Glen Collection of printed music > Printed music > Scots musical museum > Volume 5

434
CCCCXCIV.
DEAR ! WHAT CAN THE MATTER BE ?
The Editor has not yet been able to discover the author of
the words, or the composer of this air. Johnson copied the
song from a single sheet, published by Messrs Stewart & Co.
music-sellers, South Bridge, Edinburgh, which is entitled
" The favourite duet of O dear, what can the matter he T'
It appears to be an Anglo-Scottish production, not many yeajrs
anterior to the publication of the Museum, and is still a fa-
vourite.
cccoxcv,
HERE'S TO THY HEALTH, MY BONNIE LASS.
This song was written by Burns for the Museum. The
words are adapted to a beautiful strathspey tune, called " Lag-
gan Burn," which Burns communicated along with another
air to the same words, that Mr Clarke might have the option
of adopting either of the two he pleased.
The Editor, on looking into the manuscript of the music,
observes the following note to Johnson, in the hand-writing
of Mr Clarke : " This song must have a verse more or a verse
less. The music intended for it was so miserably bad, that I
rejected it ; but lucluly there was a tune called ' Laggan
Burn' on the opposite side, which will answer very well, by
adding a verse or curtailing one. I know that Burns wilj
rather do the former than the latter.
" P. S. When I wrote the above, I did not observe that
there was another verse on the opposite page."
There is a striking resemblance between this tune of " Lag-
gan Burn ' and " Lady Shaftsbury's Strathspey," composed
by Mr Nathaniel Gow, and published in his Third Collection,
page 15. ' ; 2
ccccxcvi,
JENNY'S BAWBEE.
The old words of this song, beginning " And a' that e'er
my Jenny had," were copied from Herd's Ancient and Mo-
dern Songs, Edinburgh 177(i, and are adapted to their ori-
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