;
Oh ! did you but see him, ye'd do as we've done ;
Hear him but ance, to his standard you'll run.
He's o'er the liills, &c.
" He's o'er the hills that I lo'e weel." A modern Jacobite song — very popular of late years. Neither the
author of the words nor the author of the music is known.
We now resume the Note, p. 61, supra. When Goldsmith, or rather Geminiani, asserts, that there is " in the
dominion of Great Britain no original music except the Irish," the Welsh music is quite left out of view. As to
the Scottish " Highland tunes flowing entirely in the Irish manner," we refer to Edward Bunting's and Thomas
Moore's Collections of Irish Melodies for disproof of the assertion. In short, it is evident that Goldsmith chose
to write an Essay upon a subject of which he was profoundly ignorant. That talented and accomplished Irishman,
Thomas Moore, speaks thus of the antiquity of Irish melodies : — " Though much has been said of the antiquity of
our music, it is certain that our finest and most popular airs are modern ; and perhaps we may look no farther
than the last disgraceful century for the origin of most of those wild and melancholy strains, which were at once
the offspring and solace of grief, and which were applied to the mind, as music was formerly to the body, ' decantare
loca dolentia.' Mr. Pinkerton' is of opinion, that not one of the Scotch popular airs is as old as the middle of the
sixteenth century ; and although musical antiquaries refer us, for some of our melodies, to so early a period as the
fifth century, I am persuaded that there are few, of a citilised description, (and by this I mean to exclude all the
Bavage ' Ceanans,' ' Cries,' &c.,^) which can claim quite so ancient a date as Mr. Pinkerton allows to the Scotch."
(For a continuation of this subject, see p. 73.)
1 Dissertation prefixed to the Second volume of his Scottish Ballads.
2 Of which some genuine specimens may be found at the end of Mr. Walker's work upon Irish Bards,
splendid volume by too many of theee barbarous rhapsodies.
Mr. Bunting has disfigured his last
72
SCOTTISH SONGS.
KELVIN GROVE
AKRANGED BY J. T. SUKENNE.
^ = 80
Andante
Pastorale.
i-fe
:S
Sfe
. — *3 ■ ^^3
te^Nj
:^=^
P^=
:$^=^
4^^
Let us haste to Kel - vin grove, bon - nie las - sie, O, Through its
t
-• — •-
^^
itpz
3*i
I I
-e-
-.19-
-f^=^
rtl
f^
^^EP=pE^^
ii
y-
z* — ^— ^ ^ — *-
-■ — — « — •-
-^ — F
=p=
pride, Paints the hoi - low din - gle side, AVhere the midnight fai - ries glide, bon - nie
KELVIN GKOVE.
73
tf:
m
m
las
O.
m
ma^
m^
tt
mf
fT-uirtLn
-&-
m
V~-i
^=
~a
Let us wander by the mill, bonnie lassie, 0,
To the cove beside the rill, bonnie lassie, 0,
Where the glens rebound the call,
Of the roaring waters' fall,
Through the mountain's rocky hall, bonnie lassie, 0.
0 Kelvin banks are fair, bonnie lassie, 0,
When in summer we are there, bonnie lassie, 0,
There, the May-pink's crimson plume,
Throws a soft, but sweet perfume.
Round the yellow banks of broom, bonnie lassie, 0.
Though I dare not call thee mine, bonnie lassie, 0,
As the smile of fortune's thine, bonnie lassie, 0,
Tet with fortune on my side,
I could stay thy fiither's pride.
And win thee for my bride, bonnie lassie, 0.
But the frowns of fortime lower, bonnie lassie, 0,
On thy lover at this hour, bonnie lassie, 0,
Ere yon golden orb of day
Wake the warblers on the spray,
From this land I must away, bonnie lassie, 0.
Then farewell to Kelvin grove, bonnie lassie, 0,
And adieu to all I love, bonnie lassie, 0,
To the river winding clear.
To the fragrant scented brier.
Even to thee of all most dear, bonnie lassie, 0.
When upon a foreign shore, bonnie lassie, 0,
Should I fall midst battle's roar, bonnie lassie, 0,
Then, Helen ! shouldst thou hear
Of thy lover on his bier,
To his memory shed a tear, bonnie lassie, 0.
" Kelvin Grove." It appears that this highly popular song was erroneously ascribed to Mr. John Sim in " The
Harp of Renfrewsliire," in which it was first published, but was soon after claimed by Mr. Thomas Lyle, Surgeon,
Glasgow, who proved his title to it in a satisfactory manner. A Note on the verses, in Messrs. Blackie's " Book of
Scottish Song," informs us, that " Kelvin Grove, a pictm-esque and richly wooded dell, through wliich the river
Kelvin flows, lies at a very short distance to the north-west of Glasgow, and will in all probability soon be com-
prehended within the wide-spreading boundaries of the city itself. At one part of it, (North Woodside,) is an old
well, called the Pear-Tree-Well, from a pear-tree which formerly grew over it. This used to be, and still is to some
extent, a favourite place of resort for young parties from the city on summer afternoons." Mr. Lyle's own version
of the song is here given, from pages 228, 229, of a Collection of Ballads and Songs, published by him in 1827.
It has one stanza more than in " The Harp of Renfi-ewshire," and in other respects differs from the copy in that
work. The air appeared in the second volume of " The Scottish Minstrel," where it is called " Kelvin Water."
Its original name was, " 0 the shearin's no for you," which was the first line of a song now deservedly forgotten.
We now resume Mr. Moore's remarks, p. 71, supra. "But music is not the only subject on which our taste for
antiquity is rather unreasonably indulged; and, however heretical it may be to dissent from these romantic
speculations, I cannot help thinking that it is possible to love our country very zealously, and to feel deeply
interested in her honour and happiness, without believing that Irish was the language spoken in Paradise ; • that
our ancestors were kind enough to take the trouble of polishing the Greeks ; - or that Abaris, the Hyperborean,
was a native of the North of Ireland.^ By some of these archaiologists it has been imagined that the Irish were
early acquainted with counterpoint; and they endeavour to support this conjectiu'e by a well-known passage
in Giraldus, where he dilates, with such elaborate praise, upon the beauties of our national minstrelsy. But the
terms of this eulogy are too vague, too deficient in technical accuracy, to prove that even Giraldus himself knew
anything of the artifice of counterpoint. There are many expressions in the Greek and Latin writers which might
be cited, with much more plausibility, to prove that they understood the arrangement of music in parts ; yet I
believe it is conceded in general by the learned, that however grand and pathetic the melody of the ancients may
have been, it was reserved for the ingenuity of modern science to transmit ' the light of song' through the variegat-
ing prism of 'harmony.'" — See Irish Melodies, No. III. A Prefatory Letter to the Marchioness Dowager of D
Dublin, January, 1810. (See p. 83 for the conclusion of this subject.)
» See Advertisement to the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Dublin. In the Preface to "Wm. Shaw's Gaelic and English Dictionary,
4to, 1780, it is quite graTely asserted that Gaelic was the language originally spoken by Adam and Eve in Paradise. — Ed.
- O'Halloran, voL L part i. chap. 6. 3 id. ib. chap. 7.
74
SCOTTISH SONGS.
LORD RONALD.
P = 72
Andauie.
AltRANOED BY T. M. MDDIE.
i
i^^^^^^gi^
^
V
ra^
1
rail
-t- ^
BE3
e^
i
s
m
-p— t
1^ ^ i:
:i=*
Ron - aldj my
where ha'e
been, Lord
^^^m
f^
m
^=1=
^^
3^r
S5
0 •-
-&-
^^=
Se
^
=^
^^
-^ — ^-
■^ *-^-
-*^-a^-
son J O where ha'e ye
been. Lord Ron - aid, my
^^pq^^^^i
^-
-s-
m
fe=^
^
r=^
son ? I ha'e been wi' my sweet - heart, mother, make my bed
^^m
^
w.
i^f
i^^
2i:
LORD RONALD.
75
m
^^
-f-r-y
n^ <-
^
$
'-&-
9-''=^
jt=±
For I'm wea - ry wi' the bunt - iiig, and fain wad
lie
^S
y'-=^^=a--
Bi
^
"^
down.
rail.
^^^^
n
Q^^^^i
r r "==3 —
fE!^F=r=f
What got ye frae your sweetheart, Lord Ronald, my son ?
What got ye frae your sweetheart, Lord Ronald, my son ?
I ha'e got deadly poison, mother, make my -bed soon,
For life is a burden that soon I'll lay down.
" LoKD Ronald, jit son." The two stanzas of the ancient ballad, sent by Burns to Johnson's Museum, together
with the simple and pathetic melody, were recovered by Burns in Ayrshire. Sir Walter Scott, in his " Minstrelsy
of the Scottish Border," gives six stanzas of the ballad as sung in Ettrick Forest, under the title of " Lord Randal."
We refer to Sir Walter's remarks upon the ballad, and his reasons for preferring the name " Randal" to " Ronald."
Sir Walter Scott refers to " a very simil.ar song, in which, apparently to excite greater interest in the nursery, the
handsome young hxmter is exchanged for a little child, poisoned by a false stepmother." This nursery song is
called "The croodlin' doo," i.e., "The cooing dove." Buchan, in his "Ballads of the North," gives a similar song,
called " Willy Doo." In Jamieson's " Illustrations of Northern Antiquities," is found a fragment of a Suffolk
version of the ballad, and also a translation of a German ballad, called " Grossmutter Schlangenkoechin," i.e.,
"Grandmother Adder-cook." Mr. Kinloch, in his "Ancient Scottish Ballads," 1827, gives another version of ten
stanzas, under the name of " Lord Donald." Burns [Kdiques] observes, that " this air, a very favourite one in
Ayrshire, is evidently the original of Lochaber. In this manner, most of our finest more modern airs have had
their origin. Some early minstrel, or musical shepherd, composed the simple original air; which being picked
up by the more learned musician, took the improved form it bears." We demur to Burns' theory of " musical
shepherds," and " improved form of the simple original air by more learned musicians." But we have no reason
to doubt Burns' opinion that the air of " Lord Ronald" was the original of " Lochaber." In Dr. John Leyden's
MS. Lyra-Viol Book, formerly referred to in this work, p. 25, et passim, we find, (No. 2,) an air called " King
James' March to irland." It differs considerably from the air of " Lord Ronald," and from the more modern air
of " Lochaber ; " but still resembles both so strongly as to point to the same family origin. But the air of "Lord
Ronald" consists of ohc strain, as happens in most of our oldest Scottish melodies; while "Lochaber," and "King
James' March to /iland," consist each of tioo strains ; thus throwing back the greater probability of antiquity
upon "Lord Ronald." James H. landed at Kinsale in Ireland, on 12th March 1689. The Battle of the Boyne
took place on 30th June 1690, when James was defeated, and fled back to France. As to the name of " Limerick's
Lamentation," given by the Irish to a modified version of the air of "Lord Ronald," the title may refer to the
capitulation of Limerick to William's forces, soon after the Boyne battle ; or to the taking of Limerick, in 1 649, by
Cromwell's troops, aided by pestilence and treachery. See Appendix for Sir AValter Scott's version of the ballad.
"76
SCOTTISH SONGS.
FAREWELL TO LOCHABER.
ABEAUGED BY T. M. MCDIE.
ffii±
AlTDAUTE
Mesto.
■^
£=F-
:M=i=i-
Fare - well to Locb
|S^
S— *B-*g|-*»
IzfizSEEsii;
idzzt
P
ei=s
it
p
■f^^#-
^
g^S=j3= zEIJZj^-^ 3i^EgE -J-*^^.
=^
:±=at
a - ber, fare - well to my Jean, Where heart - some wi' her I ha'e mo - ny day
E
y^=j=2=
3
^
^^
* d J t — ^-
mn
5^
rr
:ar-*p-5p-
^
-3t?I
'-V:J:
J
a f f T
g^l
ai
^B^si=3E^
J^
^Es;
^3Ea^igpgipgp|gg^gii^:i
been ; For Loch - a - ber no more, Loch - a - ber no more, We'll may - be re
^
^■=^
M=^-
-^
-&-
-3-
F
?B=tt:
-a — «-
rs
b;=^
-s>-
jm
-■X
S=
c^
=^=^
i3t=i=^
:^=
g^_^,_M:
^^
turn to Loch - a - ber no
These tears that 1
1
:tit
^
rr
^^^
IS
I * -s-
i
shed they are
I
-F — F-
coHa W0C6.
iP — E:
^^^^
FAREWELL TO LOCHABER.
^T
^^^^^
^-r-f-
i=3:
S^
3^^:*==*^
borne on rough seas to a far dis - tant shore, May - be to re - turn to Loch •
m
m
£-£
m
ber
ss
Ei^
z=?i=*d=fi=:g=ji
is:
35
P
P^
>-
g
-F— F-
-f^F-
Though hurricanes rise, though rise every wind,
No tempest can equal the storm in my mind ;
Though loudest of thunders on louder waves roar,
There's naething like leavin' my love on the shore.
To leave thee behind me my heart is sair pain'd ;
But by ease that's inglorious no fame can be gain'd;
And beauty and love's the reward of the brave ;
And I maun deserve it before I can crave.
Then glory, my Jeanie, maun plead my excuse ;
Since honour commands me, how can I refuse ?
Without it, I ne'er can have merit for thee ;
And losing thy favour I'd better not be.
I gae then, my lass, to win honour and fame ;
And if I should chance to come glorious hame,
I'll bring a heart to thee with love running o'er,
And then I'll leave thee and Lochaber no more.
"LocHAEEK NO MOKE." In the preceding Note upon "Lord Ronald," we have discussed the derivation of
"Lochaber" from that tune, or from "King James' March to icland," as in the Leyden MS. The received air of
"Lochaber" is evidently of modern construction, because in it the fourth and the major .seventh of the tonic (or
key-note) are freely employed. The verses here given to the air of "Lochaber" were written by Allan Eamsay.
A lady still living, in wliose father's house at Edinburgli Robert Burns was a frequent and honoured guest, one
evening played the tune of " Lochaber," on the harpsichord, to Burns. He listened to it attentively, and then
exclaimed, with tears in his eyes, " Oh, that's a fine tune for a broken heart !" The lady in question stood so high
in Bums' estimation, that he offered to write to her a journal of his intended tour in the Highlands of Scotland.
A trifling circumstance prevented him from completing his offer of so valuable a communication.
78
SCOTTISH SONGS.
ROY'S WIFE OF ALDIVALLOCH.
AKRAKGED BY G. P. GRAHAM.
'= 100
Andante.
W:
-»-i-0
fi=^-r^^
Roy's wife of Al - di - val - locli.
B=S^
Pf
w
=S^
r'^
'^--M— f.-^ [^ 1— -j^
SE
heE
^
IS
^
=3r
SEte
^^^^^^^^^m^^^
Roy's wife of Al - di - valloch, Wat ye how slie clieated me, A3 I cam' o'er the braes o' Balloeh ?
P^^^il^
M
^1— IM— N-
BE
I
i
^ri-s:
S
r^^^^^^u^:^^^'^^^
^
§^
E^^^
2=SE
She vow'd, she swore she wad be mine; She said slie lo'ed me best of onie; But
i=^=M^
E^
p
Si:
!^
^^^^^^^
rp=rpr
^
^=0=
^^^^n^i^^i^^^^g^
O the fickle, faithlessquean, She's ta'en the carle' an' left her Johnnie ! Roy's wife of Al -di- valloch,
i^m^^
m
T^-
^^3^
-^— fv-'f
^-
*^-d
tr^-^'—t^
BE
n
^
(L._|tl
^^=F=i=F
BOY S WIFE OF ALDIVALLOCH.
79
S
^=
^^^^
;^;=^
^^^^m
^-t^-*
-•-ir
Roj's wife of Al - di - val - loch, Wat ye how she cheat - ed me, As
F^
?^ T^
^n
-s- . -•■
BE
^
r
=^ — f^ I J,
s^
^^^^^
W^-
cam' e'er the braes o' Balloch ?
BE
'^^-^ — ^=-f
^r^'
r
r
^T
^Be
r
^
0, she wis a cantie- que;m,
Weel could she dance the Highland walioch ;
How happy I, had she been mine,
Or I been Roy of Aldivalloch.
Roy's wife, &c.
' An old man.
PW
Her hair sae fair, her een sae clear.
Her wee bit mou' sae sweet and bonnie ;
To me she ever will be dear.
Though she's for ever left her Johnnie.
Roy's wife, &c.
2 Merrv.
" Roy's wife op Alcivalloch." This song was wi'itten by Mrs. Grant of Carron, afterwards Mrs. Dr. Murray
of Bath. Burns also wrote Terses for the same air, beginning, " Canst thou leave me thus, my Katy ?" — but the
lady's verses have always held their ground to this day. David Laing, Esq., in his Additional Illustrations to
Johnson's Museum, (vol. iv. pp. 368, 369,) says :—" Through the obliging inquiries of John P. Grant, Esq., (son of
the late Mrs. Grant of Laggan,) I have since learned the following particulars respecting this lady. Her maiden
name was Grant; and she was born near Aberlour, on the banks of the river Spey, about the year 1745. She
was twice married, first to her cousin, Mr. Grant of Carron, near Elchies, on the river Spey, about the year
1763 ; and, secondly, to a physician in Bath, whose name is stated to have been Brown, not Murray. She died at
Bath sometime about 1814, and is not known to have written any other song than 'Roy's Wife.'" Mr. Laing is
satisfied, from the authority of Mr. George Thomson and Mr. Cromek, that the lady's second husband was Dr.
Murray of Bath. The tune is old, and was called " The Ruffian's Rant ; " a name happily superseded by " Roy's
Wife." We have no doubt that it is a Highland air. In several passages, modern hnpi'ocers of our old melodies
have, as usual, introduced flourishes that are incompatible with the simple character of this air. We have rejected
these flourishes, as we shall always do, whenever we find them disfiguring our national Scottish airs. From the
earlier part of the last century, the process of altering and pretended impruting of these airs, seems to have gone
on, up to a certain point, when it was found necessary to stop short in disguising them. The rage for embellish-
ment as applied to these simple melodies, may be traced to the time when they became so fashionable in England,
and got into the hands of public singers in London. For some hints on this subject, see Note, p. 33, of this volume.
Italian _/iorJ(Mre, of a particular kind, were not less liberally applied in those days to every melody than they have
been of late years, with a change of form. National airs could not escape the contagion. The celebrated Catalani,
on one of her first appearances in Edinburgh, about forty years ago, sang "Roy's wife of Aldivalloch," with great
applause. How she sang it we have no record ; but we have no doubt that the powers of her magnificent voice
were not subdued for the occasion. About twenty-seven years ago, we became personally acquainted with Catalani,
and conversed with her regarding her own art. We were struck with the child-like playfalness and simplicity of
character in the great singer and actress. She bitterly lamented her want of early education ; and added, (in her
own language,) "I have talents that never were fully developed !"
80
SCOTTISH SONGS.
0, WILLIE BREW'D A PECK 0' MAUT.
Allegro
moderato.
AERAJ5GED BY FINLAT DUN.
Allegro / jt "?! -- "j*" "P" "t^ I |
=R=F=
f=^.
m
^sii^^gi
^^
O, Wil - lie brew'd a peck o' maut, And Rob and Al - Ian
P e legato.
r
r
ifi
3=i^P
-is-
esE
IS^
-• — •-
cres. ed animato.
:.P==P
i^
:f=
::3^
^
-^ — i-
^^=
cam' to prie ;^ Three blyther lads, that lee-lang^ night, Ye wad - na fand in
^
'^-
,j ©--*— |.
rs=ts==
p^-?^fr^-
t=i^
eEfE|f=^p
--^^
?
Christ - en - die.
AYe are na fou', we're no tiiat fou', But just a wee drap
EE*
s
S,^J^
!•=*=:;?
1=1=P=
eE
.--Sfei
i
^r r
2i:
0, WILLIE BREW D A PECK 0 MAUT.
m
E
-* — ^
E^^="g^^
J-IE
in our e'e ; The cock may craw, the day may daw', But aye we'll taste the
ii
r
^
If r^r r r
-fhe
f
^
=t
m
-0- -O-
bar - ley bree
-*- -«- -a-
eE
/
^i^
P
I I ~=*«wj— 1 h- 1— • T-T^-i
i
Here are we met three merry boys ;
Three merry boys I trow are we :
And mony a nicht we've merry been,
And mony mae we liope to be !
It is the moon — I ken her horn- —
That's blinkin' in the lift' sae hie;
She shines sae bricht to wyle us hame,
But by my sooth she'll wait awee.*
Wha first shall rise to gang awa',
A cuckold coward loon is he ;
"fflia last beside his chair shall fa',
He is the king amang us tlu-ee.
' To taste. 2 Livelong. 3 Ale, beer — sometimes, whiskj'. ■* The firmament. ^ A short time — but here to be understood ironicaUy.
" 0, WnLiE brew'd a peck o' mact." In the autumn of 1789, Burns wrote this excellent conTivial song, which
his fi'iend Allan Masterton, a writing-master in Edinburgh, set to music. Masterton died about the year 1800.
The song was written on the occasion of a " house-wai-ming " at William Nicol's farm of Laggan, in Nithsdale.
"We had such a joyous meeting," says Burns, "that Mr. Masterton and I agreed, each in his own way, that we
should celebrate the business." William Nicol was one of the masters of the High School of Edinburgh. He was
Burns' companion in his tour of the Highlands, and died in the summer of 1797. Dr. Currie, in his Life of Burns,
gives an interesting account of Nicol. The air, as composed by Masterton, appears in Johnson's Museum, vol. iii.
p. 301 ; but that set has long been superseded by the one here given, which is an improvement on Masterton's air,
by some unknown singer or arranger.
Captain Charles Gray, R.M., in No. XIV. of his "Cursory Remarks on Scottish Song," when speaking of Bui-ns
as having " contributed no less than two hundred and twenty-eight songs " to Johnson's Museimi, adds — " we take
credit to ourselves for being the first to claim for him the merit of his collecting and preserving above fifty Scottish
melodies. This labour of love alone would have entitled Burns to the thanks and gi-atitude of his countrymen,
had he done nothing else ; but it was lost in the refulgent blaze of his native genius, which shed a light on our
national song that shall endure as long as our simple Doric is imderstood. In the lapse of ages even the lyrics of
Burns may become obsolete, but other bards shall rise, animated with his spirit, and reproduce them, if possible,
in more than their original beauty and splendour. We hold our national melodies to be imperishable. As no one
can trace their origin, it would be equally futile to predict their end. Their essence is more divine than the
language to which they are wedded."
No. XVI. F
82
SCOTTISH SONGS.
LEEZIE LINDSAY.
^ = 84
Andante
Amoeoso.
eg
^^m^
:&
AIIRANGED BY J. T. 3URENNE.
iiF^^E^
maz
BT=?F^=
^s
-J-^-^
n
:fE^^P
_'I
?^EE^
m
=^=^5=
dim.
« Will ye
gang to the Hie - lands, Lee - zie
^
^^^=t
^
■»M— 1 J-
S^
=5^
eir
i
i^^^*
^=_-
qs=f^
-• a-
Lind - sayl Will ye gang to the Hie -lands wi' me? Will ye
1-
:^
S:
^
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gang to the Hie - lands, Lee - zie Lind - say ? My bride and my
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LEEZIE LINDSAY.
83
' To gang to the Hielands wi' you. Sir,
Wad bring the saut tear to my e'e,
At leaving the green glens and woodlands,
And streams o' my ain conntrie."
■ Oh, I'll shew you the red-deer roaming,
On mountains where waves the tall pine ;
And, far as the bound of the red-deer,
nii moorland and mountain is mine.
" A thousand claymores I can muster,
Ilk blade and its bearer the same ;
And when round their Chieftain they rally.
The gallant Argyle is my name."
There's dancing and joy in the Hielands,
There's piping and gladness and glee,
For Argyle has brought hame Leezie Lindsay
His bride and his darling to be !
'• Leezie Lindsay." The old air, probably Highland, was sent by Burns to Johnson, together with the first
four lines of the song. Burns intended to send more verses, but never did. The other verses here given were
written by Mr. Robert GilfiUan. The greater part of the old ballad of " Lizie Lindsay" was sent by Professor
Scott of Aberdeen to Robert Jamieson, Esq., who published the fi'agment in the second volume of his "Popular
Ballads and Songs," 1806, pp. 149-153. Burns evidently had the first stanza of the old ballad in view, though he
changed the fourth line — " And dine on fresh cruds and green whey ? " See Appendix.
Referring to Note, p. 73, snpra, we now conclude, for the present, our remarks upon Irish music. No Irishman
can feel and admire more than we do, the beauty and originality of the best Irish melodies. They are, indeed,
rare gems that sparkle brightly on Erin's laurel-wreath. But we regret that these fine melodies were not earlier
collected by some skilful musician competent to a task so difficult. Irish airs were iioating about Europe Ion"
before Edward Bunting's attempt was made to form a Collection of them in 1792, from the performances of the old
Harpers then assembled at Belfast, from all parts of Ireland, and subsequently, when he visited some of those
Harpers at their own dwellings. Bunting was then a very young man, having been born in February 1778. His
biographer, in the Dublin University Magazine for 1847, states, (p. 67,) that on the occasion of tlie meetino- of
Harpers at Belfast in 1792, " Bunting was employed by the Committee of Dii-ectors to commit to writing the
melodies of which they were, in many instances, the sole depositaries." The task committed to Buntino- by the
Directors, he could not possibly perform on the spot, unless he were able to write down the notes of the airs and
harmonies as fast as they were played — an impracticable feat, as every good musician well knows. So that unless
those Harpers had played over the airs again and again to Bunting, and paused every now and then to oive him
time to write them down, measure by measure, his record of the ah-s taken on the spot at Belfast cannot be con-
sidered as authentic. Indeed, his biographer {loc. cit. p. 67) says, that the collecting of these airs " necessarily
required a cultivation of his (Bunting's) powers, to enable him to effect it," Bunting himself says, (Prefiice to his
thii'd volume, 1840,) that "immediately after the termination of the meeting in 1792, he commenced furmino- his
first collection. For this purpose he travelled into Derry and Tyrone, visiting Hempson, after his return to
Jlagilligan in the former county, and spending a good part of the summer about Ballinascreen and other mountain
districts in the latter, where he obtained a great number of admirable airs from the country people. His principal
acquisitions were, however, made in the province of Connaught." His biographer {loc. cit. p. 70) tells us, reo-ardinn-
Bunting's second volume, published in 1809, that "he went on journeying, and collecting, and arrano-in" what he
gathered, .... and having the provinces travelled by agents qualified to note down the melodies for him,
as well as the original Irish words to which they were sung." We much doubt the efficiency of those ane)?ts in tlie
musical department. It will be here observed that Bunting himself arranged or harmonized the airs for the piano-
forte. Passing over at present the many harmonic crudities which all these arrangements exhibit what shall we
say of the gross deception which Bunting practised in 1815, upon " many of the most eminent musicians in Paris,"
when he deliberately and gravely assured them that the harmonies he played to the airs " were equally Irish and
contemporaneous with the airs themselves!" — {loc. cit. pp. 71, 72.) After that, who can have faith in Buntino-?
In the Introduction to Wood's Songs of Scotland,
untenable assertions.
pp. iii, iv, we have animadverted upon some of Bunting's
84
SCOTTISH SONGS.
THE SMILING SPRING.
'=r 80
MODEEATO.
ARRANGED BY T. M. MUDIE.
lESEE
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dim.
The smiling Spring comes in re - joic - ing, And
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sur - ly Win - ter grim-ly flies; Now crystal clear are the falling wa - ters, And
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bon-nie blue are the sunny skies. Fresh o'er the nioun- tains breaks forth the morn -ing, The
m^^m^
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f
THE SMILING SPRING.
S5
The flow'ry Spring leads sunny Summer,
And yellow Autumn presses near ;
Then in his turn comes gloomy Winter,
Till smiling Spring again appear.
Thus seasons dancing, life adTancing,
Old Time and Nature their changes tell ;
But never ranging, still unchanging,
I adore my bonnie Bell.
" The smilisq Sprdjo comes m rejoicing." Mr. Stenhouse's Note is as follows : — " This song, beginning, ' The
smiling morn comes in rejoicing,' is another production of Burns, who also communicated the air to which the
words are united in the Museum." Museum Illustrations, vol. iv. p. 355. The song aifords one of the most
remarkable examples of irregular versification that we meet with in the poetry of Bui'ns. In Note, p. 157, of the
first volume of this work, we have touched upon irregular verses written in order to suit certain airs, and have
quoted Thomas Moore and others on the subject. But we must say that in this song Bums has not been so
happy as usual in his adaptation of words to music. In several lines of the second stanza especially, there is
unnecessary and unsuitable irregularity of metrical structure, which prevents the same notes being sung to the
words of the second as to those of the first stanza. Above all, the last line of the second stanza consists of seven
syllables, which cannot be sung to the same detached notes as the last line of the first stanza, consisting of nine
syllables. The air, sent by Bums to the Museum, we think presents marks of an English Border melody, if not
of an Irish tune. Mr. Moore, in the Preface to the fifth volume of his Poetical Works, 1841, has the following
passage regarding Bm-ns as a song- writer : — " Having thus got on Scottish ground, I find myself awakened to the
remembrance of a name which, whenever song-writing is the theme, ought to rank second to none in that sphere
of poetical fame. Robert Burns was wholly unskilled in music ; yet the rare art of adapting words successfully
to notes, of wedding verse in congenial union with melody, which, were it not for his example, I should say none
but a poet versed in the sister art ought to attempt, has yet, by him, with the aid of a music, to which my own
country's strains are alone comparable, been exercised with so workmanly a hand, as well as with so rich a variety
of passion, playfulness, and power, as no song-writer, perhaps, but himself, has ever yet displayed." See pp.
X. xi. Mr. Moore was misinformed when he said that "Burns was wholly unskilled in music." See pp. 95, 141,
of the first volume of this work.
86
SCOTTISH SONGS.
LOUDON'S BONNIE WOODS AND BRAES.
AIR, " MARQUI9 OP HASTINGS' STRATHSPEY."
ARRANGED BY A. LAWRIE.
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Loudon's bon-nie woods and braes, I maun leave them a', las-sie;
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Wha can thole' when Britain's faes Would gi'e Bi-itons law, lassie? Wha would shun the field o' danger?
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Wha to fame would live a stranger? Now when Freedom bids avenge her, Whawould shun her ca', lassie?
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LOUDON S BONNIE WOODS AND BRAES.
87
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Lou -don's bon -nie woods and braes, Ha'e seen out* bap - py bri - dal days, And gen - tie hope shall
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soothe thy waes, When I am far a - wa', lassie.
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Hark ! the swelling bugle rings,
Yielding joy to thee, laddie;
But the dolefu' bugle brings
Waefu' thochts to me, laddie.
Lanely I may climb the mount.iin,
Lanely stray beside the fountain,
Still the weary moments counting,
Far fi-ae love and thee, laddie.
O'er the gory fields o' war,
Whex-e Vengeance drives his crimson car,
Thou'lt maybe fa', frae me afar.
And nane to close thy e'e, laddie.
Oh, resume thy wonted smile.
Oh, suppress thy fears, lassie;
Glorious honour crowns the toil
That the soldier shares, lassie :
Heaven will shield thy faithfti' lover,
Till the vengeful strife is over; ^
Then we'll meet, nae mair to sever.
Till the day we dee, lassie :
Blidst our bonnie woods and braes.
We'll spend our peacefu' happy days,
As blythe's yon lichtsome lamb that plays
On Loudon's flow'ry lea, lassie.
" Loudon's bonnie woobs and beaes." These verses were written by Robert Tannahill, and appear to have
been very popular for ten or twelve years before the close of the last European war. Loudon Castle, in Ayrshire,
was the seat of the Earl of Moira, afterwards created Marquis of Hastings, while Governor-General of India in
1816. This song is said to be commemorative of his parting, upon foreign service, from his young wife the Countess
of Loudon.
Referring to p. 105 of vol. i. of this work, and to pp. 35, 43, 45, 51, 53, 61, 71, 73, of this current second volume,
we think we have there shown satisfactorily that all ascriptions of the composition of Scottish melodies to Rizzio
(or Riccio) are founded in error ; and we now take leave of the subject by a short recapitulation of the facts.
1. Rizzio's name is not mentioned as a composer of music of any kind for a hundred and sixty years after his
death. 2. He lived little more than four years in Queen Mary's household, and for much the greater part of tliat
time in the capacity of a menial. 3. The Italian writer, Tassoni, makes no mention of Rizzio's pseudo-compositions.
4. Thomson, in his '-Orpheus Caledonius," printed in London in 1725, was the first to ascribe seven Scottish airs
to Rizzio; and, in the second edition of his work, 1733, ashamed of the imposture, entirely suppressed Rizzio's
name. 5. James Oswald, a noted impostor, in his Second Collection of Scottish Airs, also printed in London, again
resumed the ridiculous deception regarding Rizzio, while the contemporaneous Edinburgh Collections of Ramsay,
Craig, and M'Gibbon, make no mention of Rizzio. Craig, 1730, states, that the airs are "the native and genuine
product of the country." 6. We have shown Geminiani's opinions regarding Rizzio, and Scottish and other music,
to be absurdly erroneous ; and the opinions of his blind and ignorant follower, Oliver Goldsmith, to improve greatly
in error and absurdity upon those of Geminiani and others. If any Rizzio MSS. should turn up, like the Skene,
and Straloch, and Leyden, we should welcome them heartily as very wonderful curiosities.
88
SCOTTISH SONGS.
JESSIE, THE FLOWER 0' DUNBLANE.
A.ERANGED BY T. M. MCBIE.
(•= 100
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side o'er the scene, Whi'e lone - ly I stray in the calm sim - mer gloamin', To
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muse on sweet Jessie, the flower o' Dunblane. How sweet is tlie brier wi' its saft faiildin' blossom! And
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JESSIE, THE FLOWER 0 DUNBLANE.
89
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sweet i3 the birk wi' its mantle o' green ; Yet sweeter and fairer, and dear to this bosom, Is
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love- ly young Jessie, the flower o' Dunblane. Is love - ly young Jessie, Is love - ly young Jessie, Is
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love - ly young Jessie, the flower o' Dunblane.
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She's modest as onie, and blythe as she's bormie ;
For guileless simplicity marks her its arn ;
TVnd far be the villain, divested o' feeling,
^Vlia'd blight in its bloom the sweet flower o' Dun-
blane.
Sing on, thou sweet mavis, thy hymn to the ev'ning,
Thou'rt dear to the echoes of Calderwood glen ;
Sae dear to this bosom, sae artless and winning,
Is charming young Jessie, the flower o' Dunblane.
How lost were my days till I met wi' my Jessie !
The sports o' the city seem'd foolish and vain ;
I ne'er saw a nymph I could ca' my dear lassie,
Till charm'd wi' sweet Jessie, the flower o' Dun-
blane.
Though mine were the station o' loftiest grandeur,
Amidst its profusion I'd languish in pain.
And reckon as naething the height o' its splendour.
If wanting sweet Jessie, the flower o' Dunblane.
" Jessie, the flower o' Dcnblanb." The words were written by Robert TannahUl, of whom some account has
been given in the first volume of this work, pp. 7, 113, 1.59. TannahiU's words were immediately set to music by
the late Robert Archibald Smith, who is also noticed in that volume, pp. vi., 113, 159. Smith was brought to
Edinburgh in 1823, by the late Rev. Dr. Andrew Thomson, and appointed by him precentor in St. George's Church.
He died at Edinburgh on 3d January 1829. Not a few of the airs wliich Smith gave in his "Scottish Blinstrel"
as ancient Scottish melodies, were actually of his own composition, as could even now easily be proved. Whatever
may be a man's ingenuity in committing musical or literary hoaxes upon the public, the prhiciple of such doings
will not bear the slightest examination.
90
SCOTTISH SONGS.
MY AIN FIRESIDE.
ABRANGED BT J. T. SXIRENNE.
f = 108
And ANTING
Anuhato.
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O I ha'e seen great anes, and sat in great ha's, 'Mang
At feasts made for prin - ces, wi' prin - ces I've been, Where the
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lords and 'mang la - dies a' eov - er'd wi' braws ;
great shine o' splendour lias daz - zled my e'en ;
But a sight sae de - hght - ful, I
MY AtN FIRESIDE.
91
piu animato.
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ain fire - side, my
ain fire -side, O cheering's the blink o' my
^
^=
As the succeeding stanzas are each two lines longer than the first, it is necessarj* in singing them to repeat the second as well as the first
strain of the melody. Another, and a very objectionable, mode is, however, more generally adopted ; this is. to omit a portion of
each stanza, and thus accommodate it to the music.
Anoe mail-, gude be praised, round my ain heartsome ingle,
Wi' the friends o' my youth I cordially mingle ;
Nae forms to compel me to seem "wae or glad,
I may laugh when I'm merry, and sigh when I'm sad.
Nae falsehood to dread, and nae malice to fear.
But truth to delight me, and friendship to cheer ;
Of a' roads to happiness ever were tried.
There's nane half so svu'e as ane's ain fireside.
My ain fireside, my ain fireside,
0 there's nought to compare wi' ane's ain fireside.
When I draw in my stool on my cosey hearth-stane.
My heart loups sae light I scarce ken't for my ain ;
Care's down on the wind, it is clean out o' sight,
Past troubles they seem but as dreams of the night.
I hear but kend voices, kend faces I see,
And mark saft affection glent fond frae ilk e'e ;
Nae fleechings o' flattery, nae boastings o' pride,
'Tis heart speaks to heart at ane's ain fireside.
My ain fireside, my ain fireside,
0 there's nought to compare wi' ane's ain fireside.
" My ain fiueside." In Cromek's " Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway Song," these verses are ascribed to Mrs.
Elizabeth Hamilton, the authoress of " The Cottagers of Glenburnie," and various other prose works, chiefly relative
to education. She was the sister of Captain Charles Hamilton, in the service of the East India Company, who was
also an author. She died about 1817. The air is that given in Johnson's Museum under the title of "Todlen
, hame." This ancient air has been wrought into a variety of modern tunes, under diiferent names ; such as,
I " Armstrong's Farewell," " Robidh donna gorrach," " The days o' Langsyne," " Lude's Lament," " The death of
the chief," &c. See Museum Illustrations, vol. iii. p. 258.
92
SCOTTISH SONGS.
ADIEU, DUNDEE
• = 92
1/
Adagio.
ARRANGED BY O. P. GRAHAM.
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A - dieu, Dun - dee ! from
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Ma - ry part - ed, Here nae mair my lot maun lie ;
Wha
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bear, when bro - ken heart -ed. Scenes that speak of jo^fs gane bye!
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A' things ance were sweet and smll - ing, In the light
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ADIEU, DUNDEE !
93
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fc^a
Ma - ry's e'e ;
Fair - est seem - ing'a maist be - guil - ing, Love, a
m^
dieu ! a
dieu, Dun - dee !
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Like yon water saftly gliding.
When the winds are laid to sleep ;
Such my life, when I confiding,
Gave to her my heart to keep !
Like yon water wildly rushing,
When the north wind stirs the sea ;
Such the change, my heart now crushing-
Love, adieu ! adieu, Dundee !
"Adieu, DirnDEE!" The air is found in tablature in the Skene MS., already referred to in this work, vol. i.
p. iv. of Introduction, et passim. The late William Dauney, Esq., Advocate, who published the translation of the
Skene MS., with an able Dissertation, &c., was one of the best amateur singers and violoncello players in Scot-
land. Soon after the publication of that work he went to Demerara, where he held the oflice of SoUcitor-General.
Universally esteemed for his abilities and his amiable manners and character, he had the prospect of rising there
to higher honours, when the fever of the country cut him oif prematurely on 28th July 1843. He was born on
27th October 1800. Before he left Scotland, he requested Mr. Finlay Dun and the Editor of this work to harmonize
for him some of the airs from the Skene MS., to which words were to be written by two Edinbm-gh gentlemen.
Three of these airs were accordingly published in 1838 in that form. "Adieu, Dundee !" was one of these. It is
now reprinted by permission of Mrs. Dauney, the proprietress of the music, and of Charles Neaves, Esq., Advocate,
Sheriff of Orkney, who is the author of the expressive and appropriate verses written for the old air at the request
of his intimate friend the late Mr. Dauney. In the Museum Illustrations, vol. i. p. 102, Mr. Stenhouse makes the
following remarks upon the air of " Bonnie Dundee," as given, No. 99 of the Museum : — " This air appears in
Skene's MSS. under the title of ' Adew, Dundee.' It is therefore certain that the song was a well-known favourite
in Scotland long before the year 1598." As to the probable date of the Skene MS., we have already touched upon
that subject, p. iv. of Introduction, and in the Note, p. 3 of the first volume of this work. Mr. Stenhouse's assertion,
that the air, " Bonnie Dundee," given in Johnson's Museum, appears in Skene's MS. under the title of " Adew,
Dundee," is incorrect; and clearly proves that Mr. Stenhouse could not translate the tablature of the Skene
MS. The two airs are by no means identical, as any one may easily see who takes the trouble to compare them
together.
94
SCOTTISH SONGS.
SAW YE MY WEE THING?
AIK, "BONNIE DUNDEE."
AREANGED BY J. T. SUBENNE.
CON < P l"- "i N I ^-V
ESPEESSIONE.
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Saw ye my wee thing? Saw ye mine ain thing? Saw ye my true love down on yon lea?
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Cross'd she the meadow yes - treen at the gloamin' 3 Sought she the burn - ie whar fiow'rs the haw-tree ?
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Her hair it is lint-white ; her sliin it is milk-white ; Dark is the blue o' her
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saft roll - ing e'e ;
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Red, red lier ripe lips, and sweet - er than ros - es :
poco rail.
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Whar could my wee thing wan-derfrae me?
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I saw na your wee thing, I saw na your ain thing,
Nor saw I yoiir true lo¥e down on yon lea ;
But I met my bonnie thing late in the gloamin',
Down by the bm-nie whar fiow'rs the haw-tree.
Her hair it was lint-white ; her skin it was milk-
wMte ;
Dark was the blue o' her saft rolling e'e ;
Red were her ripe lips, and sweeter than roses :
Sweet were the kisses that she ga'e to me.
It was na my wee thing, it was na my ain thing.
It was na my true love ye met by the tree ;
Proud is her leal heart ! and modest her nature !
She never lo'ed onie till ance she lo'ed me.
Her name it is Mary ; she's frae Castle-Cary :
Aft has she sat, when a bairn, on my knee : —
Fair as your face is, wer't fifty times fairer,
Young braggart, she ne'er would gi'e kisses to thee.
It was then your Mary ; she's frae Castle-Cary ;
It was then your true love I met by the tree ;
Proud as her heart is, and modest her nature,
Sweet were the kisses that she ga'e to me.
Sair gloom'd his dark brow, blood-red his cheek grew,
Wild flash'd the Sre frae his red rolling e'e ! —
Ye's rue sair this morning your boasts and your scorn-
ing;
Defend ye, fause traitor ! fu' loudly ye lie.
Awa' wi' beguiling, cried the youth, smiling : —
Aif went the bonnet ; the lint-white locks flee ;
The belted plaid fa'ing, her white bosom shawing.
Fair stood the loved maid wi' the dark rolling e'e !
Is it my wee thing ! is it my ain thing !
Is it my true love here that I see !
0 Jamie, forgi'e me; your heart's constant to me;
I'll never mair wander, my true love, frae thee !
" Saw te bit wee thing ? " Mr. Stenhouse says, — " This charming ballad, beginning, ' Saw ye my wee thing ?
saw ye my ain thing ? ' was written by Hector Macneil, Esq., author of the celebrated poem of ' Will and Jean,' and
several other esteemed works. It first appeared in a periodical publication, entitled ' The Bee,' printed at Edin-
burgh in May 1791. Mr. Macneil informed the writer of this article, that the tune to which his song is adapted in
the Museum is the genuine melody that he intended for the words." See Museum Blustrations, vol. v. p. 893. The
melody given in the Museum, No. 44.3, is entitled, "The wee tiling, or Mary of Castle-Cary;" it is now quite
unknown, having been supplanted in the public favour by the beautiful and well-known air, " Bonnie Dundee ; "
in a future number, however, we shall revive this forgotten melody, which ought not to be altogether lost sight of.
"Bonnie Dundee" is nearly the same air as that which we have just before given from the Skene MS. with words
by Charles Neaves, Esq., Advocate, under the title of " Adieu, Dimdee ! " The air, " Adew, Dundie," from the
Skene MS., is the more simple and touching of the two. The Editor's translation of it was first published in Mr.
Dauney's " Ancient Scottish Melodies," No. 24, p. 225. See Mr. Dauney's remarks upon the air, pp. 266, 267,
of the same work.
96
SCOTTISH SONGS.
BESSIE BELL AND MARY GRAY.
Gajo.
n.
AEBAtrOEH BY FDJUT BDS.
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BESSIE BELL AND MAEY GRAY.
97
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ter ; But Ma - 17 Gray's tw,i paw - kie een Gar'd a' my fan - cy
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Bessie's hair 's like a linWap,
She smiles like a May mornin',
When Phoebus starts frae Thetis' lap,
The hills wi' rays adornin' ;
White is her neck, saft is her hand,
Her waist and feet fu' genty,
Wi' ilka grace she can command :
Her lips, 0, wow ! they're dainty.
Mary's locks are like the craw,
Her een like diamond's glances ;
She's aye sae clean, redd-up, and braw ;
She kills whene'er she dances.
Blythe as a kid, wi' wit at will.
She blooming, tight, and tall is.
And guides her airs sae gracefii' still ;
0, Jove, she's like thy Pallas !
Young Bessie Bell and Mary Gray,
Ye unco sair oppress us ;
Our fancies jee between ye twa,
Ye are sic bonnie lasses.
Wae's me ! for baith I canna get ;
To ane by law we're stinted ;
Then I'll draw cuts, and tak' my fate.
And be iri' ane contented.
" Bessie Bell aud Mary Gray." Mr. Stenhouse's Note upon this song is as follows : — " The first stanza of this
song is old, the rest of it was written by Ramsay. Thomson adapted Ramsay's improved song to the old air in
his Orpheus Caledonius, in 1725, from whence it was copied into the first volume of Watt's Musical Miscellany,
printed at London in 1729. The tune also appears in Craig's Collection in 1730, and in many others subsequent
to that period. Tlie heroines of the song, viz., Miss Elizabeth Bell, daughter of Mr. Bell of Kinvaid, Pertlishire,
and Miss Mary Gray, d.aughter of Mr. Gray of Lyndock, are reported to have been very handsome yoimg ladies,
and very intimate friends. While Miss Bell was residing at Lyndock, on a visit to Miss Gray, in the year 1666,
the plague broke out. With a view to avoid the contagion, they built a bower, or small cottage, in a very retired
and romantic place called Burn-braes, about three-quarters of a mile fi-om Lyndock house. Here they resided a
short time ; but the plague raging with increased fury, they at length caught the infection, after receiving a visit
from a gentleman who was their mutual admirer ; and here they both died. They were interred about half a mile
from the mansion-house ; and Major Berry, the late proprietor of that estate, carefully enclosed the spot, and conse-
crated it to those amiable and celebrated friends. Lyndock is now the property of Thomas Graham, Lord Lyndock,
the gallant hero of Barossa. Mr. Gay selected the tune of ' Bessie Bell and Mary Gray ' for one of his songs in the
Beggar's Opera, beginning, ' A curse attends that woman's love who always would be pleasing,' acted at London
in 1728." See Museum Illustrations, vol. ii. pp. 1 22, 123. In tlie Additional Illustration, ibid. p. 203, C. K. Sharpe,
Esq., writes thus : — "Bessie Bell and Mary Gray died of the plague, communicated by their lover, in the year
1645; see Pennant, and the Statistical Account of Scotland."
No. XVII. 0
98
SCOTTISH SONGS.
MUIRLAND WILLIE.
ARRANGED BY J. T. SUEENNE.
Animato.
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tell you how Young Muir - land Wil - lie cam' here to woo, Tho' he could nei - ther
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say nor do ; The truth I tell to
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MUIRLAND WILLIE.
99
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e'er be - tide, Mag - gy I'se ha'e to be my bride, With a fal da ra, fal
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On his gray yade, as he did ride,
Wi' dirk and pistol by his side,
He prick'd her on wi' meikle pride,
Wi' meikle mii'th and glee,
Out o'er you moss, out o'er yon muir.
Till he came to her daddie's door.
With a fal da ra, &c.
Gudeman, quoth he, be ye within ?
I'm come your dochter's love to win,
I carena for making meikle din ;
What answer gi'e ye me ?
Now, wooer, quoth he, would ye light down,
I'll gi'e ye my dochter's love to win,
With a fal da ra, &c.
Now, wooer, sin' ye are lighted down,
Where do ye won,' or in what town ?
I think my doohter winna gloom,
On sic a lad as ye.
The wooer he stepp'd up the house,
And wow but he was wond'rous crouse,^
With a fal da ra, &c.
I Dwell.
- Brisk ; lively.
^ An upper garment.
The maid put on her kirtle' brown,
She was the brawest in a' the town :
I wat on him she didna gloom.
But blinkit bonnilie.
The lover he stended up in haste,
And gript her hard about the waist.
With a fal da ra, &c.
The maiden blush'd and bing'd' fu' law.
She hadna will to say him na.
But to her daddie she left it a',
As they twa could agree.
The lover gi'ed her the tither kiss,
Syne* ran to her daddie, and tell'd him this.
With a fal da ra, &c.
The bridal day it came to pass,
Wi' mony a blythsome lad and lass ;
But siccan^ a day there never was,
Sic mirth was never seen.
This winsome couple straked hands,
Mess John ty'd up the marriage bands,
With a fal da ra, &c.
"J Curtsied. 5 Afterwards. t- Such.
" MuiRLAND Willie." Mr. Stenhotise says :— " This very humorous ballad, beginning, ' Hearken, and I will tell
ye how,' is published in Ramsay's Tea-Table Miscellany in 1724, with the signatm'e Z, to denote that it was then
considered to be very old. It was likewise printed in Thomson's Orpheus Caledonius, with the music, in 1725.
The tune also appears in Mrs. Crockat's Manuscript Collection, written in 1709, now in the Editor's possession."
See Museum Illustrations, vol. iv. p. 342. With regard to this air, " Muh-land Willie," the Editor refers to his
Note on " My boy Tammy," (p. 61 of first volume of tliis work,) in which he points out different editions of " Muir-
land Willie," and states that "My boy Tammy" is a mere transformation of "Jluirland Willie."
100
SCOTTISH SONGS.
I'LL NEVER LEAVE THEE.
ARRANGED BY T. M. MUDIE.
63
Andante
CON
Tenebezza.
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poco rail
Why should thy cheek be pale.
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ed with sor - row's veil ? Why should'st thou grieve me \
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I will nev-er, nev-er leave thee. 'Mid my deep -est sad - ness, 'Mid my gay -est
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ILL XBVER LEAVE THEE.
101
Life's storms may rudely blow,
Laying hope and pleasure low :
I'd ne'er deceive thee ;
I could never, never leave thee !
Ne'er till my cheek grow pale,
And my heart-pulses fail.
And my last breath grieve thee.
Can I ever, ever leave thee !
"I'll never leave thee." This beautiful air is unquestionably very old. Sibbald (Chronicle of Scottish
Poetry, vol. iii. p. 275) is of opinion that the modern version of it is a little corrupted, and that the original air
was intended to be sung to one of Wedderburne's Spiritual Ballads, (before 1549,) beginning, —
" Ah ! my love ! leif me not !
Leif me not ! leif me not 1
Ah ! my love, leif me not.
Thus mine alone !"
Although Mr. Stenhouse agrees in this opinion, we doubt whether its truth can be established by any existing
evidence. (See our Note, vol. ii. p. 29.) Jlr. Stenhouse's words are : — " This (Sibbald's) opinion appears to be
correct, for this identical tune is mentioned in Geddes' 'Saint's Recreation,' written in 1673, as appears from the
approbations of the Rev. William Raitt, and the Rev. William Colvill, Primar of the College of Edinburgh, both of
which are dated in August 1673. This work was afterwards printed in 1683. Several of Geddes' pious songs
are directed to be sung to popular tunes, and he vindicates the practice in the following words : — ' I have the
precedent of some of the most pious, grave, and zealous divines in the kingdom, who, to very good purpose have
composed godly songs to the tunes of such old songs as these, The bonnie broom, I'll never leare thee. We'll all go
pull the hadder, and such like, without any challenge or disparagement.'" See Museum Illustrations, vol. i. pp.
93, 94. In Mr. William Dauney's Dissertation, p. 38, there is a longer quotation from Geddes. The following
passage of that quotation is too curious to be omitted : — " It is alleged by some, and that not without some colour
of reason, that many of our ayres or tunes are made by good angels, but the letters or lines of our songs by devils.
We choose the part .angelical, and leave the diabolical." The set of the air which we publish is chiefly taken ii-om
that given by Francis Peacock, No. 15 of his " Fifty favourite Scotch Airs," dedicated to the Earl of Errol, and
printed in London about 1776. It is, in our opinion, much superior to the ordinary versions, which have been
corrupted by the insertion of embellishments altogether destructive of the beauty and simplicity of the ancient
melody. Peacock was a dancing-master in Aberdeen, and a good player on the violin and violoncello. As the
words usually sung to the air do not conform to it in their accentuation, and require besides an addition to the
second strain, at variance with the rhythm, we have substituted other words written for this work by a fi-ieiid of
the publishers.
>^ A..%
, '^P
102
SCOTTISH SONGS.
THE BRAES ABOON BONAW.
= "<>
r=^
MODERATO
SCIIERZANDO.
ARRANGED BY J. T. SUEENNE.
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Wilt thou go, my bon-nie las-sie, Wilt thou go, my braw las-sie.
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Wilt thou go, say ay or no, To the braes aboon Bo - naw, lassie ? The' Donald has nae
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mickle fraise,' Wi' Law - land speeches fine, lassie. What he'll impart comes frae the heart, Sae
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THE BRAES ABOON BONAW.
103
])QCO rail.
a tempo.
is
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let it be frae thine, lassie. AVilt thou go, my bonnie lassie, Wilt thou go, my braw lassie,
mkAM
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Wilt thou go, say ay or no, To the braes aboon Bo - naw, lassie?
m
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When simmer days deed a' the braes
Wi' blossom'd broom sae fine, lassie,
At milkiiig sheel," we'll join the reel,
My flocks shall a' be thine, lassie.
Wilt thou go, &c.
I'll himt the roe, the hart, the doe,
The ptarmigan sae shy, lassie.
For duck and drake, I'll beat the brake,
Nae want shall come thee nigh, lassie.
Wilt thou go, &c.
I Cajoling discourse.
For trout and par, wi' canny care,
I'll wiley skim the flee, lassie ;
Wi' sic-like cheer I'll please my dear.
Then come awa' v?i' me, lassie.
" Yes, I'll go, my bonnie laddie.
Yes, I'll go, my braw laddie,
Ek j oy and care wi' thee I'll share,
'Mang the braes aboon Bonaw, laddie."
2 An out-house for cattle.
" The braes aboon Bonaw." In the first volume of " The Scottish Minstrel," we find this song and air, but the
editor of that work indicates that the author is unknown. Messrs. Blackie, in their " Book of Scottish Song," give
the verses, with merely this Note: — "Written, and music arranged by W. GilfiUan." The air is obviously
borrowed, in some measure, from the popular dance-ttme of "Duncan Davidson," formerly called, "You'U aye
be welcome back again." Mr. Stenhouse says of " Duncan Davidson," (Museum Illustrations) : — " This lively
tune was inserted, about a century ago, in John Welsh's Caledonian Country Lances, book ii. p. 45. It is also to
be found in Oswald's Pocket Companion, and several other old collections." " The braes aboon Bonaw," with the
air, was first printed as a single-sheet song.
The Editor has been favoured with the following reply to his letter to Robert Gilfillan, Esq. : " Leith, 14th
March, 1848. I regret I cannot give you any direct information regarding the author of ' The braes aboon Bonaw.'
Twenty-one years ago, R. A. Smith wrote me, inquiring if I were the author of the song. In reply, I answered
that the song was written before I was born, and that my father, then living, believed it to be the composition of a
second cousin of his own, who, in early life, went abroad, and died shortly after. The few families of Gilfillan in
Scotland almost all connt kin ; the history of the clan being as follows : — Originally it belonged to the Isle of Mull ;
but, during the feudal wars, was overcome by a more powerful clan, and completely extirpated. Two of the
widows, however, by a coincidence, bore each twin sons, from whom we have all sprung My father
wrote occasional verses on local subjects, but none of them were ever printed."
104
SCOTTISH SONGS.
0, WAE'S MY HEART THAT WE SHOULD SUNDER!
(• = 60 f
Andante /
I
ESPKESSIVO.
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ARRANGED BY HNLAT DUN.
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wae's my heart ! O, wae's my heart ! O, wae's my heart that we should sunder ! Why,
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why should we
be forced to part. While youth - ful love is true and ten - der?
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In all this wea - ry world of care, There
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0, wae's my heart that we should sundee!
105
=#=p=
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earth - ly plea - sure, Like that sweet drop, so bright and fair, Which
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true - love's trea - sure !
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Though far away from thee, my love,
My thoughts will ever seek thy dwelling;
For distance cannot all remove
This faithful heart with fondness swelling I
And, should I fall, far, far from thee,
Amid the storm of warlike thunder.
My latest- breathing words will be —
" 0, wae's my heart that we should sunder ! "
"0, wae's my heaut that we should sdnder!" The oldest known fragmentary form of this beautiful air is
found, under a different name, in the Skene MS., referred to passim in this work. There it is called, " To dance
about the bailzeis dubb," and consists of two strains ; the first of four measures, the second of eight. It wants
several of the passages introduced into the more modern sets, and the closes are different; but many of the
essential features of the more modern sets are there. See No. 3 of translated airs in the late Mr. Dauney's
" Ancient Scottish Melodies." In the Appendix we give the air translated from the Skene MS. tablature, and also
the first strain of " Alace this night yat we suld sinder," (No. 12 of airs in Mr. Dauney's work,) also from the
Skene MS. It will be seen that from these two old airs, the modern air of " Wae's my heart that we should
sunder," has been compounded; No. 12 containing the closes that are not in No. 3. Mr. Stenhouse, in his Note
upon No. 131 of Johnson's Museum, says : — " This tune occurs in Skene's MSS., written prior to 1598, under the
title, ' Alace this night yat we suld sinder,' which was undoubtedly the first line of a very ancient song now lost."
But this unqualified assertion affords additional proof of what we have repeatedly had occasion to state in the
course of this work, viz. — that Mr. Stenhouse did not understand the tablatm-e of the Skene MS., and could not
translate it. He does not take the least notice of " To dance about the bailzeis dubb," which actually contains the
commencement of the modern air, while " Alace this night yat we suld sinder," does not begin at all like the
modern air, though it contains similar closes. Kamsay wrote two songs for the modern air. One, beginning,
" With broken words and downcast eyes," which was published with the music in the Orpheus Calcdonius in
1725; and the other, beginning, "Speak on, speak thus, and still my grief," introduced by him as a song in his
Gentle Shepherd. Neither of these songs possesses much poetical merit, and neither is well-suited to the melody.
AVe have cliiefly followed M'Gibbon's set of the air, and give it with new words written expressly for this work by
a friend of the publisliers.
106
SCOTTISH SOKGS.
OH, I HA'E BEEN ON THE FLOW'RY BANKS 0' CLYDE!
AIR, " THE BLUE BELLS OP SCOTLAND."
ARRANGED ET T. M. MUDIE.
= no
SIOUERATO.
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I ha"e been on the flow - 'I'y banks o' Clyde ! And I ha'e seen Tay's
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sil - ver wat - ers glide ;
I ken a bon - nie lad
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Scidlavv's heather brae ; And, oh ! in my heart wi' him I'd like to gae ! He
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OH, I ha'e been on the plow'ky banks o' Clyde!
107
id=*-
^^^^^te^
c
pu'd thefair-est blue-bells, and wreath'dthcra.in my hair; And, oh! in my heart I maun
colla voce. ^ \ N (^^
^g^^
love him ev - er - mair !
colla voce.
His e'e is bright as the summer morn to me ;
Its shade fa's light as the gloamin' on the lea :
It's no his manly bearing, it's no bis noble air, —
But, oh ! 'tis the soul that gives expression there !
We've wander'd 'mang the gowd-broom,' and by the river side, —
And, oh ! in my heart, I think I'll be his bride !
1 Golden-broom.
" The blue bells of Sootlaud." The words have been expressly written for this work, and presented to the
publishers, by that talented lady Miss Stirling Graham of Duntrune. We rejected the old words as very silly,
and quite unworthy of the popular air to which they were adapted. " This song appears to be a parody of
another written by Mrs. Grant of Laggan, beginning, ' 0 where, tell me where, is your Highland laddie gone ? '
on the Marquis of Huntly's departure for Holland with the British forces under the command of the gallant Sir
Kalph Abercrombie, in 1799. The words are adapted to a modern Scottish air." See Museum Blustrations, vol.
vi. p. 480. The air given in Johnson's Museum is different from and inferior to that which we find adapted to
Mrs. Grant's words in Mr. George Thomson's Collection, vol. iii. p. 1 35, and afterwards in R. A. Smith's Collection,
vol. V. pp. 58, 59, to nearly the same words as those in Johnson's Museum, vol. vi. pp. 566, 567, with some verbal
alterations, and the omission of the last stanza. We have, of course, chosen the better and the more popular of
the two airs, and which appears to us to be of English composition, although hitherto claimed as Scottish. Mr.
Stenhouse is in error when he says, that the song, beginning, " 0 where, and 0 where does your Highland laddie
dwell?" " appears to be a parody of another written by Mrs. Grant of Laggan," &c. On the contrary, Mrs. Grant's
song has evidently been suggested by the words, No. 548 of Johnson, or by the words of a less delicate kind,
given, pp. 12, 13, of Joseph Ritson's edition of " The North-country Chorister," entitled, " The new Highland
lad," and beginning, " There was a Highland laddie courted a Lawland lass." It consists of seven stanzas, and
Ritson adds the following note : — " This song has been lately introduced upon the stage by Mrs. Jordan, who
knew neither the toords nor the tutie." Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Esq., says, in the Museum, (vol. vi. pp.
526, 527,) " but there is another set of words, probably as old, which I transcribed from a 4to collection of
songs in MS. made by a lady upwards of seventy years ago." It begins, " 0, fair maid, whase aught that bonny
bairn?" and is of the same character as the song above-mentioned given in "The North-country Chorister." The
allusion to the Parson and the Clerk ia each of these three songs, points out their English origin. In " The New
Whim of the Night, or the Town and Country Songster for 1801," London, C. Sheppard, we find, p. 74, "Blue
Bell of Scotland, sung by Mrs. Jordan," and p. 75, a parody upon it, called, "Blue Bell of Tothill Fields," whose
hero is a convict " gone to Botany Bay."
108
SCOTTISH SONGS.
DONALD CAIRD'S COME AGAIN!
AERANGED ET G. F. GRAHAM.
' = 88
Allegretto.
Donald Caird's ' come a - gain !
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Donald Caird's come a - gain ! Tell the news in brugh"and glen, Donald Caird's come a - gain !
Iff
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Donald Caird can lilt and sing, Blythely dance the Highland fling ; Drink till the gudeman he blind.
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Fleech^till the gudewife be kind ; Hoop a leg-lin,^clout a pan, Or crack a pow wi' o-ny man;
h
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DONALD CAIED's COME AGAIN !
109
P^#^^j^^^^
m
Tell thenewsinbrughandglen, Donald Caird'scome again!
^=^
I
m
Donald Caird's come again !
Donald Caird's come again !
Gar the bagpipes hum amain,
Donald Caird's come again !
Donald Caird can wire a maukin,*
Kens the wiles o' dun-deer staukin' ;
Leisters kipper,' makes a shift
To shoot a muir-fowl i' the drift :
Water-bailiifs, rangers, keepers.
He can wauk when they are sleepers ;
Not for bountith, or reward,
Daur they mell wi' Donald Caird.
Donald Caird's come again '
Donald Caird's come again !
Tell the news in brugh and glen,
Donald Caird's come again !
Donald Caird can drink a gill.
Fast as hostler-wife can fill ;
Ilka ane that sells gude liquor,
Kens how Donald bends a bicker :'
When he's fou, he's stout and saucy,
Keeps the cantle o' the causey ; '
Highland chief and Lawland laird
Maun gi'e room to Donald Caird.
Donald Caird's come again !
Donald Caird's come again !
Dinna let the Shirra ken
Donald Caird's come again !
Steek the aumrie,' lock the kist,
Else some gear may weel be mist ;
Donald Caird finds orra things
Where Allan Gregor fand the tings :
Dunts o' kebbuck,'" taits o' woo'.
Whiles a hen and whiles a sow.
Webs or duds frae hedge or yard — ■
Ware the wuddie," Donald Caird !
Donald Caird's come again !
Donald Caird's come again !
Dinna let the Justice ken
Donald Caird's come again .'
On Donald Caird the doom was stern,
Craig to tether,'^ legs to airn :"
But Donald Caird, wi' muckle study,
Caught the gift to cheat the wuddie.
Rings o' airn, and bolts o' steel.
Fell like ice frae hand and heel I
Watch the sheep in fauld and glen,
Donald Caird's loose again !
I Caird, or Ceard, (Gaelic,) Tinker.
^ To spear salmon with a three-pronged weapon.
10 Large pieces of cheese.
= Burgh. 3 Flatter.
7 Drinlis lustily.
11 Beware of the gallows.
4 A milk-pail.
8 Middle of the roadway.
12 Throat to the halter.
5 Snare a hare.
9 Shut the pantry.
'3 Legs to fetters.
" Donald Cairo's come again !" This spirited and humorous song was written by Sir Walter Scott for an air
in the second volume of the work called " Albyn's Anthology," published in 1818, by Alexander Campbell. The
tune given in that work to Sir Walter Scott's verses is called "Malcolm Caird's come again," and is by no means
a good specimen of Highland melody, while the harmonical arrangement given to it is as barbarous as possible.
The melody we give is quite modern, and some part of it may be traced to an air by George Frederick Handel,
in the overture to his opera of "Alcina," which was first produced at Covent-Garden Theatre, London, on IGth
April 1735. There was no style of his time that Handel could not imitate and improve. That air, in his overture
to Alcina, shows how open Handel's ears were to all styles ; like the ears of every great musician. In it he has
not only imitated what Doctor Burney called the "Scotch snap,"* but has composed a very pleasing air, which
might easily pass with many persons as Scottish. Mr. Alexander Campbell, the editor of "Albyn's Anthology,"
showed to Captain C. Gray, R.M., the original MS. of " Donald Caird," in the hand-writing of Sir Walter Scott.
It was written in a small hand, in double columns, on the back of an old letter ; the last stanza standing by
itself at the foot of the page. Sir Walter Scott, like Pope, often wrote passages of his works upon any pieces
of paper that came to hand, as appeared from his MSS. formerly in the possession of the late Mr. John Ballantyne.
* See page 33 of the second volume of this work.
110
SCOTTISH SONGS.
MAGGIE LAUDER.
ARKANGED BY J. T. SUEENNE.
f = 104
Animato.
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Wha wad-na be in love Wi' bon - nie Maggie Lau - der ? A
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pip-er met her gaun to Fife, And speir'd what was't they ca'd her, Right scornful-ly sheanswer'dhim;"Be-
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gone ye hal-lan-sha-ker ." Jog onyourgate, ye bladderskate,- My name is Mag - gie Lau - der."
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1 A beggar]}' knave.
2 An iudiscreet talker.
MAGGIE LAUDEE.
Ill
For the first four verses.
For the last verse.
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35
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Maggie, quo' he, and by my bags,
I'm fidgin' fain to see thee ;
Sit down by me, my bonnie bird.
In troth I winna steer thee :
For I'm a piper to my trade,
My name is Rob the Banter ;
The lasses loup as they were daft.
When I blaw up my chanter.
Piper, quo' Meg, ha'e ye your bags 1
Or is your drone in order ?
If ye be Rob, I've heard of you,
Live you upon the border ?
The lasses a', baith far and near.
Have heard o' Rob the Ranter ;
I'll shake my foot wi' right gude will,
Gif you'll blaw up your chanter.
Then to liis bags he flew wi' speed,
About the drone he twisted ;
Meg up and wallop'd o'er the green,
For brawly could she frisk it.
Weel done ! quo' he— play up ! quo' she ;
Weel bobb'd ! quo' Rob the Ranter ;
'Tis worth my while to play indeed,
When I ha'e sic a dancer.
Weel ha'e you play'd your part, quo' Meg,
Your cheeks are like the crimson ;
There's nane in Scotland plays sae weel,
Since we lost Habbie Simson.*
I've lived in Fife, baith maid and wife,
These ten years and a quarter ;
Gin ye should come to Anster fair,
Speir ye for Maggie Lauder.
We subjoin the spirited verses written by Captain Charles Gray, R.M., to the same tune, and published in his
"Lays and Lyrics," 1841.
Tho' Boreas bauld, that carle auld.
Should sough a surly chorus ;
And Winter snell walk out himsel'
And throw his mantle o'er us ; —
Tho' winds blaw drift adown the lift.
And drive hailstanes afore 'em ;
While you and I sit snug and dry —
Come push about the jorum !
Tho' no a bird can now be heard
Upon the leafless timmer ;
AVhate'er betide, the ingle side
Can mak' the winter — simmer !
Tho' cauldrife souls hate reekin' bowls,
And loath what's set before 'em ;
How sweet to tout the glasses out —
0 leeze me on a jorum !
The Me hill taps, like baxter's baps,
Wi' snaw are white and floury ;
Skyte doun the lum the hailstanes come,
In Winter's wildest fury !
Sharp Johnnie Frost, wi' barkynt hoast,
Mak's travellers tramp the quicker ;
Should he come here to spoil our cheer.
We'll drown him in the bicker !
Bess, beet the fire — come, big it higher,
Lest cauld should mak' us canker'd ; —
This is our hame, my dainty dame,
Sae fill the tither tankard.
Wi' guid ait cakes, or butter bakes.
And routh o' whisky toddy,
Wha daur complain, or mak' a mane.
That man's a saul-less body ?
" Magqie Latjder." " This comic ballad was written by Francis Semple of Beltrecs, Esq., in the county of
Renfrew, about the year 1642. This fact is stated on the joint authorities of two of bis descendants, viz. — the late
Mr. Semple of Beltrees, who died in 1789, and his relation, the late Mr. Semple of Edinbui-gh." Museum Illustra-
tions, vol. vi. p. 475. The author of the air is not known, but it seems to have made its way to London in the
beginning of the 18th century, having been sung in the Quaker's Opera, performed at Lee and Harper's booth in
Bartholomew Fair, in the year 1728, and also introduced in Gay's Opera of Achilles, printed in 1733. Whether
Maggie Lauder was a real, or only an imaginary person, we cannot ascertain. In his highly humorous poem of
"Anster Fair," Professor W. Tennantf has made Maggie Lauder his heroine, in the reign of James V. The scene
of the poem is the burgh of Easter Anstruther, in the county of Fife, where three fairs were formerly held annually.
* See "The Life and Death of the Piper of Kilbarchan, Habbie Simson," in James Watson's Collection of Scots Poems, Edinburgh, 1713,
Part i. pp. 32-35. That clever poem was written by Robert Semple, Esq., of Beltrees, the father of the author of " Maggie Lauder."
t Professor of Oriental Languages in St. Mary's College, St. Andrews.
112
SCOTTISH SONGS.
COME O'ER THE STREAM, CHARLIE.
MR, " Maclean's welcome."
' = 144
Allegko
Animaio.
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Come o'er the stream. Char - lie, dear Char - He, hrave Char - lie. Come
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make your heart chee - rj', And wel - come our Char - lie and his ley - al train.
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COME 0 ER THE STREAM, CHARLIE.
113
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We'll bring down the red deer, we'll bi'ing down the black steer, The lamb from the brccU - an, and
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doe from the glen ; The salt sea we'll har - ry, and bring to our Char - lie, The
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cream from the bo - thy, and curd from the pen.
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Come o'er the stream, Charlie, dear Charlie, brave
Charlie,
Come o'er the stream, Charlie, and dine with
MacLean ;
And though you be weary, we'll make your heart
cheery,
And welcome our Charlie and his loyal train.
And you shall drink freely the dews of Glen-Sheerly,
That stream in the star-light, when kings dinna
ken;
And deep be your meed of the wine that is red,
To drink to your sire and his friend the MacLean.
Come o'er the stream, Charlie, dear Charlie, brave
Charlie,
Come o'er the stream, Charlie, and dine with
MacLean ;
And though you be weary, we'll make your heart
cheery.
And welcome our Charlie and his loyal train.
If aught will invite you, or more will delight you,
'Tis ready — a troop of our bold Higlilandmen
Shall range on the heather, with bonnet and feather.
Strong arms and broad claymores, three himdrcd
and ten.
" Come o'er the stream, Charlie." In " Songs by the Ettrick Shepherd," 1831, we find the following Note by
James Hogg : — " I versified this song at Meggernie Castle, in Glen-Lyou, from a scrap of prose, said to be the trans-
lation, nerbatim, of a Gaelic song, and to a Gaelic air, sung by one of the sweetest singers and most accomplished
and angelic beings of the human race. But, alas ! earthly happiness is not always the lot of those who, in our
erring estimation, most deserve it. She is now no more, and many a strain have I poured to her memory."
No. XVHI. H
114
SCOTTISH SONGS.
ARGYLE IS MY NAME.
AIR, " BANNOCKS 0 BAKLEY-MEAl.
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ARRANGED BY J. T. SURENNE.
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Ar - gyle is my name, and you
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may think it strange, To live at a Court, yet never to change : To faction, or ty- ran -ny, e-quallyfoe ;The
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good of the land's the sole mo - tive I know. The foes of my country and King I have faced ; In
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AEGYLE IS MY NAME.
115
a tempo.
ci - ty or battle I ne'er was disgraced : Pve done what I could for my country's weal ; Now I'll
Ye riots and revels of London, adieu !
And Folly, ye fopllngs, I leave her to yoit !
For Scotland I mingled in bustle and strife^
For myself I seek peace and an innocent life :
I'll haste to the Highlands, and visit each scene
With Maggie, my love, in her rocklay' o' green;
On the banks o' Glenaray what pleasure I'll feel,
While she shares my bannock o' barley-meal !
And if it chance Maggie should bring me a son.
He shall fight for his King as his father has done ;
I'll hang up my sword with an old soldier's pride-
Oh, may he be worthy to wear't on his side !
I pant for the breeze of my loved native place,
I long for the smile of each welcoming face —
I'll aff to the Highlands as fast's I can reel,
And feast upon bannocks o' barley-meal.
^ A short cloak.
" Argtie is my name." The words given in the present work were written by the late Sir Alexander Boswell
of Auchinleck, but are only a modification of the older words. In his Note on No. 560 of the Museum, Mr. Stenhouse
says : — " This ballad is universally attributed to John Campbell, the renowned Duke of Argyle and Greenwich,
whose uncorrupted patriotism and military talents justly entitled him to be ranked among the greatest benefactors
of his country. He died on the 4th of October 1743, in the sixty-third year of his age. The tune is of Gaelic
origin." The present Editor would rather say that the tune is very probably of Irish origin. Certainly it has
never been claimed by Ireland, nor ever appeared in any collection of Irish melodies. It may therefore be a
Scottish imitation of the Irish style. Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, Esq., writes the following Note on the ballad,
p. 523, vol. i. of Museum : — " This song is older than the period here assigned to it ; and if the name of Maggie is
to be trusted, can only apply to the first Marquis of Argyle, whose wife was Lady Margaret Douglas, daughter
of the Earl of Morton. He was so very notorious a coward, that this song could have been made by nobody but
himself, unless to turn him into ridicule." Pope, in the Epilogue to his Satii-es, Dialogue ii., verses 86, 87, speaks
thus in praise of the Duke of Argyle and Greenwich :—
" Argyll, the State's whole thunder born to wield.
And shake alike the senate and the field."
One of his biographers says of him — " In private hfe the Duke's conduct was highly exemplary. He was an
affectionate husband and an indulgent master. He seldom parted with hie servants till age had rendered them
incapable of their employments ; and then he made provision for their subsistence. He was liberal to the poor,
and particularly to persons of merit in distress : but though he was ready to patronize deserving persons, he was
extremely cautious not to deceive any by lavish promises, or leading them to form vain expectations,"
116
SCOTTISH SONGS.
0 LAY THY LOOF IN MINE, LASS.
AKKA^GED BY T. M. MIJDIB.
100
MODERATO.
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O lay thy loof in mine, lass, In mine, lass, in mine, lass ; And
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swear on thy white hand, lass, That thou wilt be my ain. A slave to Love's unbound -ed sway, He
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aft haswroughtrae mei - kle wae;But now he is my dead-lie fae, Un - less thou'ltbe myain.
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0 LAY THY LOOF IN MINE, LASS.
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O lay tliy loof iu mine, lass, In mine, lass, in mine, lass ; And swear on thy white hand, las3. That
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The next verse begins at the sign '.^'.
There's mony a lass has broke my rest,
That for a blink^ I ha'e lo'ed best ;
But thou art queen witliin my breast
For ever to remain !
0 lay thy loof in mine, lass.
In mine, lass, in mine lass,
And swear on thy white hand, lass.
That thou wilt be my ain.
1 Palm of the hand.
2 A shore time.
" 0 LAY THY LOOF IN MINE, LASS." " This song was Written by Burns for the Museum. It is adapted to the
fiivoiu'ite old tune, called The Cordwainer's March, which, in former times, was usually played before that ancient
and useful fraternity at their annual procession on St. Crispin's day. The tune is also preserved in Aird's first
volume of Select Airs, and other Collections." See Museum Illustrations, vol. vi. pp. 491, 492. This air of " The
Cordwainer's March" suggests to us a Russian air that resembles it in some leading passages, and is found in a
MS. Collection of Russian airs, made in 1817-18, by Dr. William Howison of Edinburgh, when he was in Russia.
We here quote the air, No. 29 of Dr. Howison's Collection, and obligingly sent to us by him at our request. The
Russian title of the song for the air is translated "I did not know for what."
Andante MoUo.
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This is an air of one strain, modulating half between A minor and E minor, on which last key it ends. In
general, Russian airs in a minor key, if they consist of tiro strains, modulate fi-om the minor to its next relative
major; for example, from A to C — and in the second strain modulate back from the relative major to the original
minor. We have more to say upon this subject, and upon minor keys, but must postpone our remarks to p. 123
of this volume.
118
SCOTTISH SONGS.
JENNY DANG THE WEAVER.
^= 108
Allegro
CON
MoLTO Spirito.
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AKKAKGED BY J. T. SUREKNE.
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Willie's wedding on the green, The lassies, bonnie "witch - es, AVere a'dress'dout in aprons clean, And
3
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hrawwhite Sunday mutches :' Auld Maggie bade the lads tak'tent,-But Jock would not believe hei' ; But
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soon the fool hia fol - ly kent, For Jen - ny dang the weaver. And Jen -ny dang, Jen- ny dang,
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JENNY DANG THE WEAVER.
119
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Jen - ny dang the weav - er ; But soon the fool liis fol - ly kent, For Jen -ny dang the weav - er.
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At ilka country dance or reel,
Wi' her he would be bobbin' ;
When she sat down — he sat down,
And to her would be gabbin' ;
Where'er she gaed, baith butt and ben,^
The coof ■* would never leave her ;
Aye keoklin' like a clockin' hen.
But Jenny dang the weaver.
And Jenny dang, Jenny dang,
Jenny dang the weaver ;
Aye kecklin' like a clockin' hen,
But Jenny dang the weaver.
Quo' he. My lass, to speak my mind.
In ti'oth I needna swither ;
You've bonnie een, and if you're kind,
I'll never seek anither ;
He humm'd and haw'd, the lass cried, Peugh !
And bade the coof no deave her ;
Syne snapt her fingers, lap and leugh,
And dang the silly weaver.
And Jenny dang, Jenny dang,
Jenny dang the weaver ;
Syne snapt her fingers, lap and leugh.
And dang the siUy weaver.
1 Head-di'esses for females.
2 To be on one's guard.
3 Outer and inner apartments of a house.
I Simpleton.
" Jenky dang the Weavek." This humorous song was written by the late Sir Alexander Boswell, Bart., of
Auchinleck, mentioned before, p. 49 of this volume, and regarding whom we shall state some further particulars
in the Appendix. As to the air, Mr. Stenhouse and others make no mention of its origin ; but we quote the
following very amusing Note from pp. 308, 309, of Mr. Hugh Paton's " Contemporaries of Burns," &c., Edin-
burgh, 1840: — "The origin of the air of 'Jenny dang the weaver,' is somewhat curious. The Rev. Mr. Gardner,
minister of the parish of Birse in Aberdeenshire, well known for his musical talent and for his wit, was, one
Saturday evening, arranging his ideas for the service of the following day, in his little study, which looked into
the court-yard of the manse, where Mrs. Gardner, secunda — for he had been twice married — was engaged in the
homely task of 'beetling' the potatoes for supper. To unbend his mind a little, he took up his Cremona, and
began to step over the notes of an air he had previously jotted down, when suddenly an altercation arose between
Mi-s. Gardner and Jock, the 'minister's-man' — an idle sort of weaver from the neighbouring village of Marywell,
who had lately been engaged as man-of-all-work about the manse. ' Here, Jock,' cried the mistress, as he had
newly come in from the labours of the field, ' gac wipe the minister's shoon.' ' Na,' said the lout, ' I'll do nae sic
thing: I cam' here to be yir ploughman, but no yir fiunky; and I'll be d d gif I'll wipe the minister's shoon!'
'Deil confound yir impudence!' said the enraged Mrs. Gardner, as she sprung at him with a heavy culinary
instrument in her hand, and giving him a hearty beating, compelled him to perform the menial duty required.
The minister, highly diverted with the scene, gave the air he had just completed the title of ' Jenny dang the
weaver.' This is supposed to have occurred about the year 1746." Se non fe vero, fe ben trovato !
120
SCOTTISH SONGS.
THE BONNIE BLINK 0' MARY'S E'E.
AIK, " I HA'e laid a HEERIN' IN 3AUT."
ABRANGED BY G. P. GRAHAM.
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glance o' love, The bon - nie blink o'
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The chiel wha boasts o' warld's wealth
Is aften laird o' meikle care ;
But Mary she is a' my ain,
And Fortune canna gi'e me mair.
Then let me stray by Cassillis' banks,
Wi' her, the lassie dear to me,
And catch her -ilka glance o' love,
The bonnie blink o' Mary's e'e.
■' The BONNIE BLINK o' Mary's e'e." The words here given to the air of " I ha'e laid a hcrrin' in saut," were
written by Richard Gall, a native of Linkhouse near Dunbar. They are printed in his Poetical Works, 1 vol. 8vo,
Edinbiu-gh, 1819. Gall was bred a carpenter, but afterwards served as a compositor in the printing-office of
Mr. Ramsay, Edinburgh, and finally became Mr. Ramsay's clerk. He died in 1801, aged twenty-five.
"Mr. John Stafford Smith, in the first volume of his Musica Antiqua, published at London in 1812, gives us
the following words of ' A very popular song in the early part of Henry the Eighth's reign' : —
' Joan, quoth John, when wyll this be ?
Tell me when wilt thou marie me,
My corne, and eke my calf and rents.
My lands, and all my tenements ?
Sale Joan, said John, what wilt thou doe ?
I cannot come every day to woe.'
" Mr. Smith, in the same work, also gives the original air to these words, with a bass of his own composition,
and af&rms that the Scots have borrowed their old song of ' I canna come ilka day to woo,' from this English
source. But there is not the smallest ground for such a conjecture. The old Scottish air is totally different from
the English one. The former, which is uncommonly cheerful and lively, and extremely well adapted to the nature
and spirit of the words, bears the marks of genuine antiquity ; it commences on the third, and ends on the fifth of
the key. The latter is a stiff and awkward tune, and is as opposite to the general style of the old Scottish airs as
night is to day. The incidents in both songs are likewise totally different. The solitary line, ' I cannot come
every day to woo,' is no doubt nearly the same in both copies ; but if the composer of either of these songs did
borrow a line at all, it is just as likely that the English poetaster took his line from the old humorous Scottish
ballad, as that the minstrel who framed the latter borrowed a single phrase from such a composition as that
published so lately for the first time by Mr. Smith. Is it not absurd to affirm that the Scots have laid claim to
an English song, which has not the least affinity to their own Scottish song, either in sound or in sense? David
Herd has preserved a fragment of a song, apparently still older than that inserted in the Museum which is here
annexed.
' I ha'e layen three herring a' sa't ;
Bonnie lass, gin ze'U tak' me, tell me now ;
And I ha'e brew'n three pickles o' mau't,
And I cannae cum ilka day to woo," &c.
See Museiun Illustrations, vol. iii. pp. 228, 229. See Appendix for the old words.
122
SCOTTISH SONGS.
MY PEGGY'S FACE.
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MY PEGGY S FACE.
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native grace eo void of art, But I a - doru my Peggy's heart.
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The lily's hue, the rose's dye,
The kindling lustre of an eye ;
Who but owns their magic sway,
Wlio but knows they all decay !
The tender thrill, the pitying tear.
The generous purpose nobly dear,
The gentle look that rage disarms-
Theso are all immortal charms !
"My Peggy's face." "This song was written by Burns in 1787, for the second volume of the Museum, but
having been mislaid, it did not make its appearance till the publication of the last volume of that work. In a
letter, inclosing the song and the fine air to which it is adapted, the bard thus addresses Mr. Johnson : — ' Dear
Mr. Publisher, I hope, against my retm-n, you will be able to tell me from Mr. Clarke if these words will suit the
tune. If they don't suit, I must think on some other air, as I have a very strong private reason for wishing them
in the second volume. Don't forget to transcribe me the list of the Antiquarian music. Farewell. K. Burns.'
Burns alludes to the manuscript music in the library of the Antiquarian Society, Edinburgh. Mr. George Thomson
has inserted this song in the thii-d volume of his Collection; but the name of the heroine, in place of 'Peggy,' is
changed for that of ' Mary,' and the words are dii-ected to be sung to the tune called ' The ewie wi' the crooked
horn.' These alterations, however, do not appear to be for the better. It will generally be found, that the tune
which the poet himself had in view when composing a song, if not superior, is, at least, more in unison with the
sentiments expressed, than any other that can be selected." See Museum Illustrations, vol. vi. pp. 439, 440.
Referring to Note, p. 117, supra, wo resume, for a moment, the subject of Russian melodies. The musical
instruments in common use among the Russian peasantry must have had much influence in the structure of their
national airs. With regard to these instruments, and the major and minor chords struck by some of them, when
accompanying the vocal music of the Russian peasants, as well as some curious questions regarding the origin of
musical harmony among Northern nations, and the utter ignorance of musical harmony among the people of
Eastern countries, we shall, in the Appendix to this volume, give some information that may be new to most of
our readers. Meantime we must notice what we consider as a very erroneous theory, just broached by a lady
of remarkable literary talent. Sliss Harriet Martineau, in her "Eastern Life, Present and Past," recently
published, makes some imiversal assertions regarding the " minor key," which we cannot receive as true, seeing
that they are contradicted, in numerous cases, by facts well established. IVIiss Martineau says :^" I do not know
whether all the primitive music in the world is in the minor key ; but I have been struck by its prevalence among
all the savage, or half-civilized, or xmeducated people whom I have known. The music of Nature is all in the minor
key — the melodies of the winds, the sea, the waterfall, birds, and the echoes of bleating flocks among the hills ;
and human song seems to follow the lead, till men are introduced at once into the new world of harmony and the
knowledge of music in the major key. Om- crew (Nile boatmen) sang always in unison, and had evidently no
conception of harmony. I often wished that I could sing loud enough to catch their ear amidst their clamour,
that I might see whether my second would strike them with any sense of harmony ; but their overpowering
noise made any such attempt hopeless. We are accustomed to find or make the music which we call spirit-
stiri-ing in the major key; but their spirit-stirring music, set up to encoui'age them at the oar, is all of the
same pathetic character as the most doleful, and only somewhat louder and more rapid." In the first place, we
should like to know if this clever writer is practically acquainted with music, and if she is aware of the elements
of sound that constitute a, minor key, or a major key ? Next, we may ask, how any one of acoustical perceptions
so obtuse as to be obliged to use an ear-trumpet, can possibly distinguish musical intervals, and the differences
between major and minor ones? These are necessary questions preliminary. We shall resume this subject at
p. 133 of this volume.
124
SCOTTISH SONGS.
MARY MACNEIL,
AIB, " KINLOOH OF KINLOCU.
'— 108
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Ma - ry Maeneil.
A' glowin' \vi" g'ladnpss she lean'd on licr lover, Her een tell -ing secrets she
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thought to conceal ; And fondly they wander'd wharnanemight discover, The tryst o' young Ronald ai
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Ma - ry Macneil. JL .^.
0 ! Mary was modest, and pure as the lily
That dew-draps o' mornin' in fragrance reveal ;
Nae fresh bloomin' flow'ret in hill or in vaUey
Could rival the beauty of Mary Macneil.
She moved, and the graces play'd sportive around her ;
She smiled, and the hearts o' the cauldest wad thrill ;
She sang, and the mavis cam' listenin' in wonder,
To claim a sweet sister in Mary Macneil.
But ae bitter blast on its fair promise blawin',
Frae spring a' its beauty an' blossoms will steal ;
An' ae sudden blight on the gentle heart fa'in',
Inflicts the deep wound nothing earthly can heal.
The simmer saw Ronald on glory's path hiein' —
The autumn, his corse on the red battle-field ;
The winter, the maiden found heart-broken, dyin' ;
An' spring spread the green turf o'er Mary Macneil !
"Mary Macneil." The author of this song was Erskine Conolly, a native of Craill, in Fifeshire. He was bred
a bookbinder, and followed that occupation for some time, but eventually settled in Edinburgh as a Messenger-at-
Arms.* One of his old friends says of him : — " His gentle and amiable manners rendered him very popular, even
in the exercise of his painful duties. Besides his song of 'Mary Macneil,' which appeared in the Edinburgh
Intelligencer, 23rd December 1840, Conolly wrote, ' We sat beside the trysting-tree,' published in the same paper,
16th December 1840, and, ' There's a thrill of emotion,' printed along with the two former in the third series of
the 'Whistle Binkie,' by Mr. D. Robertson, Glasgow, in 1842. The poetical talent shown in these, makes us
regret that he did not write more in the same style. His occasional ' Addresses' in verse, delivered to the Chapters
of the Musomanik Society of Anstruther, held in Edinburgh, will not soon be forgotten by those who mingled in
these few but pleasant symposia. He died at Edinburgh on 7th January 1843, aged about forty-three." The
air to which this song was written is called "Kinloch of Kinloch," and was composed by George Kinloch, Esq., of
Kinloch. The second strain of the melody has been slightly altered in order to adapt it to the words.
• Messengers-at-Arms are officers subserrient to the Supreme Courts of Session and Justiciary in Scotland ; and their proper business is to
execute all Royal letters, either in civil or ciiminal oiscs.
126
SCOTTISH SONGS.
THE EWIE Wr THE CROOKIT HORN!
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The ew-ie wi' the crook -it horn! Whahad kent her might ha'e sworn, Sic a ewe was
I
THE EWIE WI THE CROOKIT HORN !
127
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nev-er born, Here-a-b(iut,iior far a - wa'.
a - w;i .
I never needed tar nor keil,
To mark her upo' hip or heel;
Her crookit hornie did as weel,
To ken her by amang them a'.
She never threaten'd scab nor rot.
But keepit ay her ain jog-trot ;
Baith to the fauld and to the cot,
Was never sweirt to lead nor ca'.
Cauld nor hunger never dang' her,
Wind nor weet could never wrang her ;
Ance she lay an ouk- and langer
Furth aneath a wreath o' snaw.
Whan ither ewies lap the dyke,
And ate the kail for a' the tyke,
My ewie never play'd the like.
But tyc'd^ about the barn wa'.
A better, or a thriftier beast,
Nae honest man could weel ha'e wist ;
For, silly thing, she never mist
To ha'e, ilk year, a lamb or twa.
The first she had I ga'e to Jock,
To be to him a kind o' stock ;
And now the laddie has a flock
0' mair nor thirty head ava.
I lookit aye at even for her,
Lest mischanter shou'd come o'er her.
Or the foumart' might devour her.
Gin the beastie bade awa'.
My ewie wi' the crookit horn,
Weel deserved baith gerse and corn ;
Sic a ewe was never born,
Hereabout, or far awa.
' Overcame.
2 A week.
Yet, last ouk, for a' my keeping,
(Wha can speak it without greeting ?)
A villain cam', when I was sleeping,
Sta' my ewie, horn and a'.
I sought her sail- upo' the morn ;
And down aneath a buss o' thorn,
I got my ewie's crookit horn,
But my ewie was awa'.
0 ! gin I had the loon that did it.
Sworn I have, as weel as said it.
Though a' the warld should forbid it,
I wad gi'e his neck a thra'.
1 never met wi' sic a turn
As this, sin' ever I was born ;
My ewie wi' the crookit horn.
Silly ewie, stown awa'.
0 ! had she deid o' crook or cauld,
As ewies do when they are auld.
It wadua been, by mony fauld,
Sae sail' a heai't to nane o's a'.
For a' the claith that we ha'e worn,
Frae her and her's sae aften shorn ;
The loss o' her we cou'd ha'e borne,
Had fair strae-death ta'en her awa'.
But thus, puir thing, to lose her life,
Aneath a bluidy villain's knife ;
I'm reaUy fley't tliat our gudewife
Will never win aboon't ava.
0 ! a' ye bards benorth Kinghorn,
Call your muses up and mourn
Our ewie wi' the crookit horn,
Stown frae's, an' fell't an' a' !
Nibbled. 4 a polecat.
" The ewie wi' the crookit horn." Mr. Stenhouse says : — " This excellent song, beginning, ' 0 were I able
to rehearse,' is another production of the Rev. Mr. John Skinner. The verses are adapted to a fine lively Highland
reel, of considerable antiquity, which received its name from a 'Ewie 'of a very different breed; namely, the
whisky-still, with its crooked, or rather spiral apparatus." Museum Illustrations, vol. iii., p. 287. Mr. Stenhouse
gives the song, " with the author's last corrections," which, of course, we have adopted. In the Note upon
" Tullochgorum," vol. i., p. 53 of this work, we stated a few particulars regarding the Rev. Mr. Skinner.
128
SCOTTISH SONGS.
THE BIRKS OF ABERPELDIE.
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THE BIRKS OP ABERFELDIE.
129
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Bon - nie las- sie, will ye go, Will ye go, will ye go, Bon - nie las - aie, will ye go To the
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The following verses begin at the sign '.^:
Wliile o'er iheir head the hazels hing,
The little burdies blythely sing,
Or lightly flit on wanton wing,
In the birks of Aberfeldie.
Bonnie lassie, &c.
The braes ascend like lofty wa's.
The foamin' stream deep-roaring fa's,
O'erhung wi' fi'agrant sprcadin' shaws.
The birks of Aberfeldie.
Bonnie lassie, &c.
The hoary cliffs are crown'd wi' flow'ra,
White o'er the linn the bnrnie pours,
And, risin', weets wi' misty show'rs
The birks of Aberfeldie.
Bonnie lassie, &c.
Let fortune's gifts at random flee.
They ne'er shall draw a wish fi'ae me.
Supremely bless'd wi' love and thee.
In the birks of Aberfeldie.
Bonnie lassie, &c.
" The birks op Abekpeldie." " This old sprightly air," says Mr. Stenhouse, " appears in Playford's ' Dancing-
master,' first printed in 1657, under the title of 'A Scotch Ayre.'" The words here given, except the chorus,
which is old, were written by Burns for Johnson's Musical Museum, in September 1787, while standing under the
Falls of Moness, near Aberfeldie, in Perthshire. Burns, at that time, was travelling in the Highlands of Scotland
with his intimate ti-iend William Nicol, one of the masters of the Edinburgh High-School. Mr. Lockhart, in his
Life of Robert Burns, chap, vi., records a remarkable trait of the pride and passion of William Nicol when Bm-ns
and he were together at Fochabers ; and of Burns' kind self-denial and breach of etiquette with a Duke, in order
to soothe his irritated friend. " Burns, who had been much noticed by this noble family when in Edinburgh,
happened to present himself at Gordon Castle, just at the dinner hour, and being invited to take a place at the
table, did so, without for a moment adverting to the circumstance that his travelling companion had been left alone
at the inn in the adjacent village. On remembering this soon after dinner, he begged to be allowed to rejoin his
friend ; and the Duke of Gordon, who now for the first time learned that he was not journeying alone, immediately
proposed to send an invitation to Mr. Nicol to come to the Castle. His Grace's messenger found the haughty
schoolmaster striding up and down before the inn-door, in a state of high wrath and indignation, at what he
considered Burns' neglect ; and no apologies could soften his mood. He had already ordered horses; and the poet
finding that he must choose between the ducal circle and his irritable associate, at once left Gordon Castle and
repaired to the inn; whence Nicol and he, in silence and mutual displeasure, pui'sued their journey along the
coast of the Jloray Frith." — Lockhart's Life of Burns. Regarding the air, we have to observe, that in the earlier
copies, the melody seems to have been disfigured by a misprint of the sixth note of the first measure, where three
D 8 occur consecutively, instead of U, E, D. In the present edition that wrong note has been altered.
No. XIX. T
130
SCOTTISH SONGS.
THE BONNIE HOUSE 0' AIRLY.
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It fell on a day, And a bon -nie summer day, When the corn grew green and
s
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yel - low, That there fell out a great dis-pute Be - tween Ar - gyle and Air - ly.
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The Duke o' Montrose lia,9 written to Argyle To come in the morn - ing
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THE BONNIE HOUSE 0 AIKLY.
131
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t^
ear - ly, An' lead in his men, by the back o' Dunkeld, To plun-der the bonnie house o'
^3=^
The lady look'd o'er her window sac hie,
And, oh ! but she look'd weary,
And there she espied the great Argyle
Come to plunder the bonnie house o' Airly.
' Come down, come down, Lady Margaret," he says,
" Come down and kiss me fairly,
Or before the morning clear day-light,
I'll no leave a standing stane in Airly."
' I wadna kiss thee, great Argyle,
I wadna kiss thee fairly,
I wadna kiss thee, great Argyle,
Gin you shouldna leave a standing stane in Airly."
He has ta'en her by the middle sae sma',
Says, " Lady, where is your drury ' ? "
' It's up and down the bonnie burn side,
Amang the planting of Airly."
They sought it up, they sought it down,
They sought it late and early,
And found it in the bonnie balm-trce.
That sliines on the bowling-green o' Airly.
lie has ta'en her by the left shoulder,
And, oh ! but she grat sairly.
And led her down to yon green bank
Till he plunder'd the bonnie house o' Airly.
" 0 ! its I ha'e seven braw sons," she says,
" And the youngest ne'er saw his daddie,
And although I had as mony mae,
I wad gi'e them a' to Charlie.
" But gin my good lord had been at hame.
As this night he is wi' Charlie,
There durst na a Campbell in a' the west
Ha'e plunder'd the bonnie house o' Airly."
" The BONNIE HOUSE o' Airly." "When Montrose was driven out of Perth by Argyle in September 1G44, he
marched into Ang\is-shire, where he was joined by the old Earl of Airly and two of his sons, who never forsook
him in success or disaster. Dm-ing Montrose's retreat from the Castle of Fyvie, in Aberdeenshire, we learn fi-om
Sir Walter Scott, (History of Scotland,) that " on the road he was deserted by many Lowland gentlemen who had
joined him, and who saw his victories were followed with no better results than toilsome marches among wilds,
where it was nearly impossible to provide subsistence for man or hoi'se, and which the approach of winter was
.about to render still more desolate. They left his army, therefore, promising to return in summer ; and of all his
Lowland adherents, the old Earl of Airly and his sons alone remained. They had paid dearly for their attach-
ment to the Royal cause, Argyle having (1 640) phmdered their estates, and burnt their principal mansion, the
' Bonnie house o' Airly,' situated on the river Isla, the memory of which conflagration is still preserved in Scottish
song." We give the ballad as it is published in Messrs. Blackie's Book of Scottish Song, according to Jolin
Finlay's version.
132
SCOTTISH SONGS.
MY JO JANET.
ARRANGED BY T. M. MtJIIIE.
-^1
^—fi—»^-K
:t?=t^^^
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Allegretto
soheezoso.
\
Sweet Sir, for your eour - tes - ie, When
IS k
^=:3=F=t:2=3=:E:
ai
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ye come by the Bass, then. For the love you bear to me, Buy me a keeking glass, then.
i-F-
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i
m
±=E;
ttz
^-i—»-
0 — ■_ !_a_
9~
nie sell,
Keek in - to the draw - well, Jan - et, Jan - et. And there ye'U see your bon ■
MY JO JANET.
133
Keeking in the draw-well clear,
What if I should fa' in, then ?
Syne' a' ray kin will say and swear,
I drown'd mysel' for sin, then.
Hand* the better by the brae,^
Janet, Janet,
Hand the better by the brae.
My jo Janet.
Good Sir, for your courtesie.
Coming thro' Aberdeen, then,
For the love you bear to me.
Buy me a pair o' shoon, then.
Clout* the auld, the new are dear,
Janet, Janet,
A pair may gain^ ye ha'f a year,
My jo Janet.
1 Then.
2 Hold.
3 Bank.
■< Patch.
But what if dancing on the green,
An' skippin' like a mawkin'.
If they should see my clouted sheen,'
Of me they will be taukin'.
Dance ay laigh,' an' late at e'en,
Janet, Janet,
Syne a' their fauts will no be seen,
My jo Janet.
Kind Sir, for j'our courtesie.
When ye gae to the cross, then.
For the love ye bear to me.
Buy me a pacing horse, then.
Pace upo' your spinning-wheel,
Janet, Janet,
Pace upo' your spinning-wheel,
My jo Janet.
■'> Suffice. 6 Shoes.
" My jo Janet." Mr. Stenhouse, in his Note upon this air in Johnson's IMuseum, says : — " The tune is very
ancient : it is in Skene's MSS. under the title of ' The keiking glass.'" This is another astounding instance of
Ml'. Stenhouse's utter ignorance of the tablature in which the Skene MSS. are written. The air in these MSS.
called "The keiking glasse," bears no resemblance whatever to "My jo Janet," or to any other Scottish tune.
Had Mr. Stenhouse been able to decipher the Skene MSS., he might have found there some of the elements of
"My jo Janet" imder the title of, "Long er onie old man." In the Straloch MS. of 1627-9, we find another form
of this, nearer to the modern ail' of " My jo Janet," under the name of " Tlie old man." For these airs from the
Skene and Straloch MSS. see Appendix to this volume. The verses here given are from Johnson's Museum. They
appeared in the Orpheus Caledonius, and were afterwards retouched by Allan Ramsay. Johnson, however, fi'om
some scruple of delicacy, omitted the last stanza. In December 1793, Burns wrote his comic song, "My spouse
Nancy," to the tune of "My jo Janet." We give Burns' song in tlie Appendix.
We resume from p. 123. Jliss Martineau asserts, that " the music of Nature is all in the minor key ; the melody
of the winds, the sea, the waterfall, birds, and the echoes of bleating flocks among the hills." Now, let us take
fii'St the song of birds. In general it consists of intervals so shrill and minute as to be musically inappreciable to
the human ear. It often resembles the chirping produced by turning rapidly the ground glass-stopper in the
neck of a bottle. At other times it breaks out in bold and decided major intervals, as in the song of the blackbird,
the thrush, and the linnet. The Editor of this work has, several times, written down the leading passages of the
song of a blackbii'd singing among the trees near his window — all decidedly in a major key. The thrush, the same.
Even the tito notes sung by the cuckoo do not always form a minor thii'd, but just as often a major one. As to
" the melodies of the winds, the sea, the waterfall," we defy any musical ear to detect in the sounds so produced
any appreciable musical intervals; ergo, neither minor nor major. The wild and melancholy sound of the stormy
wind rushing through a crevice, rises and falls by degi'ees inappreciable in practical music ; somewhat as in the
case of drawing the finger upwards and downwards upon the sti'iug of a violoncello, while the bow makes it
vibrate. But all that has nothing to do with any minor or major key, musically understood. The same inappre-
ciable transitions of pitch may be heard in the bellowing of a bull, the lowing of a cow, the neighing of a horse,
and the cries of various beasts and birds. Even in the sawing of a piece of wood there is a production of sound
varying in pitch ; but no one would ever dream of referring it to a minor key or a major key. The dismal hootings
of an owl have nothing to do with a minor or a major key in music; neither has the rising and falling yell of the
whistle of a railway-engine, or the war-whoop of an American savage. The melancholy sough of the autumnal
•winds through the leafless branches of the forest trees, is only the voice of one of Nature's gigantic jEolian harps
— incapable of being reduced to any system of musical sounds, and therefore belonging to neither minor nor major
keys in music. Where there are no distinctly appreciable musical intervals produced in a certain fixed order,
it proves mere ignorance of music to talk of vague indeterminate sounds as types of minor or major keys. We
have dwelt upon this matter at some length, to hinder, if possible, dreamy persons from being greatly misled by
the erroneous theory of an able writer, who always writes well, and to the purpose, upon any subject that she
thoroughly understands. Doctor Buruey, in his Preface to his History of Music, says : — " Indeed, I have long
since found it necessary to read with caution the splendid assertions of writers concei'ning music, till I was
convinced of their knowledge of the subject; for I have frequently detected ancients as well as moderns, whose
fame sets them almost above censure, of utter ignorance in this particular, while they have thought it necessary
to talk about it." See further in Appendix to this volume.
134
SCOTTISH SONGS.
THE LASS 0' GOWRIE.
AIE, " LOOH-EEOCH SIDE."
ARRAKGED BY J. T. SURENNE.
^ = 104 I
MODEKATO
Semplice. 1
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'Twas on a simmer's af - ternoon, A wee before the sun gaed down, My
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las-sie, \vi' a braw new gown, Cam' o'er the hills to
Gow
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The
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rose - bud tinged \vi' mom - ing show'r, Blooms fresh with - in the
^=S^^^S
l-
=k^=p=
V
a^^
THE LASS 0 GOWRIE.
135
H^EgggS^ipP^P
sun - ny bow'r, But Ka - tie was the fair - est flow'r That e - verbloom'd in
fej^^
I praised her beauty loud an' lang,
Then round her waist my arms I flang,
And said, My dearie, will ye gang *
To see the Carse o' Gowrie ?
I'll tak' ye to my father's ha'.
In yon green field beside the shaw ;
I'll mak' you lady o' them a',
The brawest wife in Gowrie.
Saft kisses on her lips I laid,
The blush upon her cheeks soon Spread,
She whisper'd modestly, and said,
I'll gang wi' ye to Gowrie !
The auld folks soon ga'e their consent.
Syne for Mess John they quickly sent,
Wha tyed them to their heart's content.
And now she's Lady Gowrie.
" The lass o' Gowkie." The air is that more commonly called " Loch-Eroch Side," a favourite modern Strath-
spey, taken from the air of an old Scottish song and dancing tune, named, "I'm o'er young to marry yet."
Loch Erocht, or Ericht, is a large lake in the north-west of Perthshire. The words here given to this air are from
page 10 of a small pamphlet entitled, " One hundred and fifty Songs," printed by David Halliday, Dumfi-ies, about
1839. HaUiday's version consists of three stanzas only, while some later versions contain five. Two of the stanzas
of these later versions seem to us not only superfluous but objectionable ; and therefore we have adopted Halliday's
version, which contains also what we think a better reading of the first line of the second stanza. The song that
evidently appears to have suggested the later one was published by Brash and Reid of Glasgow, without date, in
one of their penny numbers of a Collection entitled " Poetry, Original and Selected." These numbers were after-
wards pubUshed in four volumes ISmo, and in the third volume we find, " The gowd o' Gowrie ; a Scots song never
before published : tune — Dainty Davie," and beginning : —
" When Katie was scarce out nineteen,
0 but she had twa coal-black een — .
A boimier lass ye couldna seen
In a' the Carse o' Gowrie."
It is believed that these words were written by Mr. William Reid, (of that firm of Brash and Reid,) the author
of several popudar Scottish songs. These words were afterwards published in Mr. Robert Chambers' edition of
" The Scottish Songs collected and illustrated," vol. ii. pp. 512, 513. The tune indicated by Mr. Chambers is
" Loch-Eroch Side." In the Appendix to this volume we give Burns' beautiful words to the same air, beginning,
" 0 stay, sweet warbling woodlark, stay." ■
136
SCOTTISH SONGS.
I'M A' DOUN FOR LACK 0' JOHNNIE.
'= 104
Afpettijoso.
fct;=^=^-
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£l
ARRANGED BY FINLAT DUN.
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I'm a' doun, doun, doun, I'm doun for lack o'
I — « — I 1 m ^
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doun, doun, I'm doun for lack o'
John - nie ; I'm
doun.
E
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r r u
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3:
35
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John - nie.
3t=i=3=^=i:
:p£^^
Gin John -nie kent I was na weel, I'm sure he would come
m
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ei:
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I M A DOUN FOR LACK 0 JOHNNIE.
137
s
pa^s^
±=a=tc=i
* — J — ^
to me ; But, oh ! gin he's for - sak - en me, Och hone ! what will
w.
5-^ #— ! !—
o' me !
-I^-=1-
HEt
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311
i
f
P
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zzzz
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i*=4l
P'
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I'm a' doun, doun, doun,
I'm doun for lack o' Johnnie ;
I'm a' doun. doun, doun,
I'm doun for lack o' Johnnie.
I sit upon an auld feal-sunk,*
I spin and greet for Johnnie ;
But gin he's gi'en me the begunk,'
Och hone ! what -will come o' me !
' A seat made of turf.
2 To deceive.
" I'm a' DOtiN FOR LACK o' JoHNNiE." The talented arranger of this air writes to us as follows : — " With regard
to the authorship of the words and air of the song, ' I'm a' doun for lack o' Johnnie,' I have been unable to procure
any information. All that I can say about it is, that the song is known and sung in the North of Scotland."
The air and words were communicated to Mr. Dun for this work, and were never before published. We have no
doubt that both are quite modern. Mr. Dun has lately contributed his aid to the editing of a Collection of Gaelic
Songs, published by Messrs. Wood and Co. of Edinburgh. It contains some escellent specimens of Scottish
melody not hitherto published. Mr. Dun's observations in the preface are well worthy of attention. We have no
doubt that many good Scottish melodies may still exist, from oral tradition, in various parts of Scotland that are
seldom visited by musical collectors.* In searching for and collecting such relics of the olden time, the musical
competency of the collector is of much more consequence than is generally supposed. He must not only be a good
musician, but able to write down accurately, with due pauses, any air that he hears sung or played. Very few
persons are able to do this — not one in a hundred, indeed, of amatem- musicians. To do this, many persons not
well skilled in music think that nothing more is required than to be able merely to sing, or to play upon some
musical instrument. This is a great mistake ; a very extensive knowledge of music is required for such a task.
The want of such knowledge has produced the gross errors in many of our Collections of Scottish music.
* The Editor of this work has lately set on foot inquii'ies regarding ancient Border airs in the wild districts of Liddesdale, kc ; but has not
yet gained so much information as he could desire, although his correspondents were as obliging as zealous.
138
SCOTTISH SONGS.
THY CHEEK IS 0' THE ROSE'S HUE.
AIR, " JIY ONLY' JO A_ND DEAKIE, O."
ABRAJJGED BY T. M. MIDIE.
'= 84
MODERATO.
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=i^8 — S-fl-»-
8=
life
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^
:^
1^^
^^
m
^
— — 0 F-» — •a—
Q=
p:
Thy cheek 13 o' the ro - se's hue, My on - ly jo and
-r I F-
ir-ir
s==i
w
V
3^
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1^
^n — r^
5
=i=p=s=
S
35
^^=^3^
iES
at
-a — •-
lj=l=i
dear - ie, 0 ; Thy neck is o' the sil - ler dew Up - on the banks sae brier - ie, O.
^
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ii
gFf=g=
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Thy teeth are 0' the i - vor - y ; O sweet's the twin - kle
w
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2;
i
Sa=£==fi
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1221
THY CHEEK IS 0 THE EOSE S HUE.
139
^
ii
E5Er
:f^f^
=?=i=
eS
St
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o' thine e'e ! Nae
SE
joy.
nae plea - sure, blinliB on me, My
m
S?E
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m
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BiS
colla voce.
e:
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T
it-
on - ly jo and dear - ie, 0.
J^^
SE
r P
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J===i=z|g.
EE
E|E
The birdie sings upon the thorn
Its sang o' joy, fu' cheerie, 0,
Rejoicing in the simmer morn,
Nae care to mak' it eerie,' 0 ;
Ah ! little kens the sangster sweet,
Aught o' the care I ha'e to meet.
That gars my restless bosom beat,
My only jo and dearie, 0.
When we were bairnies on yon brae,
And youth was blinkin' bonnie, 0,
Aft we would daff^ the lee-lang day,
Our joys fu' sweet and monie, 0.
Aft I wad chase thee o'er the lee.
And round about the thorny tree ;
Or pu' the wild flowers a' for thee.
My only jo and dearie, 0.
I ha'e a wish I canna tine,^
'Mang a' the cares that grieve me, 0,
A wish that thou wert ever mine.
And never mair to leave me, 0 ;
Then I would dawf thee night and day,
Nae ither warldly care I'd ha'e.
Till life's warm stream forgat to play,
My only jo and dearie, 0.
2 Sport. 3 To lose.
" My only jo and dearie, 0." " This beautiful song, which is another of the productions of the late Mr.
Kichard Gall, was written at the earnest request of Mr. Thomas Oliver, printer and publisher, Edinburgh, an
intimate acquaintance of the author's. Mr. Oliver heard it sung in the Pantomime of Harlequin Highlander, at
the Circus, and was so struck with the melody, that it dwelt upon his mind ; but the only part of the words he
recollected were —
' My love's the sweetest creature
That ever trod the dewy green ;
Her cheeks they are like roses,
Wi' the op'ning gowan wet between.
And having no way of procuring the verses he had heard, he requested Mr. Gall to write words to his favourite tune.
Our young bard promised to do so ; and in a few days presented him with this elegant song, in which the title of
the tune is happily introduced at the close of every stanza." See Museum Illustrations, vol. vi., pp. 406, 407. In tlie
Note upon "I ha'e laid a herrin' in saut," p. 121 of this volume, we have given a brief account of Richard Gall.
140
SCOTTISH SONGS.
KEEN BLAWS THE WIND O'ER DONOCHT-HEAD.
AIR, " MARY 3 DREAM, — OLD SET.
ARRANGED BY G. P. GRAHAM.
»= 104
Larghetto.
=EES
i#t^-=f^:
Keen
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gfe^^lp=J^
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M
blaws the wind o'ei' Do - nocht-head, The snaw drives snel - ly through the dale ; The
1^=
r-^T-
:?^:
i
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-m-
EEiJ
d:
Ie^^
fe
*t
gab - er-lun - zie tirls my sneck,^ And shiv - 'ring tells his wae - fu' tale.
^:
t
P^^^=E^=|
l^?E^
Ei^
a^S
*—^ — * — a— ±ii-«—
:&:
-5t
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f^^i^^^
^
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" Cauld is
the ninht,
let me in ! And din - na let your
1=^
^
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^
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KEEN BLAWS THE WIND o'eR DONOCHT-HE AD.
141
Min - strel fa',
-• •-
^=
And
:r^^
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:£=jiz
din - na let his wind - ing - sheet Be
-I Ps-..
"fT
&
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m
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zjtzMz
nae - thing but
wreath
o snaw.
iJ=Z
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^
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s=
vjvrm^T^'
m^
att
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i
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■' Full ninety -winters ha'e I seen,
And piped where gor-cocks" whirring flew,
And mony a day ye've danced, I ween,
To lilts which frae my drone I blew."
My Eppie waked, and soon she cried —
" Get up, gudeman, and let him in ;
For weel ye ken the winter night
Was short when he began his din."
Jly Eppie's voice, 0 wow, it's sweet !
E'en though she bans and scaulds a wee ;
But when it's tuned to sorrow's tale,
0, haith, it's doubly dear to me !
■' Come in, auld carle ! I'll steer my fire.
And mak' it bleeze a bonnie flame ;
Your blude is thin, ye've tint the gate,'
Ye should nae stray sae far frae hame."
" Nae hame ha'e I," the Minstrel said,
" Sad party strife o'erturn'd my ha' ;
And, weeping, at the eve o' life
I wander through a wreath o' snaw."
" Wae's me, auld carle ! sad is your tale —
Your wallet's toom'' — your claithing thin;
Mine's no the hand to steek^ the door
When want and wae would fain be in."
We took liim ben — we set liim doun.
And soon the ingle blcczed fu' hie ;
The auld man thought himself at hame,
And dried the tear-drap frae his e'e.
Ance mair the Minstrel waked a strain —
Nae merry lilt, but sad and slow ;
In fancy's ear it seem'd to wail
A free-born nation's overthrow.
1 Twirls the door-latclL
2 Muir-cocka.
3 Lost the road.
' Empty.
s Close.
" Keen elaws the wind o'eb Donocht-head." This song, with the exception of the last twelve lines, which
■were added by Captain Charles Gray, R.M., is thus noticed by Bm-ns in a letter to Mr. George Thomson of 19th
October 1 794 : — " Donocht-head is not mine ; I would give ten pounds it were. It appeared first in the Edinburgh
Herald, and came to the editor of that paper with the Newcastle post-mark on it." In 1815 there was published
at Newcastle, by S. Hodgson, an 8vo volume of 182 pages, entitled, "Poetry, fugitive and original, by the late
Thomas Bedingfeld, Esq., and Mr. George Pickering." In that volume, which was dedicated by its editor to
"Walter Scott, Esq.," we find, (pp. 57, 58,) "Donocht-head" given as by George Pickering, while some confirma-
tion of the authorship is offered in pages 55, 56, introductory to the fragment. Pickering was born at Simonburn
in Northumberland, in 1758; went abroad in embarrassed circumstances about 1798; returned in poverty to his
native place after an absence of more than a quarter of a century ; and died near Newcastle about 1 830. It does
not appear that Pickering ever resided in Scotland ; and Donocht-head, or Dunnet-head, is a promontory on the
coast of Caithness. The additional twelve lines by Captain Gray very happily complete the unfinished ballad.
142
SCOTTISH SONGS.
THE MAID OF ISLAY.
,• = 92
V
Amdante,
:%:
AKRAXGEU I!V T. M. JIL'DIE.
t^E
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^
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Ris- ingo'er the heaving billow,
ti:
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^
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Ev'ning gilds the ocean's swell, While with thee, on gras - sy pil - low, So - li - tude ! I love to dwell.
d d 1-
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p^^g^g^E^^^
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Lone - ly, to the sea breeze blowing, Oft I chant my love - lorn strain. To the streamlet
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sweet -ly flowing, Mur-muroft a lov - er's pain. 'Twas for her, the Maid of Isl - ay,
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THE MAID OP ISLAY.
143
Efc^'=a:-=a
:S:^S
^.
5
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flew o'er
me wing'd with joy ;
'Twas for her,
m
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the cheer - ing smile aye
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Beam'd with rap
my eye.
■S- Concluding Symphony.
Not the tempest raving roimd me,
Lightning's flash, or thunder's roll,
Not the ocean's rage could wound me,
While her image fill'd my soul.
Farewell, days of purest pleasure,
Loud your loss my heart shall mourn
Farewell, hours of bliss the measure.
Bliss that never can return.
Cheerless o'er the wild heath wand'ring,
Cheerless o'er the wave-worn shore,
On the past with sadness pond'ring,
Hope's fair visions charm no more.
" The JIatd oe Islay." The air appears in Gow's Fourth Collection, p. 20, under the name of " The Maid of
Lsla, a Strathspey," with the following Note : — " I am indebted to Col. and Lady Charlotte Campbell for this
beautiful air." In a small Collection of Songs by the late Sir Alexander Boswell, printed for Messrs. Manners and
Miller, Edinburgh, 180.3, Sir Alexander gives verses to "The Maid of Isla," and says : — "The air is a reel of the
island of Isla, brought over by Lady Charlotte Campbell. Like many others, when played slow it is very plaintive."
The words which we give with the air were composed for it by Joseph Train, a native of the village of Sorn, in
Ayi-shire. He was born in 1779, of poor but respectable parents, who, about eight years after, removed to the
town of Ayi-. He there attended school for a short time, and was then apprenticed to a mechanical occupation
which he did not like. He devoted every leisure moment to self-instruction, and with such ardour as, in a few
years, to raise his intellectual far above his social position. In 1799 he was ballotted for the Ayrshire militia, and
while stationed at Inverness, his literary tastes and pursuits became accidentally known to Sir David Hunter
Blair, the Colonel of tlie regiment, who was so much pleased with Train's talents and excellent conduct, as to
become thenceforward his steady friend and patron. When the militia was disbanded in 1802, Sir David recom-
mended Train to several persons of influence, who obtained for him, in 1808, an appointment in the Excise. From
Largs, his first place of settlement in 1811, he was transferred in 1813 to Newton- Stewart, and afterwards to
Castle-Douglas, in Galloway. His surveys, as a Supervisor of Excise, led him through wild and remote districts
filled with strange old traditions. Some of .these he embodied in his " Strains of the Mountain Muse," a little
volume published in 1814 at Edinburgh. Sir Walter Scott was so much struck with the merit of these metrical
tales, that he immediately entered into correspondence with Mr. Train, requesting some communication regarding
Galloway traditions. This led to a personal acquaintance between Sir Walter and Mr. Train, during which the
latter communicated a great many curious stories and traditions, and sketches of remarkable characters, which
Sir Walter made use of in his inimitable novels. Mi'. Train also procured for Sir Walter a number of interesting
ancient relics, wliich .are preserved at Abbotsford. For these particulars regarding Mr. Train, we are indebted to the
curious and entertaining work entitled, " The Contemporaries of Burns, and the more recent poets of Ayrshire, with
selections from their writings." Hugh.Paton, Edinburgh, 1840.
144
SCOTTISH SONGS.
AND 0, FOR ANE-AND-TWENTY, TAM !
ALB, " THE MOUDIEWART,
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AURANGED BY J. T. SURENNE.
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O, for ane - and - twen - ty, Tarn ! And hey, for ane - and - twen - ty, Tam ! I'll
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learn my kin
ratt - lin' sang, Gin I saw ane - and - twen - ty, Tam.
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They snooP me sair, and hand me down. And gar me look like bluntie,^ Tam ; But
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AND 0, FOK ANE-AND-TWENTY, TAM !
145
A
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three short years will soon wheel roun', And then comes ane - and - twen - ty, Tam.
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The close for the first two verses.
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For the last verse.
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A gleib o' Ian', a claut o' gear,'
Were left me by my auntie, Tam ;
At kith and kin I needna speir.
Gin I saw ane-and-twenty, Tam.
1 To subjugate by tyrannical means. - Stupid.
They'll ha'e me wed a wealthy coof,'
Though I mysel' ha'e plenty, Tam :
But hear'st thou, laddie? — there's my loof" —
I'm thine at ane-and-twenty, Tam !
■■' A sum of monev. ^ FooL ^ Hand.
" And 0, FOB anb-aud-twentt, Tam !" Mr. Stenliouse gives the following Note upon this song and air : — " This
comic song, the manuscript of wliich is before me, was written by Burns on purpose for the Museum. The subject
of the song had a real origin. A young girl having been left some property by a near relation, and at her own
disposal on her attaining majority, was pressed by her relations to marry an old rich booby. Her affections, how-
ever, had previously been engaged by a yoimg man, to whom she had pledged her troth when she should become
of age, and she of course obstinately rejected the solicitations of her friends to any other match. Burns represents
the lady addressing her youthful lover in the language of constancy and affection. The verses are adapted to an
old tune, called, The Mfiudieioart. In the ' Reliques,' Burns says, ' this song is mine.' " See Museum Illustrations,
vol. iv. p. 327.
In the course of this work we have occasionally noticed the remarkable popularity of Burns' songs, and their
influence upon his cotmtrymen. One of the most strilcing instances on record is that given in the Note, p. 137 of
the first volume, where we quote from James Grant, Esq., an incident during the battle of Waterloo. The following
humble individual instance of Burns' influence is interesting, and was communicated to us by a respected literary
friend, who, when a boy, for amusement, took part in the harvest operations which he mentions. Our friend
says :— " It may not be uninteresting to you to know how strongly, if rot extensively, the prose and poetical
writings of Burns had taken possession of the minds of his countrymen ; and mar.y more instances than the one
I give might be adduced as illustrative of this. The educated were not more enthusiastic concerning the Bard than
were the peasantry, as the following short narrative will abundantly prove. It might be about the year 1811,
that the harvest came suddenly upon us, and being resident with an uncle whose farm was situated in a landward
district, many miles remote from any town, all hands were called on to assist. The ploughman was to be builder
of the ricks, and your humble servant was to fork to him. He was an uncouth-looking man, with a very slender
education, but possessed of great natm'al powers, and an extraordinary relish for wit and humour; so yOH may
easily conceive how pleasantly the time flew by us. Bob (Robert Stevenson by name) delighted me with his scraps
from Burns. We had plenty of leisure, and were not overwrought, luckily for my young arms ; and I shall never
forget how aptly he introduced his quotations, both grave and gay, (for Bob appreciated both,) and with what a
(justo the more notable and pithy parts of the Bard were uttered by my pleasant fellow-labom-er. This took place
in Dumfries-shire, about thirty miles from the town of Dumfries, and you will see by the date, not many years after
the lamented death of the Bard. I have said prose as well as poetry ; the latter is nothing wonderful, but the former
was, and remains with me a matter of greater astonishment, since Currie's edition was the only one at that time
extant, and which could luave been but seldom within his reach to peruse with anything like leisure."
No. XX. K
146
SCOTTISH SONGS.
BEHOLD, MY LOVE, HOW GREEN THE GROVES.
AIR, " DOUK THE BURN, DAVIE.
AKEAHGEt) BY T. M. MUDIE.
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Be - hold, my love, how green the groves, The prim -rose banks, how
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fair ; The balm - y gales a - wake the flow'rs. And wave thy flax - en hair.
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BEHOLD, MY LOVE, HOW GREEN THE GROVES.
147
SS
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sings ;
For
Na - ture smiles
veen, To
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shep - herds as
kings.
pom rail.
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Let skilful minstrels sweep the string
In lordly lighted ha',
The shepherd stops his simple reed
Blythe in the birken shaw.'
The princely revel may survey
Our rustic dance wi' scorn ;
But are their hearts as light as ours
Beneath the milk-white thorn 1
The shepherd in the flow'ry glen,
In hamely phrase will woo ;
The courtier tells a finer tale —
But is his heart as true ?
These wild-wood flowers I've pu'd to deck
That spotless breast o' thine ;
The courtier's gems may witness love —
But 'tis na love like mine.
' .\ piece of flat ground at the bottom of a hill covered with short scraggy birches.
"Behold, my love, how geeen the groves." "Burns says: — 'I have been informed that the tune of Doun
the burn. Dame, was the composition of David Maigh, keeper of the blood slough-hounds belonging to the Laird of
Riddell, in Tweeddale.'— RELiQrES. But he was probably misinformed; for the tune occurs, note for note, in the
Orpheus Caledonius, printed in 1725." See Museum Illustrations, vol. i. p. 78. Instead of Crawfurd's very
objectionable words, given in the Museum to the air oi Bonn the hum, Dane, we give those written by Burns for
the same air. It seems as if Burns had had in view the following song, though in a different measure, written by
James Thomson, author of The Seasons.
THE HAPPV SHEPHERD.
If those who live in shepherd's bow'rs
Press not the rich and stately bed.
The new mown hay and breathing flow'rs
A softer couch beneath them spread.
If those who sit at shepherd's board
Soothe not their taste by wanton art,
They take wliat Nature's gifts .aiford.
And take it with a cheerful heart.
If those who drain the shepherd's bowl
No high and sparkling wines can boast.
With wholesome cups they cheer the soul.
And crown them with the village toast.
If those who join in sliepherd's sport.
Gay dancing on the daisied ground.
Have not the splendour of a court.
Yet love adorns the merry round.
148
SCOTTISH SONGS.
I'M O'ER YOUNG TO MARRY YET!
AKRANGED BY J. T. STOEIfNE.
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o'er young, I'm o'er young, I'm o'er young to marry yet, I'm o'er young, 'tvvad be a sin To
m
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fesEHSEEES^
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tak' me frae my Maramie yet.
am my Mammie's ae bairn, Nor
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poco rail.
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of myhameam weary yet; And I would have ye learn, lads, That ye for me must tarry yet.
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I'm o'er young to marry yet!
149
a tempo.
P^l^^^l^^^^^E^jg^
Forl'm o'er young, I'm o'er young, I'm o'er young to marry yet,rm o'er young, 'twad be a sin To
J=l=^=3=T^=r=s=r^
a tempo.
P=^=^
1^^
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tak' me frae my Mammie yet,
I'm o'er young, I'm o'er young,
I'm o'er young to marry yet,
I'm o'er young, 'twad be a sia
To tak' me frae my Mammie yet ;
For I've aye had my ain will,
Nane dared to contradict me yet,
And now to say I wad obey,
In truth I darna venture yet.
For I'm o'er yoimg, &c.
"I'm o'er tounq to marry tet." The chorus of this song is old. The words and air here given are from
Messrs. Wood and Co.'s " Vocal Gems of Scotland." They were rendered very popular in Edinburgh about ten
or twelve years ago, by the arch manner in which they were sung by Miss Coveney, a youthful vocalist of consider-
able promise, whose career was soon after cut short by death. In Johnson's Museum we find a set of words with
the same title, but in many respects vmsuited to this work. Bums did not succeed well in his attempt to mitigate
and improve the rude old words. The air here given to the words is a more modern and popular tune.
In R. Bretaner's "Collection of Scots Reels or Country Dances," oblong 8vo, published in London about the
middle of last century, we find the old tune, " I'm o'er young to marry yet," from which is evidently derived the
excellent strathspey called, "Loch-Eroch Side," which will be found, pp. 134, 135, of this volume, united to the
song, " The lass o' Gowrie."
The following is the old tune as given by Bremner : —
^^=;F9S^E»^^^:f^gf^&7l7#J=r->Ff+^££^
m^.
150
SCOTTISH SONGS.
THE DREAM.
63
MODERATO.
ARKABGED BY T. M. 3IUDIE.
3!
iip^E^E^^E^S^^
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V
f^-^=ni
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I dreara'd I lay where flow'rs were spring - ing,
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Gai - ly in the
^
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lEE^
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— ^— i-
m
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^^^^=^^=»=
^g3
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sun - ny beam ;
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Listening to the wild birds sing - ing.
^
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By a fall - ing
m
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^
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Straight the sky grew black and dar - ing ; Through the woods the
crys - tal stream :
^pEg3EpEE
I
f
^^mm
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THE DREAM.
151
^m
=a
:^'^=S::
s^^s^m
it
■whirlwinds rave ; Trees with a
ged arms were war - ring
O'er the swell - ing.
^^g
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drum - lie^ wave.
:&!
t^^
M^E^3^;^
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ssfFpei
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-ci— "
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m
-© —
Such was my life's deceitful morning,
Such the pleasures I enjoy'd :
But lang or' noon, loud tempests storming,
A' my flow'ry bliss destroy'd.
Though fickle fortune has deceived me,
She promised fair, and perform'd but ill ;
Of mony a joy and hope bereaved me —
I bear a heart shall support me still.
I Troubled.
2 Before ; ere.
" The Dream." " These two stanzas," says Burns, " I composed when I was seventeen : they are among the
oldest of my printed pieces."— /Se^ijwes. Gilbert Burns says, that Robert's literary zeal slackened considerably
after their removal to Tarbolton. " The seven years we lived in Tarbolton parish, (extending fi-om the seventeenth
to the twenty-fourth of my brother's age,) were not marked by much literary improvement," &c. Mr. Lockhart,
writing of that period of Bui-ns' life, says : — " Thus occupied with labour, love, and dancing, the youth ' without
an aim,' found leisure occasionally to clothe the suiBciently various moods of his mind in rhymes. It was as early
as seventeen, he tells us, that he wrote some stanzas which begin beautifully, ' I dream'd I lay where flow'rs were
springing,' &c. On comparing these verses with those on ' Handsome Nell,' the advance achieved by the young
bard in the course of two short years, must be regarded with admiration ; nor should a minor circumstance be
entirely overlooked, that in the piece which we have just been quoting, thei-e occurs but one Scotch word. It was
about this time, also, that he wrote a ballad of much less ambitious vein, which, years after, he says, he used to
con over with delight, because of the foithfulness with which it recalled to him the circumstances and feelings of
his opening manhood. 'My father was a farmer upon the Carrick border,'" &c. See Lockhart's Life of Burns.
It does not appear whence the air was obtained for Johnson. The cast of the air is not Scottish, and the Editor
is of opinion that the barring ought to begin after the three frst quavers, D, F, G, and not after the first D. How-
ever, the air is presented as it stands in Johnson's Museum, with the exception of a slight alteration of notes in
the twelfth measure, for the sake of simplicity. With regard to the adaptation of the words to the air, several
false accents occur; such as, "Gaily in," "List'ning to," &.C., where the words in and to fall upon long notes.
Such errors are rare in Burns' later songs, when he had acquired more knowledge of the art of composing verses
to music. His skill in this rare art quite puzzled the poet Moore, who erroneously supposed Burns to be entirely
ignorant of music, as we have elsewhere mentioned.
152
SCOTTISH SONGS.
HOW LANG AND DREARY IS THE NIGHT.
AIB, " CAULD KAIL IN ABERDEKN.
AURANGED BY FINLAY BUW.
'= 100
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lang and drear - y is the nieht, When I am frae my dear - ie ; I restless lie frae
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legato e p.
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e'en till morn, Tho' I were ne'er so wear - y. For, oh! her lane -ly nichts are lang ; And,
m=-
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«i/. « legato sempre.
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oh ! her dreams are ee
rie ; And, oh ! her wi - dow'd heart is sair, That's
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HOW LANG AND DREARY IS THE NICHT.
153
When I think on the lightsome days
I spent wi' thee, my dearie ;
And now, what seas between us roar —
How can I be but eerie.
For, oh ! her lanely nights are lang ;
And, oh ! her dreams are eerie ;
And, oh ! her widow'd heart is sair,
That's absent frae her dearie !
How slow ye move, ye heavy hours —
The joyless day, how dreary !
It was na sae ye glinted by
When I was wi' my dearie.
For, oh ! her lanely nights are lang ;
And, oh ! her dreams are eerie ;
And, oh ! her widow'd heart is sair
That's absent frae her dearie !
" Caxild kail in Aberdeen." " This beautiful air does not appear in any of our old Collections by Thomson,
Craig, M'Gibbon, or Oswald. It seems to have been modelled from the ancient tune in triple time, called, The
sleepy bodi/, like that of another from the same source, called, The Plovghman. See No. 165. For upwards of
half a century, however, few if any of our tunes have been greater favoui-ites with the poets than that of ' Cauld
kail in Aberdeen.' Although this air, particularly when played slow, is rather of a tender and plaintive oast, yet
most of the songs that have been adapted to it are of a very opposite description." See Museum Hlustrations,
vol. ii. p. 150. The song beginning, " How lang and dreary is the night," of three stanzas of six lines each, was
written by Burns to a Highland air. Long afterwards, in October 1794, he altered that song to suit the air of
" Cauld kail in Aberdeen," for Mr. George Thomson's work. This is the version here given. Most of the humorous
songs written for this air are objectionably coarse, not excepting the one written by Burns' noble friend, the Duke
of Gordon. We give the following merry lines written for the air by the late Mr. William Reid, bookseller, Glasgow,
not only because they are unobjectionable, but because they are good of their kind. He was a personal friend and
great admirer of Burns, and published several pieces of poetry of considerable merit. David Laing, Esq., in his
Additional Hlustrations of Johnson's Museum, vol. ii. pages *212, 213, says : — " Having been favoured by Mr.
James Brash of Glasgow, (through the kind application of Mr. P. A. Kamsay,) with some particulars of Mr. Reid's
history, I take this opportunity of inserting them, as a tribute of respect to his memory. He was remarkable for
a fund of social humour, and was possessed of no inconsiderable poetical powers, with some of the eccentricities
occasionally allied to genius. Mr. Reid was born at Glasgow on the 10th of April 1764. His parents were
Robert Reid, baker in Glasgow, and Christian Wood, daughter of a farmer at Gartmore, in Perthshire. Having
received a good education in his native city, he was originally employed in the type-fouudery of Mr. Andrew
Wilson, and afterwards served an apprenticeship with Messrs. Dunlop & Wilson, booksellers in Glasgow. He
remained in their employment till the year 1790, when he commenced business as a bookseller, in partnership
with the late Mr. James Brash ; and, for a period of twenty-seven years, they carried on a most respectable busi-
ness, under the well-known firm of ' Brash & Reid.' In a small publication which they issued in numbers, at one
penny each, under the title of ' Poetry, Original and Selected,' between the years 1795 and 1798, and which forms
four volumes, there are several contributions of Mr. Reid. Most of his compositions were of an ephemeral kind,
and it is to be regretted that no selection of them has ever appeared. He died at Glasgow, 29th of November 1831,
leaving a widow, Elizabeth, daughter of Mr. James Henderson, linen-printer, NewhaU, and two sons and five
daughters."
There's cauld kail in Aberdeen,
And bannocks in Strathbogie —
But naething drives awa' the spleen
Sae weel's a social cogie.
That mortal's life nae pleasure shares,
Wha broods o'er a' that's fogie ;
Whane'er I'm fasht wi' worldly cares,
I drown them in a cogie.
Thus merrily my time I pass,
With spirits brisk and vogie.
Blest wi' my bulks and my sweet lass.
My cronies and my cogie.
Then haste and gi'e's an auld Scots sang,
Siclike as Kath'rine Ogie ;
A gude aoild sang comes never wrang
When o'er a social cogie.
154
SCOTTISH SONGS.
MY SHEEP I NEGLECTED, I BROKE MY SHEEP-HOOK.
AIR, " MY APRON DEARIE.
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SCOTTISH SONGS.
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Through regions remote in vain do I rove,
And bid the wide ocean secure me from love ;
Ah, fool ! to imagine that aught can subdue
■A love so well-founded, a passion so true.
Oh, what had my youth with ambition to do ?
Why left I Aminta ? Why broke I my vow ?
Oh, give me my sheep, and my sheep-hook restore,
I'll wander from love and Aminta no more !
Alas ! 'tis too late at thy fate to repine ;
Poor shepherd, Aminta no more can be thine !
Thy tears are all fruitless, thy wishes are vain,
The moments neglected return not again !
Oh, what had my youth with ambition to do ?
Why left I Aminta ? Why broke I my vow ?
Oh, give me my sheep, and my sheep-hook restore,
I'll wander from love and Aminta no more !
" My apkon deakie." The words here given to this air were written for it by Sir Gilbert Elliot, third Baronet
of Minto, and brother of Miss Jane Elliot, the authoress of " The Flowers of the Forest." (See p. 3 of the first
volume of this work.) Sir Gilbert Elliot's song, " My sheep I neglected," &c., appears to have been first printed
in " The Charmer : a choice Collection of Songs, Scots and English. Edinbtirgh, printed for J. Yair, bookseller
in the Parliament Close," 1749 and 1751, 2 vols. 12mo. The air is found in the Orpheus Caledonius, 1725. In
Watts' Musical Miscellany, London, 1730, vol. iii., we find a version of the original air much more simple than
that given in Johnson's Museum, or in any subsequent Collection. It consists of sixteen measures only, and we
have rather adopted it, for the most part, than the more florid versions given in later editions. The version
published by Craig at Edinburgh in 1730, contains a second part, added by himself, and which is given in
Johnson's Museum and also in this work. Mr. Stenhouse, in Johnson's Museum, vol. i. p. 97, makes the following
remarks: — "In a late publication of Gaelic Melodies, (see Fraser's Gaelic Airs, Edinburgh, 1816,) a different set
of this air makes its appearance in two florid strains, evidently modern, under the title of N't oparan goirid, or
'The short apron;' and the editor hazards an opinion, that the Lowlanders are indebted to his country for the
original melody." After some farther remarks, Mr. Stenhouse says : — " It will, therefore, require better evidence
than a vague assertion made in 1816, to convince us that this melody was originally imported fi'om the Highlands.
A learned and ingenious correspondent has favoured me with the following remarks on the tune of ' My apron
dearie :' — 'The internal evidence,' he says, 'appears to me strong for its being a native of the South. I never
heard an air more completely of that sweetly pastoral kind that belongs to the shepherds of Ettrick and Yarrow.
If it was originally of Sir G. Elliot's country, it would naturally account for his writing better words to an air
which, it is probable, he admired from his infancy.' To these observations I shall only add, that a very slight com-
parison of the tune, as it stands in the Orpheus Caledonius in one simple and elegant strain, with that in Fraser's
book of two parts, both of which are represented with diminuendos, crescendos, espressitos, pauses, swells, shakes, &c.
&c., will at once satisfy every person of common sense and integrity, both with regard to the country and to the
priority of the two melodies." See Museum Illustrations, vol. i. pp. 97, 98.
The following is the version of the air of " My apron dearie," given in Watts' Miscellany above-mentioned, vol.
iii. p. 74 — one strain only, of sixteen measures : — ^ ^ , ,
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APPENDIX.
Under this head we purpose giving — 1st, Additional observations upon the Songs and Melodies contained in
this volume ; 2d, The old Songs which have been superseded in the test by modern verses ; 3d, Additional modern
Songs to a few of the airs ; 4th, Two or three of the old airs mentioned in the Notes.
" Ye banks aud bkaes o' bonnie Doon." — Pp. 4, 5.
Very recently the publishers met with a sheet song, entitled, " List ! list to my story," published without
imprint about 1801, as the water-mark on the paper shows, and on which, "Ye banks and braes o' bonnie Doon"
is stated to be an Irish air. Our Note, p. 5, proves the air to be Scottish on the authority of Burns, who gives the
whole history of its composition.
" Wha wadna fight for Charlie ?" — Pp. 14, 15.
We had often heard of Sir Walter Scott's fondness for Jacobite songs. It is proved by the following portion of
a letter from Dr. Lappenberg, containing some of his reminiscences of Scott. The whole letter will be found in
" Recollections of Sir Walter Scott, London, 1837 :" — " July 16, 1836 But no recollection is more
lively and vivid tlian that of a voyage I had the good fortune to make in his society from Edinburgh to London.
He had the kindness, when he heard of my intention of going thither, to suggest that I should take my passage in
the same vessel, and be of his party, which consisted of his daughter, Mr. William Erskine, and a few other inti-
mate friends. He had brought with him Dolinger's ' Alexis von Mainz,' and some other German poems, with the
intention of looking them over with me. But the inexhaustible attractions and liveliness of his conversation did
not allow us to make any progress in reading. He had not read much of German poetry, but had profoundly
studied some of the best ; and had, if I mistake not, translated Goethe's ' Egmont,' and various poems of Burger,
which he never published. During the voyage he often spoke of his intention to visit the field of battle of Leipsig,
and to write a poem about it ; but he contented himself, I believe, with the battle of Waterloo. Mr. Erskine kept
awake his interest in Scotch historical anecdotes, being himself profound in that lore. Miss Scott gave us some
delightful Scotch songs, especially some old Jacobite ones, which her father cherished beyond all others. Mr.
Erskine having observed, that the printing of such ballads within British tei'ritoi-y was contrary to law, Mr. Scott
directly suggested that Mr. Konig was then on board of our vessel with one of liis newly-invented printing presses,
which were afterwards employed at Newspaper offices in London. He insisted that, as the learned counsellor (so
he styled Mr. Erskine) had interdicted the printing of these memorabilia on shore, there was now an excellent
opportunity of putting them to press on the lawless sea, for which purpose he requested the assistance of the Ger-
man artist. Thus, some copies of ' Over the water, and over the sea,' with two or three of the same class, were
actually printed off Scarborough Head, as expressed at the bottom of the leaf, which I still possess among my
Keimelia. The most remarkable circiraistance, however, attending our passage is, that on the second evening a
storm was threatening, of which the younger and inexperienced passengers were kept ignorant. We were sent
early to the cabin ; and from the rolling of the vessel and great noise on deck, I spent a very restless and imcom-
foi'table night. Next morning I learned ti-om the captain, Mr. Erskine, and others, that the storm had been a very
dangerous one. The captain, mate, and crew, had lost all self-possession, and nearly despaired. Mr. Scott, how-
ever, had remained on deck during all the commotion, assuming the part of the ' Pilot who weathered the storm;'
and to his inflexible courage and steadiness, his persuasive and energizing eloquence, the vessel and her passengers
owed their narrow escape." These events happened in 1815.
" Baebara Allan."— -Pp. 16, 17. ^^
In Pepy's Diary, the following passages allude to " Barbara Allan:" — " 2 Jan. 1665-6. Up by candle-light
again, and my business being done, to my Lord Brouncker's, and there find Sir J. Minnes and all his company, and
Mr. Boreman and Mrs. Turner, but above all, my dear Mrs. Rnipp, with whom I sang, and in perfect pleasure I
was to hear her sing, and especially her little Scotch song of ' Barbary Allen ;' and to make our mh-th the com-
pleter, Sir J. Minnes was in the highest pitch of mirtli, and his mimicall tricks, that ever I saw, and most excellent
pleasant company he is, and the best musique that ever I saw, and certainly would have made a most excellent
158
APPENDIX.
actor, and now would be an excellent teacher of actors. Then, it being past night, against my will, took leave."
« 5 Jan. 1565-6. Home, thinking to get Mrs. Knipp, but could not, she being busy with company, but sent me
a pleasant letter, writing herself ' Barbary Allen.'" This Mrs. Knipp was a clever actress and singer.
" And ye shall walk in silk attiee."— Pp. 18, 19.
In the Number of Mr. Bentley's Miscellany for September 1848, we observe a letter to him from that talented
writer, Mrs. Gore, in which she mentions that the melody of the ballad is hers. This melody, of course, cannot be
the one published in Johnson's Musical Museimi, in George Thomson's Collection, and now in this Collection.
Mrs. Gore says, that in 1822, she added a stanza to the song, which was " at that time rendered popular by the
exquisite singing of Miss M. A. Tree." She adds that she was then " ignorant of the authorship of the words, but
soon afterwards found the whole ballad in the collected works of Robert Burns." Whoever published that Col-
lection of Burns' Works — which is one we have not seen — must have assigned the song to Burns at random ; as it
was never claimed by him, nor for him by any of his recent editors. We refer to the edition of Miss Susanna
Blamire's Poems, by Patrick Maxwell Esq., for the evidence he adduces to show that Miss Blamire was the
authoress of the song " And ye shall walk in silk attire."
" John of Badenyon." — Pp. 24, 25.
We insert here the fourth and sixth stanzas of the song, omitted formerly for want of space.
I thought I should be wiser next, and would a patriot turn,
Began to doat on Johnnie Wilkes, and cry up Parson Home ;
Their noble spirit I admired, and prais'd their manly zeal.
Who had with flaming tongue and pen maintain'd the public weal :
But ere a month or two was past, I found myself betray'd ;
'Twas Self and Party after all, for all the stir they made :
At last I saw these factious knaves insult the very throne,
I curs'd them a', and tun'd my pipe to John of Badenyon.
And now ye youngsters everywhere, who want to make a show,
Take heed in time, nor vainly hope for happiness below ;
What you may fancy pleasure here is but an empty name.
For gh'ls, or friends, and books, and so, you'll find them all the same.
Then be advis'd, and warning take from such a man as me ;
I'm neither Pope nor Cardinal, nor one of high degree :
You'll find displeasure everywhere ; then do as I have done.
E'en tune your pipes, and please yourself with John of Badenyon.
" 0 MY love is like A RED KED ROSE." — Pp. 28, 29.
For the following Note we are indebted to Captain Charles Gray, R.M. : — " Admirers of our Scottish lyrics can
hardly have failed to observe how peculiarly happy Burns has been in the opening lines of many of his songs. It
is not very often that the first half of a stanza should be what is called the making of a song ; but so it is in this
instance ; the first four lines were, undoubtedly, written by Bui-ns, who says, in a letter to Mr. George Thomson,
' A poet who knows anything of liis calling, will husband his best thought for the conclusion.' Yet such is the
power of genius, that a creative touch at the beginning of this song pervades the whole of it, and carries it success-
fully to its close. Mrs. Begg informs us, that this was one of the many old songs sung by her mother, from whose
singing Burns, no doubt, wrote it down, and then brushed it up a little for Johnson's Museum. Mrs. Begg ob-
serves, that it was rather a long ditty ; in wliich she is borne out by the versions in Hogg and Motherwell's edition
of the Poet's works. We have been £ivoui-ed by Mrs. Begg with the following lines, which are all that she can
now recollect of the ballad as sung by her mother : —
" Your friends they are displeased wi' me,
And look wi' an angry eye;
But I will love thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.
" Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun,
I will love thee still, my dear.
While the sands o' life shall run.
" And fare thee well, my only love.
And fare thee well a-while ;
And I will come again, my love,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile.
" Tho' it were ten thousand mile, my love.
Through England, France, and Spain;
My mind shall never alter'd be
Till 1 see your face again." ■
APPENDIX. 159
" The Lass op Patie's mill." — Pp. 40, 41.
In the additional Note below, upon " I met four chaps yon birks anLing," it will be seen, from the testimony of
Mr. Boswell, that " The lass of Patie's mill " was one of the Scottish airs with which his Corsican friends were
" charmed" in 17C5.
" What ails this hbakt o' mink ?" — Pp. 42, 43.
Mb. Maxwell has informed us, that his statement of Miss Blamire's eldest sister, Sarah, having married Colonel
Graham of Gartmore in 1767, was accidentally erroneous. The lady, he says, married Colonel Graham of Duch-
ray Castle and Ardoch. Mr. Maxwell mentions also, tliat Miss Blamire was born at Garden Hall, Cumberland,
and that the name Cardexo was a misprint.
" I jiet four chats yon bikks amang." — Pp. 48, 49.
As we have alluded in the Note to the late Sir Alexander Boswell's father, Mr. James Boswell, the biographer of
Dr. Samuel Johnson, we quote here a curious passage fi-om Mr. Boswell's visit to Corsica in 1765, containing an
account of the effect produced upon the Corsican peasants and soldiers, when he played to them certain Scottish
and English airs : — " The Corsican peasants and soldiers were quite free and easy with me. Numbers of them
used to come and see me of a morning, and just go out and in as they pleased. I did everything in my power to
make them fond of the British, and bid them hope for an alliance with us. They asked me a thousand questions
about my country, all which I cheerfully answered as well as I could. One day they would needs hear me play
upon ray German flute. To have told my honest natural visitants, ' Really, gentlemen, I play very ill,' and
put on such airs as we do in our own genteel companies, would have been highly ridiculous. I therefore imme-
diately complied with their request. I gave them one or two Italian airs, and then some of our beautiful old Soots
tunes, ' Gilderoy,' to ' The Lass of Patie's mill,' ' Corn riggs are bonnie.' The pathetic simplicity and pastoral
gaiety of the Scots music will always please those who have the genuine feelings of nature. The Corsicans were
charmed with the specimens I gave them, though 1 may now say that they were very indifferently performed. My
good friends insisted also to have an English song from me. I endeavoured to please them in this too, and was
very lucky in that which occurred to me. I sung them — ,
' Hearts of oak are our ships.
Hearts of oak are our men.'
I translated it into Italian for them ; and never did I see men so delighted with a song as the Corsicans were with
' Hearts of Oak.' ' Cuore di queroo,' cried they, ' bravo, Inglese.' It was quite a joyous riot. I fancied myself to
be a recruiting sea-ofScer. I fancied all my chorus of Corsicans aboard the British fleet." See page 233, vol. x. of
J. W. Croker's edition of the Life of Samuel Johnson. London, 1839. Murray.
" The idea of this song, as observed by Allan Cunningham, was probably suggested to Sir Alexander by the fol-
lowing lines of an old fragment, familiar to most Scottish ears : —
' An' a' that e'er my Jenny had, ' There's your plack and my plack,
My Jenny had, my Jenny had. An' your plack an' my plack,
A' that e'er my Jenny had, An' my plack an' your plack.
Was ae bawbee. An' Jenny's bawbee.'
But though indebted to an old rhyme for the air and ' o'erword,' as Burns was in some of the most delightful of
his lyrics, the song is in every other feature original. The group of lovers whom he represents as in search of
' Jenny's Bawbee,' are entirely his own, and so characteristic as not to admit of doubt that they are real portraits.*'
We have heard it stated that the heroine who figures under the homely designation of ' Jenny,' was no less a per-
sonage than the late Mrs.Dunlop of Dimlop." — See pages 307, 308, of " The Contemporaries of Bui-ns, and the more
recent Poets of Ayrsliire." Published by Hugh Paton, Carver and Gilder to Her Majesty. Edinburgh, 1840.
" And are ye sure the news is true ?" — Pp. 64, 65.
As to the claim put forward by some persons in favour of Jean Adams, the teacher of a day-school at Crawford's-
Dyke, near Greenock, as the authoress of this excellent song, the evidence appears to us quite defective. The sixth
* " In anote to this soDg, first published by the author in 1803, Sir Alexander gave the following explanation :— ' As this song has been rery
unfairly interpreted, the author takes this opportunity of unequivocally disavowing any allusion to individuals. Let the blame rest with those
who applied it, and those who felt the application."
160 APPENDIX.
stanza is vouched to have been written by Dr. Seattle later than 1776. All the evidence for Jean Adams amounts
merely to this — that she often repeated the song to respectable persons, and claimed it as her own composition,
and that others often heard it spoken of as being her composition. But looMng at other published compositions
of Jean Adams, in 1734, there is nothing to indicate her power to write a song so excellent, and so full of simple
and natural touches ; but quite the contrary. From all this, we must not take the old saying, ex ungue leonem, in
judging of Jean Adams' claim; but looking at the body of her collected works, say ex hone urujuem. Jean Adams
may have seen or heard the song, and not knowing the author, thought there was no great harm done if she claimed
it as her own. Instances of this kind of literary plagiarism are too common. She might appropriate it as a
valuable xmif, or stray thing, that nobody else in her neighbourhood could or would claim. The evidence adduced
on the other hand, in favour of William Julius Mickle, as the author of this song, seems to us equally defective.
In his translation of the Portuguese poet Camoens' " Os Lusiadas," and in his other published works, nothing
appears to show that he might have written such a song. The evidence there is all against his presumed claim.
But he did not claim the song, for it was not published in his works during his lifetime. That a strangely incor-
rect copy of it was found among his papers, is no proof that he composed it. That Mrs. Mickle, struck with para-
lysis, should have asserted the song to have been her late husband's composition, is not good evidence ; and besides,
if David Hume the historian is to be trusted, Mrs. Mickle was not a person whose evidence was of much conse-
quence at any time. Upon the whole, then, we humbly think, that neither Jean Adams nor William Julius Mickle
composed the song ; and that its real author is yet to be discovered.
" LoKD Ronald, my son." — Pp. 74, 75.
The following is Sir Walter Scott's version of the ballad. He says, " The hero is more generally termed Lord
Ronald ; but I willingly follow the authority of an Ettrick Forest copy for calling him Randal ; because, though
the circumstances are so very different, I think it not impossible that the ballad may have originally regarded the
death of Thomas Randolph, or Randal, Earl of Murray, nephew to Robert Bruce, and Governor of Scotland. This
great warrior died at Musselburgh 1332, at the moment when his services were most necessary to his country,
already threatened by an EugUsh army. For tliis sole reason, perhaps, our historians obstinately impute his
death to poison."
" 0 where ha'e ye been, Lord Randal, my son?
0 where ha'e ye been, my handsome young man ?"
" I ha'e been to the wild wood ; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down."
« Where gat ye your dinner. Lord Randal, my son?
Where gat ye your dinner, my handsome young man?"
" I din'd wi' my true love ; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down."
" IVhat gat ye to yom- dinner, Lord Randal, my son ?
What gat ye to your dinner, my handsome young man ?"
" I gat eels boil'd in broo; mother, make my bed soon.
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down."
" 'What became of your blood-hounds. Lord Randal, my son ?
What became of your blood-hounds, my handsome young man?"
" 0 they swell'd and they died ; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down."
"01 fear ye are poison'd, Lord Randal, my son !
0 I fear ye are poison'd, my handsome young man !"
" 0 yes ! I am poison'd ; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and fain wald lie down."
See Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border.
" The smilino Spring comes in rejoicing." — Pp. 84, 85.
In Note, p. 157 of the first volume of this Work, we have touched upon the diiEculty of writing regular verses to
suit certain airs. The following passage contains some interesting remarks on the same subject. In Ms letter to
Mr. George Thomson, dated November 8, 1792, Bm-ns writes as follows : — "If you mean, my dear Sir, that all the
songs in your Collection shall be poetry of the first merit, I am afraid you will find more difiiculty in the under-
taking than you are aware of. There is a peculiar rhythmus in many of our airs, and a necessity of adapting
APPENDIX. 161
syllables to the emphasis, or what I would call the feature-notes of the tune, that cramp the poet, and lay him under
almost insuperable difficulties. For instance, in the air ' My wife's a wanton wee thing,' if a few lines smooth and
pretty can be adapted to it, it is all you can expect. The following were made extempore to it ; and though, on
farther study, I might give you something more profomid, yet it might not suit the light^horse gallop of the air so
well as tills random chink." Burns subjoins his song, " The winsome wee thing."
Referring to Mr. Moore's assertion, quoted p. 85, that " Burns was wholly unskilled in music," we give the fol-
lowing passages from Bui-ns' own writings, and from information obtained by Captain Charles Gray, R.M., from
Mrs. Begg, the poet's surviving sister. In Burns' First Common- Place Book, begun in April 1783, Burns writes
thus : — '■ September. There is a fragment in imitation of an old Scotch song, well known among the coimtry
ingle sides. I cannot tell the name, neither of the song nor the tune, but they are in fine unison with one another.
By the way, these old Scottish airs are so nobly sentimental, that when one would compose to them, to ' south
Isougli^ the tuue,' as our Scotch phrase is, over and over, is the readiest way to catch the inspii-ation, and raise the
bard into that glorious enthusiasm so strongly characteristic of oui' old Scotch poetry. I shall here set down one
verse of the piece mentioned above, both to mark the song and tune I mean, and liliewise as a debt I owe to the
author, as the repeating of that verse has lighted up my flame a thousand times : —
' When clouds in skies do come together
To hide the brightness of the sun,
There will surely be some pleasant weather
When a' their storms are past and gone.' "
The two additional stanzas which Burns says he composed " extempore," we omit as imworthy of his genius.
After another prose passage, he goes on : — " 'Twas at the same time I set about composing an air in the old Scotch
style. I am not musical scholar enough to prick down my tune properly, so it can never see the light, and per-
haps 'tis no great matter ; but the following were the verses I composed to suit it :—
" 0 raging fortune's withering blast " My stem was fair, my bud was green.
Has laid my leaf full low, 0 ! My blossoms sweet did blow, 0 ;
0 raging fortimes withering blast The dew fell fresh, the sun rose mild.
Has laid my leaf full low, 0 ! And made my branches grow, 0.
" But luckless fortune's northern storms
Laid a' my blossoms low, 0 ;
But luckless fortune's northern storms
Laid a' my blossoms low, 0.
The tune consisted of three parts, so that the above verses just went through the whole air."— See Cromek's Heliques,
p. 3.53.
From other early specimens of Burns' versification, such as Winter, a Dirge ; Upon a bank of flovers ; My
Nannie, 0! ; Green grows the rashes, &c., he appears to have wanted nothing but the mechanical part of his art to
have become at once a first-rate song writer. But, as Southey well observes, " A poet must serve a long appren-
ticeship to the art of versification." Hence we have little faith when we hear of a man having written a first-rale
song, and nothing more ; rmless, indeed, it has been well ascertained that he courted the Muse in secret. Lowe wrote
other things beside his " Mary's di-eam ;" and William Laidlaw wrote at least two songs more than his " Lucy's
Flitting."
Cajrtain Charles Gray, R.M., favoui-s us with the following remarks upon this song :— " The air to such words
liad it been preserved, would certainly have been a musical curiosity. These twelve lines are the most unskilful
that Biu'ns ever attempted to write for music. Never was there a more unliappy collocation of rhythmical syllables.
We cannot imagine what the effect might be of adding an ' 0 ' after the words ' low,' ' blow,' ' grow,' iasinging but
the eifect is sufficiently ludicrous in reading. No one could have divined fi-om this early specimen that Burns
would have risen to be such a master in the art of versification."
The following is a copy of Captain C. Gray's letter to the Editor, which gave rise to the subjoined Questions
and Answers : —
" CiiUMMOCK, Beith, Avrshire, .January 1847.
" My Deau Sir, — Keeping in mind your advice that I should take notes of everything that Mi-s. Begg might
choose to relate to me respecting her brother, I have made several memoranda, of which one may be particularly
interesting to you at the present time, as Editor of Wood's ' Songs of Scotland.' On asking Mrs. Begg if the poet
played on any instrument, she answered ' yes, a little on the violin.' ' He would be no great proficient, I sup-
pose?' ' No : his playing was something like his singing —
" Rude and rough ;
But croonin' to a bodie's sel'
Does weel enough."
"This intimation will at once explain to you the mastery which Burns acquired over the difficult art of adapting
words to our old national melodies. However little Burns' knowledge of music may have been, without that little
A'ol. 11. L
162 APPENDIX.
he never could have attained that nicety of accentuation which is so necessary when words are to be vocally ex-
pressed. I trust you will agi'ee with me in looking upon this discovery, small as it may appear to be, as the
secret of Burns' success in lyrical composition. We havB under Burns' own hand, that he could not write words
for an air unless he was master of it in his own way. Now, as Burns wrote songs for most of our old Scottish
airs, and retouched the gi'eater part of our old Scottish ballads, it is quite clear that he could not have mastered
all the melodies, even in his own way, without the help of an instrument. That instrument, we now find, was
the violin We may take it for granted then, that Burns' knowledge of music was sufficient to
account for the exquisite tact which Moore admits he had in adapting new words to om- old melodies ; an art
which he (Moore) thought altogether unattainable, except by one well-skilled in the art of musical composition.
" The twentieth anniversary of the Irvine Bums Club was a joyous one (\s usual. As croupier, I did my en-
deavour to ' gi'e ae night's discharge to care,' — our motto being, ' short speeches and long songs.' Accordingly,
the merriment was kept up, and the evening spent, apparently, to the satisfaction of all the members present.
AVe broke up about the ' witching time o' night ' — in the words of the Poet —
' Resolved to meet some ither day.'
" I am, &c.
" Tu Geobge Fakquhau GRAiiAM, Esq., 31, Gilmore Place."
' Chakles Gkay.''
Burns' first fiddle-playing began in the summer of 1781, and winter and summer of 1781-82.
In 1847, the Editor sent to his friend, Captain Charles Gray, R.M., some questions regarding Burns' musical
acquirements. Captain Gray submitted these qiiestions to Mrs. Begg, Burns' sister, with whom ho was well ac-
quiijntcd, and obtained from her the answers here given. These answers are quite sufficient to show tliat Burns
had some practical knowledge of music. Wliatever might be the amount of his musical acquirements from
1781 to. 1796, it was enough, for a man of his powerful intelligence, to enable him to adapt words to music in a
manner that few others have been able to do ; and so as to puzzle extremely the distinguished Irish poet, Moore,
who was led to believe that Burns was totally ignorant of music.
Queries.
1. Did Robert Burns read written or printed music, and could he write down music ?
2. Did he play and sing entirely by the ear, or did he read fi-om airs printed or written ?
3. What sort of airs did he sccni to prefer — slow and pathetic ones, or quick and lively ones — or did he relish
both equally ?
4. What became of his violin that he used to play upon? Where did he get it? Did anybody ever teach him
music ?
3. Was it he, or Stephen Clarke, or some one else, who wrote down the airs that he occasionally sent to Johnson
and to G. Thomson?
G.
7. Question by Captain Charles Gray, R JI.— Did Mrs. Begg ever see any one dancing to the Poet's music?
Answers.
1. Burns could read music, either written or printed. I have seen him write sacred music, but never any other.
2. He played from printed airs.
3. He liked both ; but at that time pathetic airs had a decided preference. " Loch-Eroch Side" was one he often
played; also, " My Nanny, 0," " Tweedside," " For Lack of Gold," « Cold Frosty Morning," " Auld Rob Morris,"
&c. Strathspeys were his favourites in lively tunes.
4. Mrs. Begg cannot say what became of his violin. Last time she saw it, it was hanging in his bedroom in
Ellisland. Has forgot where he got it. Got it two years before he left Lochlea. He never got any instructions in
playing, but attended a singing-school (for sacred music) two months in Lochlea, when the teacher got the use
of their barn, and all the young people in the neighbourhood attended. After going to Mossgiel, he went three
months to a singing-school in Mauchliue, which is the sum total of his musical education.
5. Can't say who wrote these aii's. After he went to Dumfriesshire, knew less of his doings.
6.
7. No : never saw any one dance to his music. He had not arrived at such perfection in his fiddle-playing.
We have left the sixth question and its answer blank, because both referred merely to a visit paid by Mrs. Begg
some years ago at Prestonpans, to the lady alluded to, p. 77 of this volume, in the Note upon " Lochaber no
more." In September 1848, Mrs. Begg informs Captain Gray that Burns practised on the violin for about twelve
months or so. " He used to play in summer when they took shelter from the rain ; and in winter he used to rise
early in the mornings and chap up the gathering coal, and play away for the amusement of those in bed — so that
could not be borne for ever, and speedily came to an end." In a letter in 1790 fi-om Bm-ns, under a fictitious sig-
nature, to Charles Sharpe, Esq., of Hoddam, Burns says, " I am a fiddler and a poet; and you, I am told, play an
exquisite violin, and have a standard taste in the Belles Lettres. The other day a brother catgut gave me a charm-
ing Scotch air of your composition. If I was pleased with the tune, I was in raptures with the title you have given
APPENDIX.
163
it ; and taking up tlie idea, I liave spun it into three stanzas enclosed." The Editor may remark, that this curious
passage, in which Burns liimself confirms the fact of his fiddle-playing, has been hitherto altogether overlooked
by his commentators. It does not follow fi-om Mrs. Begg's recollection of Burns' violin practice at Lochlea in
1781-82, that he gave up the violin entirely in 1783, after the death of his father. In the fifth Answer, she says,
" After he went to Dumfriesshire, (she) knew less of Ms doings." So that he might have continued to practise the
violin, after 178-3, without her knowledge. This lettei-, in 1790, to Charles Sharpe, Esq. of Iloddam, indicates
that he was then still " a fiddler." The editor has been promised some farther information regarding Burns'
violin-playing subsequent to the year 1783.
" 0 w.\e's my heart th.1T we should sundek." — Pp. 104, 105.
We here give the air, " To dance about the bailzeis dubb," and the first strain of " Alace this night yat we sukl
sinder;" both referred to in the Note, page 105. It must be remembered that these are instrumental sets of the
airs.
" To DANCE ABOUT THE BAILZEIS DUBB."
i
feE=£J=^^d=y£fe.f=l4
Sa^Bsi;
^££
m
^=rr^^~^\
» a p
P— ^
^EfE
^S
zt
phu r r Lf I ag
:^=MM=
^ — I — 1> — F— ^
Efe
'Alace this night yat we suld sinder."
^trrn^
eIef^
" Jenny dang the weaver." — Pp. 118, 119.
We now give the additional information promised regarding Sir Alexander Boswell, Bart., of Auchinleck.
It is from that curious and entertaining work, " The Contemporaries of Burns," &c., published at Edinburgh in
1840, by Hugh Paton, Carver and Gilder to Her Majesty :—
" It is rather sm-prising that none of the liter.ary friends of the late Sh- Alexander Boswell have as yet attempted
a collection of his writings. Several of his lyrical effusions have been long popular; and he was known to devote
no inconsiderable portion of his leisure hours to pursuits of a more erudite description than the occasional cultiva-
tion of the muse. It is chiefly in relation to his character as a Poet, however, that he falls witliin the scope of the
present work ; yet, limited as the task tlius naturally becomes, we are not sui-e that we possess materials for the
proper execution of more than a brief outline of his literary character or history. Indeed, without access to the
cabinet of the late Baronet, it would be impossible to do that justice to his reputation which some futm-e and more
favoured biographer may have the gratification of performing. The family of the Boswells is of considerable anti-
quity in this country, tracing as it does its Norman origin to the days of William the Conqueror. The lands of Bal-
muto in Fife were acquii'ed by Roger de Boswell or Bosville, in the reign of David I., and it is from this stock that
the xVucliinleck branch proceeds. Thomas, second son of the eleventh inheritor of Balmuto, having been attached
to the court of James IV., obtained from that monarch the lands of Auchinleck, previously in possession of a family
of the ' same name with the lands, but which had become forfeited to the crown.'* Thomas, who married a daughter
of Sir Hew Campbell of Loudoun, was ' slain in battle, fighting along with his sovereign at the fatal field of Floddon.'
* Boswell's Lite of Johnson. The Laird of Auchinleck {of that Ilk) is mentioned in the wars of Sir William Wallace, as ono of t!io com-
panions in anns of the Scottish patriot.
164 APPENDIX.
" Alexander Boswell, the subject of oui- memoir, was born on the 9th of October 1775. He was the eldest son
of the well-known biographer of Dr. Johnson, and grandson of Lord Anchinleck,* one of the Senators of the Col-
lege of Justice. His mother, a daughter of Su' Walter Montgomery, Bart, of Lainshaw,f was a woman in soTeral
respects the very opposite of his father, possessing a warmth of feeling, and a soundness of judgment, which at
once rendered her manner dignified and agreeable. J Alexander, together with his only brother James, was edu-
cated in England, first at Westminster school, and afterwards at the University of Oxford ; and, on the death of his
father in 1795, succeeded, ere he had completed his twentieth year, to the paternal estate. Having made a tour
of Europe about that period, he subsequently resided chiefly at Auchinleck, and was early distinguished in the
county of Ayr as a gentleman of much spirit, warmth of heart, and public enterprise. In his character may be
said to have been combined the best qualities of his father, without his fi-ivolities. Together with a large share of
the genius, he inherited his fondness for literature ; and amid the accumulated stores of the ' Auchinleck Library,'
— one of the most valuable private collections in the country — he had ample opportunity of gratifying his taste for
antiquarian research. The muse, however, seems to have early claimed his attention ; and though unwilling, per-
haps, publicly to commit himself as a poet, his efforts in that way were well-known in the circle of his acquaintances.
He was a warm admirer of Bui-ns, and to this feeling, perhaps, we owe several Scottish songs from his pen, scarcely
less national and popular than those of Coila's Bard himself. Among these may be mentioned ' Jenny's Bawbee.' "
See " The Contemporaries of Burns," above mentioned, pages 306-307. Our southern readers ought to be
informed that the na.me Aitcliinleck is pronounced in Scotland Jffleek. Similar curious contractions of names
occur in England : for example, Cirencester is pronounced Sissiter. We willingly pass over the unhappy cii-cum-
stances which led to Sir Alexander Boswell's death, on the 27th March 1822, from a pistol-shot received in a duel.
It is deeply to be regretted that such a man should have lost his valuable life by adherence to that false principle of
honour- involved in the barbarous, irrational, and imchristian practice of duelling — a practice which religion, rea-
son, and higher civilisation, must, sooner or later, banish entirely fi-om Great Britain. Among the opponents of
the absui-d practice are now found some of the bravest officers in the British army and navy.
" The boiinie blink o' Mary's e'e." — Pp. 120, 121.
The old words referred to in the Note are the following : —
" I lia'e layen three herring a' sa't ; "I ha'e a wee calf that wad fain be a cow ;
Bonnie lass, gin ze'll tak' me, tell me now ; Bonnie lass, gin ze'U tak' me, tell me now ;
And I ha'e brew'n three pickles o' ma't, I ha'e a grice that wad fain be a sow.
And 1 cannae cum ilka day to woo. And I cannae cum ilka day to woo.
To woo, to woo, to lilt and to woo, To woo, to woo, to lilt and to woo.
And I cannae cum ilka day to woo. And I cannae cum ilka day to woo.
To woo, to woo, to lilt and to woo. To woo, to woo, to lilt and to woo.
And I cannae cum ilka day to woo. And I cannae cum ilka day to woo."
" My Peggy's FAOE."_Pp. 122, 123.
We here resume our remarks on the national music and musical instruments of Russia ; though, for want of
space, we must postpone most of our materials to the third volume.
The musical instruments in common use among the Russian peasantry must have had much influence on the
structure of their national airs. These instrimients, as we are informed, are, — 1st, A sort of rude violin with
three strings, called guudok, played with as rude a bow, and closely resembling in form a bow-instrument
represented iu Plate XXXIl. fig. 18, of the second volume of Gerbert's work, " De Cantu et Musica Sacra,"
from a MS. of the earlier part of the ninth century. The form of the body is that of the Mandoline, i. e. almond-
shaped. The (jmiduk is, in general, so tuned that the lowest string gives the final note of the melody ; and the
• On the authority of Sir Walter Scott, Mr. Croker gives the following characteristic anecdote of this eminent lawyer, who appears to have
looked upon Dr. Johnson, and some of the other companions of his son, \vith contempt. " Old Lord Auchinleck was an able lawyer and good
scholar, after the manner of Scotland, and highly valued, on his own advantages, as a man of good estate and ancient family ; and, moreover,
as he was a strict Presbyterian, and a Whig of the old Scottish cast. This did not prevent his being a temble proud aristocrat ; and great
was the contempt he entertained and expressed for his son James, for the nature of his friendships, and the character of the personages of
whom he was engouc' one after another. ' There's nae hope for Jamie, man,' he said to a friend, ' Jamie has gane clean gyte. What do ye
think man, he's done wi" Paoli ? He's aff m' the land-louping scoundrel of a Coi-sican ; and whase tail do ye think he has pinned hunsel' to
now, man ?' Here the old judge summed up, with a sneer of the most sovereign contempt, ' a doininie, man — an auld dominie ; he keepit a
sc/mfc and called it an aead-emi/ 1 ' "
f This property was purchased by William Cunninghame, father of the present possessor, from Sir Walter, in 1779.
J Jlrs. Boswell was not without a vein of pleasantry, sarcastic or otherwise, as occasion dictated. In allusion to the influence of Johnson
over her husband, she one day remarked, while the Doctor sojourned at Auchinleck, that " she had seen many a bear led by a man, but had
never before seen a man led by a bear."
APPENDIX.
165
other two strings give the fifth above, and the upper octave of that fifth. 2d, A guitar with two strings, called
balalaika. 3d, A horizontal harp with five strings, called goiislij, and tuned
i
When the peasants sing, their voices are accompanied irom time to time at the beginning of the song, at a change
of mode, and at the close, by a perfect choi-d, major or minor, as the melody may require; and this chord is either
struck on the gously, or sung by other voices.
Lively movements in the major key occur in the dance-times and wai--songs of the Russians, Cossacks, and
Tartars. The following is a very ancient Russian air, with its accompaniment for the gously, as noted down by
the eminent French musician Boieldieu, dui-ing his residence in Russia from 1803 to 1810 : —
Andante Moderato.
p=r-fr4^TpF^g^
s
^s
sp
m
i
i
^
^^
^=E
$^m
fe
f F-
According to M. Boieldieu, tliis air is sung particularly in the interior of Little Russia, and is of the highest
antiquity. In the last couplet, the voice rests upon the A of the first time of the penultimate measiu'e.
It is a curious fact that all the old slow Russian airs lend themselves easily to a harmony of alternate minor
and major perfect chords ; and that many of their airs, slow or quick, major or minor, are quite naturally suscep-
tible of passages of harmonic imitation. For example : —
AUearetio.
i
^^
^^^^^
3=
~f~r
■^
r
-L.
3=
H-t
j5?!II
Andante.
i
^
j=^n-g^^
a^4
T tM^
3. J. Rousseau asserted, that musical harmony was " only a Gothic and barbarous inTention." Perhaps this
remark, thrown out in a fit of spleen, fell nearer the truth than Rousseau imagined. It appears that a rude and
very simple kind of harmony has been known for many centuries among those northern tribes who ovei-ran the
south of Em-ope in the earlier part of the Chi-istiau era. Also, the instruments used by the ancient Irish, Welsh,
and Scots harps and bagpipes, &c mdicate certain elements of harmony. It has been said, with much proba-
bility, that the bagpipe was introduced into Italy by the Scandinavian invaders. The sustained sounds of the
bagpipe drones, heard along with the varying sounds of the air played by the chanter, produce a rude kind of
harmony which is not only inoffensive when compared with the most ancient specimens we have of organizing, or
discant, or hiscant, consisting of series of fourths, fifths, and octaves, between the upper and lower parts, but is
actually in use in modei-n classical harmony, as appears in what are technically called Foints-d'Orgue.
The following specimens of early harmony are such as no modem ear could tolerate : —
i
i
Transposed.
Gerbert, Vol. ii. p. 109.
?^
:i2=
m^
W-
^
:?2=
^
^
;sz=
^
166
APPENDIX.
2'ransposed.
t~^
—
— e —
o
fS
ri fs
o
— -e —
o
— © u
U
A
T-r- rr- —
-&-
-©-
P. 113.
-©-
J2-
"
-G>-
ST
-Si-
ll
»/•
P=--
—
— &
&
— & © —
(S
O
o
— e —
l5
See Gerbert, " De Cantu et Musica Sacra;" yol. ii., passim.
The following is a Tery spirited Russian air in the major mode : —
Russian Boat-Sonq.
"Vrj^r
^
^^^
^m
s
5i^
^^^-^
:S=L/
itti
^=^
P^^^^g
Want of space prevents us from giving here other Russian, Sclavonian, Tyroliau, and Suabian airs, which will
appear in the third volimie.
" My jo Janet."— Pp. 132, 138.
The following ia the air called " The keiking glasse," in the Skene MS., and which was alluded to in Note, page
133. We give here also " Long er orde old man," and " The old man," i-eferred to in the same Note : —
' The keiking glasse."
i
^i
fa^fffirrrT^
SBE
f-f^-HffF
' Long er onie old man."
i
^
The old man.'
i:
^^m^m
^
APPENDIX.
IC
) /
Til December 1V93, Buvns wrote the following Comic Song to be sung to the tune of •' My jo Janet:"
" My spouse,
Husband, Imsbaud, cease your strife,
Nor longer idly rave, Sir ;
I'lio' I am your wedded wife,
Yet I am not your slave, Sir.
One ofttm must still obey,
Nancy, Nancy;
Is it man or woman ? satf.
My spouse, Nancy.
If 'tis still the lordly word,
Service and obedience ;
I'll desert my sovereign lord,
And so goodbye allegiance !
Sad will I be if so bereft,
Nancy, Nancy ;
Yet I'll try to make a shift.
My spouse, Nancy.
Nancy."
My poor heart then break it must,
My last hour I'm near it ;
When you lay me in the dust,
Tliink, think how ye will bear it !
1 will hope and trust in heaxen,
Nancy, Nancy ;
Strength to bear it will be giren,
My spouse, Nancy.
Well, Sir, from the silent dead,
Still I'll try to daunt you ;
Ever round your midnight bed,
Horrid sprites will haunt you.
I'll wed another like my dear
Nancy, Nancy ;
Then all hell will fly for fear.
My spouse, Nancy !
The following is a translation of the air called " Robin and Janet," from No. 13 of the Tablatm-e of the Leydeu
MS. An exact copy of that MS. was presented by the Editor in 1847 to the Library of the Faculty of Advocates,
Edinburgh, for preservation there. At the same time, he presented to that Library a transcript in Tablature of
the Scottish airs contained in the Straloch MS. of 1627-29— the oldest Scottish Musical MS. known to exist.— See
vol. i. of this Work, Introduction, pp. iv. v. : —
" Robin AND Janet." '_ -'< ■
i
s
Efe
|» »
S
^=^
^
^
fFf^^EFT?M=^^
I
s=J^' ^IJ g
SE
33*^
" Loch-Eroch side." — Pp. 134, 135.
TnK following is Bui-ns' song to that air, referred to in the Note : —
0 stay, sweet warbling woodlark, stay, Say, was thy little mate unkind,
Nor quit for me the trembling spray, And heard thee as the careless wind ?
A hapless lover courts thy lay, Oh, nocht but love and sorrow join'd
Thy soothing fond complaming. Sic notes o' wo could wanken.
Again, again that tender part. Thou teUs o' never-ending care;
That I may catch thy melting art; 0' speechless grief, and dark despair;
For surely that would touch her heart. For pity's sake, sweet bu-d, nae mair !
AVha kills me wi' disdaining. Or my poor heart is broken !
" And 0, POR ane-and-twenty, Tam." — ^Pp. 144, 145.
Captain Gray communicates the following Note: — " A copy of this song, together with the version of ' Logic o'
Buchan,' as it appeared in Johnson's Museum, both in the hand--\vriting of Burns, are now in the pos.session of
Captain Chai-les Gray, R.M. They are written on Excise paper, with priuted red lines."
168 APPENDIX.
ADDITIONAL NOTES TO VOL. L
" Mt Naotie, 0 !"— Pp. 34, 35.
We have just been favoured with the following Note from Captain Charles Gray, R.M., whose indefatigable
quest of information regarding Burns and his Works merit the grateful acknowledgments of the Scottish public ; —
" ON THE HEROINES OF BURNS' SONGS."
" We have it under the hand of Burns himself, that in moments of inspiration, instead of drawing on his imagi-
nation for pictures of ideal beauty and loveliness, he placed before him some living symbol. The consequence of
this is, that we can trace in his writings, with some degree of certainty, who were the fair inspirers of many of his
most beautiful songs, from ' Handsome Nell,' down to .Jessy Lewars. Some of Ms biographers and annotators,
however, not content with this, have set themselves to the task of finding out living prototypes of the whole of his
heroines, il-om ' Meg of the Mill,' down to the fjroiisvm wife of ' Willie Wastle !' We enter our pi-otest against
this silly species of fraud, because it tampers with the truth, and renders that which may be true extremely
doubtful. We cannot comprehend, even in small matters, why truth should be set aside, and a preference given to
■fiction, by clothing biography in the story-telling habiliments of the novelist. Such, however, is the fact. In the
present day, the memoirs of a literary man become a romance in the hands of his biographer, and stories must be
invented and told of the unfortunate author, to satisfy the diseased appetite of the writer, or the high-seasoned
fancy of the reader ; we know not which. The life of Robert Burns was, indeed, a romance, differing so far
from written fictions, that every chapter of it was a stern reahty. So much so, that a constitutional melancholy,
and days of incipient toil, even before he ai'rived at manhood, made him exclaim —
[This] ' Life to me's a weary dream,
, The dream of one that never wakes.'
Hence fictitious stories have been told of him that reflect no credit on his memory, and far less on the narrator who
sat down deUberately for the pm-pose of penning falsehoods. We express ourselves in plain terms, as trutk demands
that a fraud of this nature should be characterized by its right name. Perhaps this digression will not appear so
much out of place when we have pursued our inquu-ies a little farther. It will be admitted that all stories told by
interested persons should be received with due caution. That is to say, persons who were acquainted with Bums,
and who wished, as his sister expressed it, to make themselves great men with the poet — such, for instance, as John
Blaue, the gadsman, who affirmed to Mr. Robert Chambers that he was with Burns when the latter tm-ned up
the mouse's nest with the plough, in November 1785. We have it from the very best authority, that Blane's infor-
mation regarding the Poet is extremely apocryphal ; and we are fully prepared to refute a number of anecdotes
which have been engrafted on Burns' history — anecdotes got up for the nonce, without having the least foundation
in truth. Some time ago, when the death of Blane was aunoimced in the newspapers, Mrs. Begg said to one of
her daughters ' There that impudent bodie, John Blane, has sUppit awa' before I could get to Kilmarnock to scold
him for the great lees he told about my brother.'
" At present we have to deal with the Heroines, real or imaginary, on whom the pen of Bui-ns bestowed a poetic
immortaUty. In the year 1792, when Mr. George Thomson projected his Musical Collection, a number of old and
silly songs were still in possession of some of our finest national melocUes. Those were to be set aside, and to
Bm-ns was assigned the task of providing them with new and appropriate words. The an- of ' Wandering Willie '
was one of these. Here the poet had no occasion to look out for a hei-oine. One was already offered to him. All
that he had to do — and therein lay the difliculty — was to find sentiments befitting the forlorn and love-sick maiden;
and never, we venture to afSrm, were words and music more happily blended together than in this exquisitely
plaintive song. Yet, strange as it may appear, one annotator says, ' The heroine of the Wandering Willie of Bm-ns
is said to have been the lovely and accomplished Mrs. Riddel.' Now, this conjecture — for it is notliing more ap-
pears to us to be the very March-hare-niadness of heroine-hunting ! Why Mrs. Riddel ? we would ask. Was the
idea of ' the fair mourner ' insufficient for the poet's purpose, without having the charms of the accomphshed Maria
before his eyes ? Were we to set our wits to work in order to find out a heroine for this fine song, we think we
could make a far more probable conjectui-e as to the lady Burns might have had in his eye, than the one above-
named. We maintain, at the same time, that a heroine was not wanted on this occasion ; but, if one must be had,
the probability is, that the ' Nannie ' mentioned was Mrs. Agnes M'Lehose, instead of Mrs. Maria Riddel. It will
be recollected, that when Burns was about to leave Edinburgh in December 1786, he got acquainted with Mrs.
M'Lehose, (Clarinda,) who afterwards, in 1792, went to the West Indies to join her husband. Might not Burns have
glanced at her history — a chequered one — when writing this song for Mr. Thomson's work in 1793? —
' But oh, if he's faithless, and minds nae his Nannie,*
Flow still between us, thou wide-roaring main ;
May I never see it, may I never trow it.
But, dying, believe that my Wilhe's my ain.'
* Mrs. M'Lehose, after residing for a short time with her husband at Kingston, Jamaica, returned to Edinburgh, on account of her health.
" There were other reasonB ; Mr. M'Lehose, like most West Indian planters, had a family by a coloured mistress." — Correspondence between
Bm-ns and CLarinda, page 41.
APPENDIX. 169
" The beautiful air of ' My Nannie, 0 !' was an especial favourite of Burns in Iiis ploughboy days, and the song
■which he then wrote for it, iu point of rural imagery and pastoral simplicity, he hardly ever afterwards surpassed.
Tliis song appeared in the Kilmarnock edition of Burns' poems, 1786. Some fifty years thereafter, a hunt was
made for a heroine hy an annotator, when it was discovered that a servant girl, named Agnes Fleming, had lived
at Dowery, near Lochlea, at the time that William Burness occupied that farm. This evidence was thought quite
sufficient. No more was sought. The note was written— the affaii- was settled — and Agnes Fleming, however
plain in look, must have been more than woman had she refused the heroineship of so sweet a song, after the
gratuitous manner in wliich it had been thrust upon her. ' Nannie,' it is said, owned ' the soft impeachment' in
her own homely manner, and was likely to have carried off the prize, if we had not stepped in and placed the
chaplet on the brow of one who had actually wounded the heart of the poet. On oui- mentioning this subject to
Mrs. Begg, the poet's youngest sister, she could scarcely repress her resentment; assm-ing us that Agnes Fleming,
■whom she knew, had no pretensions, either morally or physically, to be considered the heroine of that fine song.
'Pray then,' we inquired, ' who was the heroine?' ' Peggy Thomson,' was tlie reply, 'the fair fiflette that upset
the poet's trigonometry at Kirkoswald.' It may be objected, that by substituting the name of the imaginary
heroine ' Nannie,' in place of the real one ' Peggy,' the points do not tally so well; but Burns knew perfectly what
he was about. He was writing a song for ' one of the best of our Scottish melodies,' and knew that it was much
better to retain the well-known bui'den of ' My Nannie, 0 !' whatever might be the name of the goddess at ■whose
shi'uie he was offering up the incense of his poetic idolatry. Allan Cunningham avers that Burns celebrated the
praise of this favourite fair one in no less than four other songs ; in two of which, ' Montgomery's Peggy,' and
' Bonnie Peggy Alison,' — the names of the airs are substituted for that of the heroine. Why then may not Peggy
Thomson figui-e in a fifth song imder the guise of ' My Nannie, 0 ?' But if other evidence were wanted than that
which we have adduced, as to the heroine of tliis song, it is at hand, and upon the very best authority, -riz., that of
the Bard himself. In Burns' Common-Place Book, begun in 1783, wherein this song was inscribed, (See Cromek's
ReUques, p. 326,) he remarks, ' Whether the following song will stand the test [of eriticism), I wiU not pretend to
say, because it is my own ; only I can say it was, at the time, genuine from the heart.' Here Burns confesses that tliis
song was written in a fit of ' real passion,' such as that which he felt for Peggy Thomson. But who, until some fifty
years after the poet's death, ever heard of Ms making love to Agnes Fleming, either in prose or verse ? Then
was ' Nannie' disentombed, that she might, like an Egyptian mummy, be embalmed in the poet's verse, merely
because she had the good luck to be kirseiud ' Nannie,' or Agnes. At all events it must be admitted, that the living
testimony of Mi'S. Begg on this question, is to be preferred to any information gleaned from other persons half a
century after the poet's death. Having set aside the claim of Agnes Fleming to the heroineship of this song, we
may remai'k, that few poets have sung so sweetly of the ' cannie hour at e'en ' as Burns, and none seems to have
enjoyed its inspiration more ; but it was impossible that he could have been owre the lugs in love with all ' the nymphs
that he loved and caressed,' of which we are now about to give a list. Nothing Uke chronological order has been
attempted, as no dates could be found to guide us in our curious research, further than what the poet liimself has
given US. Fu'st and foremost is 'Handsome Nell,' she of 'the nettle-stings and thistles ;' — 'Montgomery's Peggy;' —
' Annie' of the ' Barley Rigs ;' — the Lass of ' Cessnook-banks ;' — the Lass among ' yon ■wild mossy mountains ; '* —
' Mary Morrison ; 'f — ' Highland Mary ;' — ' Black-e'ed Bess,' and ' Bonnie Jean.' If we reckon that he was sincerely
attached (for the time being) to less than the one-half of them, we will, probably, come near the truth, viz., Peggy
Thomson, the Lass of Cessnock-banks, Highland Mary, and Jean Armour."
" THE LASS OF CESSNOOK-BAUKS."
In the posthumous edition of Burns' Works edited by Dr. Cm-rie, the second volume, containing the " General Cor-
respondence," opened with four letters addressed to E. B., which were afterwards withdrawn in subsequent editions.
AUan Cunningham observes in a note, that they were omitted " for reasons which may be easily imagined ;" while on
the contrary, the Ettrick Shepherd, in his Life of the Poet says, "for what reason Gilbert Burns omitted them in his
edition, / cannot imagine.'" Where poets differ so widely, plain prose-men may be excused for offering an opinion.
Certain it is, that they are among the most sensible of that class of letters, and no edition of Bui-ns' Works would
now be complete without them. These amatory effusions are so unlike the general style of Burns, that they have
puzzled his biographers, and become a stumblingblock to the critics — all save to him of the Westminster, who, if our
waning memory is not altogether at fault, at once settled the matter to his own satisfaction — (ha^ving solved in a
former number the cause of Dr. Johnson's interminable tea-diinkings) — by finding that they were the fii-st four
letters of a novel, written a, la Richardson, merely by way of trying the powers of the poet's unfledged pen in a
* Bums, when he came to speak of this song, suppressed the name of the heroine. In his memoranda, he says, " This song alludes to a
part of my private history which it is of no consequence to the world to know." Gilbert Buras could not throw any light on this part of the
Poefs history ; and his sister, Mrs. Begg, is equally ignorant, Mr. Cunningham avers, that the heroine is either " Nannie," who dwelt by the
Lugar, or " Highland Mary." "We have narrowed the conjecture so far, by proving that it was not Agnes Fleming. Mr. Motherwell, in a note
on this song remarks, " "We scarce think it a spontaneous burst of passion, but rather a lyric made accordiytg to ordi^." In contradiction of
this. Bums, in a letter to George Thomson, in October 1792, says, — " You must know, that all my earliest love-songs were the breathings
of ardent passiof)."
^ There is much of the spirit of ballad poetry in this fine song in praise of " Mary Morrison." She has hitherto escaped the reseajch of
aunotators, nor does Mrs. Begg know anything respecting hei*.
170 APPENDIX.
prose narration ! As the introduction to a novel, we fear they would have been found insufferably dull by the
customers that frequent our circulating libraries ; but as the veritable love-letters of a young Ayrshire peasant,
they certainly do credit to his understanding as well as to his heart. These letters, dated in 1783, form a strong
contrast to tliose addressed to Clarinda in 1788. Their object was to conciliate the favom- of a fair one, for whom
Burns professed, and seems to have entertained, the strongest regard. The subdued tone in which these letters are
written, although very unlike what Burns displayed in after life, appears to us to be quite natvu'al. As yet he had
not learned to have full confidence in his powers of pleasing. Thetremulousness of true love hung about him,
and checked his advances. These tremors he gradually learned to shake off when he got farther acquainted with
the world and all its devious ways. As no one could describe his feelings under such circumstances so well as
himself, we shall give an extract from his third letter to E. B. : —
" A lover is never under greater difficulty in acting, or more puzzled for expression, than when his passion is
sincere, and his intentions honourable. . . . There is such a number of foreboding fears and distrustful
anxieties crowd into my mind when I am in your company, or when I sit down to write to you, that what to speak
or what to write I am altogether at a loss." All those who bear in recollection the first approaches of the tender
passion, will own the justice of these remarks; — they depict the feelings of a young ingenuous mind — the hopes
and fears that take possession of a lover's heart when in the presence of his mistress : —
" Fain, fain wad I my griefs impart,
But darna for your anger."
The following fragment, picked up in om* youth, embodies the same sentiment, not unhappily, in rhyme : —
" 0, 1 have loved you — loved you long ! " My passion I can ne'er express —
The night's dull ear has heard my sighs ; Love's arrows fly without a sound; —
And though love ne'er escaped my tongue. If, in my heart, I loved you less.
You might have read it in my eyes. My tongue had readier utterance foimd."
The officiousness of editors at one time, and their carelessness at others, are utterly confounding. When these
letters appeared in Dr. Currie's edition of the Poet's Woi'ks, they were simply addressed to E. B. Future editors,
however, went a step further, and whatever surname might lurk under B., they were sure the letter E. must stand
for Eliza, thereby falsifying what they did not comprehend, and making that which was dark still more obscure.
The fact is — and we give it on the best authority — that Ellison Begbie, (for that was the lady's name,) was the
daughter of a fai-mer in the parish of Galston, while she, at the time that Burns became acquainted' with her, lived
on the Cessnock, about two miles from Lochlea. Burns, in answer to the letter wherein she rejected him, pays
the highest compliments to her personal as well as to her intellectual accomplishments. He says, " her chai-ming
qualities, heighteued by an education much beyond anything I have ever met with in any woman I ever dared
to approach, have made an impression on my heart that I do not think the world will ever efface." From this
we might conclude, that Miss B. was much better educated than persons in her situation of life generally are ; —
but this may be doubted — her father only being a small farmer, having several other children besides her. We
may state, however, upon the testimony of Mrs. Begg, from whom this information is drawn, that Miss B. was no
ordinary person ; on the contrary, that she was possessed of great natural abilities : that all the members of
William Burness' family looked upon her as a very superior person, accomplished in manner, and of great per-
sonal attractions, more so than any one with whom they were then acquainted. In fact. Miss Begbie was a
gentlewoman of nature's own making, — .
" Not bred in courts — though formed in courts to shine ;
A diamond polished, ere it leave the mine."
Let us hear no more, then, of the cuckoo cry, that Burns was tolerant as to the beauty of his heroines.
Mrs. Begg seems inclined to think, that Ellison Begbie was the first sweetheart to whom Burns was sincerely
and ardently attached. Be this as it may, we have seen in the verses which he wrote in her praise, and which
have been called " a song of similes," that the Poet racked liis imagination in order to compare her with every-
thing beautiful in nature : —
" Her lips are like yon cherries ripe, " Her voice is like the ev'ning thrush
That sunny walls fi-om Boreas screen. That sings on Cessnock-banks unseen.
They tempt the taste and charm the sight ; While his mate sits nestUug in the bush ;
An' she's twa sparkling roguish een. An' she's twa sparkUng roguish een.
" Her breath is like the fragrant breeze " But its no her air, her form, her face.
That gently stirs the blossom'd bean, Tho' matching beauty's fabled queen.
When Phoebus sinks beneath the seas ; 'Tis the mind that shines in every grace ;
An' she's twa sparkling roguish een. But cliiefly in her roguish een."
No wonder that Burns was astoimded when he found himself rejected by one he prized so highly. He seems to
have parted with her, nevertheless, more in sorrow than in anger. He craves a parting interview with her, and
begs to be admitted as a friend. We miderstand that he did not crave for this in vain. She visited the Poet
APPENDIX. 171
occasionally along viith her husband, and some correspondence was kept up between them. All this, to us, is
delightful. It is the light which helps to enliven and give softness to a sombre picture. It seems strange that in
all the more prominent attachments of Bui-ns— and they were numerous — so many of them should have left so
deep and enduring an impression on his heart. The ties that bound him to his favourite fair one, might be
" sever'd as the flax
That falls asunder at the touch of fire ;"
but the embers of aflFection were never wholly exting-uished. A sight of the beloved fair one would at once re-
kindle the dying spark that had formerly burned in the susceptible bosom of the Poet. Miss Begbie having mar-
ried, and settled in the neighbourhood of Kilmarnock, Burns met her there one day after the publication of the
first edition of liis poems, and presented her with a copy, on a blank leaf of which he inscribed the following
" Verses to an old sweetheart after her marriage :" —
" Once fondly loved, and still remember'd dear ; " And when you read the simple, artless rhymes,
Sweet early object of my youtliful vows ! One friendly sigh for him — he asks no more —
Accept this mark of friendship, warm, sincere, — Who distant bm-ns in flaming torrid climes.
Friendship ! 'tis all cold duty now allows. Or haply lies beneath th' Atlantic roar."
To our mind, these stanzas place the character of Burns m a very aimiable point of view. But this was not all ;
— having returned in triumph from EcUnbm-gh, after the publication of the second etlition of his poems, we are told
that the Poet, in a crack by the c/ilmla cheeh, in the family circle at Mossgiel, in speaking of his former sweethearts,
declared, that of all the women he had ever courted, he had met with none that he could have made such a com-
panion of for life as Ellison Begbie. Such was the lasting impression which this beautiful and intelligent far-
mer's daughter left upon the heart and mind of the Poet. The Ettrick Sheplierd, in his life of Burns, observes, in
his own quaint way, " There is no doubt that hanging and marriage go by destiny, else Burns should have had
this sensible girl. I wonder if she could be handsome Nell, whom he first celebrated in song, or Annie of the
Barley Rigs, or Peggy of Kirkoswald, who upset his trigonometry. There is no doubt that tliis fickle dame ex-
tracted some love verses from him in the heyday of his passion." A sagacious conjecture this of the Shepherd, in
which he is borne out by the beautiful song of which we have quoted the last four verses.
Hogg, as weU as Cunningham, was disposed to tliink that these four early love letters were addressed to Peggy
Thomson. In this, as we have seen, they were mistaken. The initial letters, E. B., as originally prefixed to them,
were correct, although editors lost themselves in conjecture, and critics in vain attempted to solve the difliculty.
The name of the heroine of " On Ccssnock banks there lives a lass," is no longer a secret. That it should not have
been disclosed until more than fifty years after the Poet's death, does, indeed, seem passing strange !
THE PARENTS OP BUKNS.
IlAvraa a small space left, perhaps we cannot do better than devote it to a short description of the personal
appearance of the parents of the Poet. Allan Cunningham, in the Life of Burns, gives the following account of the
Poet's mother : — " The mother of Burns was a native of the county of Ayr; her birth was humble, and lier per-
sonal attractions moderate; yet in all other respects she was a remarkable woman. She was blessed with sin-
gular equanimity of temper ; her religious feeling was deep and constant ; she loved a well-regulated household ;
and it was frequently her pleasure to give wings to the weary hours of a chequered life, by chanting old songs and
ballads, of which she had a large store. In her looks she resembled her eldest son ; her eyes were bright and
intelligent; her perception of character quick and keen." According to Mrs. Begg, .her mother was about the
ordinary height; — a well made sonsy figui-e, with a beautiful red and white complexion; — (a skin the most trans-
parent that Mrs. Begg ever saw) — red hah-, dark eyes and eye-brows, with a fine square forehead. With all her
good qualities, and they were many, her temper, at times, was irascible. William Burness, the father of the poet,
was a thin, sinewy figure, about five feet eight or nine inches in height, somewhat bent with toil ; his " haffet-
locks thin and bare," with a dark swarthy complexion. From this it will be seen that Bui-ns inherited his swarthy
complexion fi'om his fathei- — not from his mother, as stated by Mr. Cunningham. Men who rise to celebi'ity in the
world are generally supposed to inherit their genius from the maternal side. If it shall be said that Burns in-
herited his love of ballad lore fi-om his mother, we may presume that he derived his strong manly sense from his
father ; — as to his genius —
" the light that led astray.
Was light fi-om heaven."
It may be traced in many of his poems, and flashes out in his lyrics like s/iccf-lightning in a summer's eve, when
sung to the simple, yet deeply pathetic melodies of his native land.
We shall return to Bm-ns in the Appendix to the third volume.
" Ca' the ewes to the IvNOwes." — Pp. 04, 95, and Appendix 165.
In addition to what has been there said about Isobel Pagan, we may quote what Captain Charles Gray, R.M.,
wrote lately on the subject of the woman and her /iscKrfo-poetical works, in a Scottish periodical, dated 25th
1V2 APPENDIX.
February 1848. He has directed his attention to the modern poetry of Scotland more than any other man that
we know •' ' The crook and plaid.' This song, as well as ' Ca' the yowes to the knowes,' is said to have been
written by Isobel Pagan; but we cannot brmg ourselves to believe that the ' qmM boudes' ever wrote anything
half so good as either of them. There is a want of skill in the composition of this song; but, upon the whole, the
ideas are not badly expressed, and far above the pitch of Tibbie's pvmted doggi-el. The ecUtor of the ' Contempor-
aries of Burns,' p. 118, says, ' Were it possible to procure a perfect copy of Isobel's volume, the question could at once
be decided, whether she was the authoress of that song (Ca' the yowes) or not.' To this we would stiU demur,
for reasons which we shall shortly mention. He admits that ' there is nothing at all tempting in Isobel's collec-
tion,' and then quotes a song of foul- stanzas as one of the best. It tui'ns out, however, that honest Tibbie has no
claim whatever to the authorship of these verses, they being a very incorrect version of Edward Moore's sweet
song, beginning, —
' How blest has my time been, what joys have I known,
Since wedlock's soft bondage made Jessy my own,' &o.
After this we cannot give Tibbie Pagan credit for writing the two songs above mentioned, even although they were
to be found in her volume. Whoever wrote them must have been imbued with a love of pastoral hfe, and have had
an eye for whatever was simple and beautiful in nature. Tibbie is said to have been the very reverse of this ; —
' for, night after night, the vaulted roof of her humble dwelling rang with the voice of licentious mirth, and the
revelries of bacchanalian worshippers, among whom she was the administering priestess.' — Contemporaries of
Burns, p. 116. As Tibbie was famed for her vocal powers as well as her sarcastic wit, she may have picked up
the two songs above mentioned, and appropriated them as her own. At all events, her hterary dishonesty in
purloining Edward Moore's song, and the sorry doggerel ui which the other parts of her volume appear to be written,
do not warrant us in believmg that she was the author of either the one or the other. That woman. Pagan, was
an unscrupulous literary thief, and no better. . Among the illiterate frequenters of her disci-editable hoxff, she
easily passed off her hterary thefts as her own property ; and thus, like many other impudent plagiarists, acquired
a literary reputation which she did not deserve."
" The weart ptotd o' tow."— Pp. 140, 141.
The following Note has just been obligingly communicated by Captain Charles Gray, R.M. : — " Mr. Stenhouse
does not appear to have been aware that a song bearing this title existed prior to the days of Burns. Strange to
say, it escaped the researches of David Herd, who, Allan Cunningham says, ' seemed to have an art of his own
in iinding curious old songs.' It appeared, however, in Laurie & Symington's edition of Herd's Collection, 1791,
vol. ii. p. 292, along with Macneill's ' My boy. Tammy,' ' Green grow the rashes,' and several other modern songs.
The air, as has been ah-eady observed, is excellent ; but even this song may not be of any great antiquity. That
it is not devoid of the quaint humour so peculiar to the Scottish muse, will be seen from the following verses : —
' I lookit to my yarn knagg, and it grew never mair ;
I lookit to my meal kist, — my heart grew wond'rous sair;
I lookit to my som--inilk boat, and it wad never sour ;
For they suppit at and slaikit at, and never span an hour.
' But if your wife and my wife were in a boat thegether.
And yon honest man's wife were in to steer the rither ;*
And if the boat were bottomless, and seven mile to row,
I think my wife wad ne'er come back to spin her pund o' tow.'
But Burns' wit and humour is so rich and concentrated, that he owes nothing to the old song except the burden.
We find another version of this song in Hogg and Motherwell's edition of Burns' Works, vol. ii. p. 292, where it is
said to be very old. We doubt it. It seems to us to be of Anglo-Scottish origin, and calculated for the meridian
of Vauxhall, as will appear fi-om the following lines : —
' The town and city damsels, they gang sae neat and fine,
In drinking tea and brandy is a' that they incline ;
And for to powder, patch, and paint, and walk about the knowe.
Is a' their wark — they'll rather die' than spin the pund o' tow.'
It is probable that these verses were written about the time that this fine air became popular in England."
* Rudder.
EXD OF THE SECOND VOLU.ME.
EDI.VBIIRGH ; PRINTED BV T. CON5TABI.K, rRINTER TO HEB MAJESTY.
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