Glen Collection of printed music > Printed music > Scotish song in two volumes > Volume 1

ON SCOTISH SONG. xc!
This premifed, it fliall be the object of the pre-
ferit eflay, to colleft fUch evidence as can be pro-
cured to illuftrate the antiquity of the tunes iri
queftiori.
As, we have feen, the Scots had fotigs in the
fourteenth century, fo, no doubt, had they tunes or
rriuiic to them ; but of what nature, and hovv far,
if at all, refembling their now celebrated melo-
dies, or if, indeed, any thing more than the
plain church chant, is at prefent almoft beyond 1
the reach of conjecture.
ally produce fifhilar effects in very difiant and 1 different c'oufr-
tries. A late traveler found the quick, turi'es of the Moors in
Earbary beautiful and fimple, and partaking, in fome degree,
of the characleriftic melody of the Scotilh airs. (Lemprieres
Tour to Morocco^ 1791, p. 3'. 1 7 . ) Na'y, eVeri in China', i coun-
try which has been civilised for ages, Dr. Lin d, ah excellent
judge of the fubjeel, and philolbphically curious in every thing
that relates to it, after relidiiig there feverai years, afl'ured Dr.
Bumeyj that a-11 the melodies he had heard, bote a ftrorigf refem-
blance to the old Scots tunes. (Hi/lory of mujic, I. 38.)^" A
very celebrated and learned phyfician,^ if one may venture
to' believe the editor of Select Scotijh balads, " who was
1 -orn, and paffed his early years in the fouth of Scotland,"
informed him, that it was **. his opinion,' that the brft of
'he ancient Scotifh airs were really compofed by ftrepherdf.
In his remembrance there was, in almoft every village of that
-«1 ftric~r, a chief fhepherd, who had acquired celebrity by corn-
poring better fongs than others of the fame profefiion : and he
thinks, that though the bell airs are in general known, yet the
words to at leaft one half have never been published?' A
volume of thefe genuine inedked paftoral fongs, would be a
very great curiofity.
Dr. Burney, in the frrft volume of his Hifiory of Mufic 9
p. 3S, fays, " the melody of Scotland will be hereafter proved
of a much higher antiquity thanhas been generally imagined; 1 *
but one looks in vain for the performance of this promife in
Ehe fequel of that elaborate work.