Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Illustrated book of Scottish songs from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century
(27) Page 11
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INTRODUCTION. 11
Manj Eoman Catholic chants became the property of the se-
cular Muse; and such airs as "John, come kiss me now,"
" Auld lang syne," " John Anderson my Jo," and " We're a'
noddin," which belonged to the cathedral service of both coun-
tries, were appropriated to profane purposes and indecent paro-
dies, and sung sometimes in ridicule of that Church from which
they had been taken, and sometimes to words of the most ob-
jectionable character.
Scottish music was, however, but little known to the world
until Allan Eamsay, in the year 1724, collected the melodies
of his country. His " Tea-Table Miscellany" was the first suc-
cessful attempt to give them a local habitation. Without him
they would have died, as many old English melodies have un-
fortunately done; but honest Allan gave little account of them;
indeed, he could not tell what he did not know, for " although,"
as Mr. Eobert Chambers says, " the Scottish people are more
proud of their songs and music than of any other branch of
literature, they can tell very little regarding the origin and
early history of these endeared national treasures." But Allan
Eamsay, though certainly the most valuable of the early
labourers in the field, was not the first. Towards the middle
of the seventeenth century Scottish music began to be spoken
of in England, and from that period to the reign of Queen Anne
became so fashionable as to be imitated by English musicians.
English song- writers, of the class of D'Urfey and others, also
began to imitate the Scottish manner, and produced some very
barbarous songs, as distasteful to Scotchmen as they were in-
comprehensible to Englishmen. But in Scotland itself at this
time the current music was purely traditional and popular;
and the first music -book printed north of the Tweed, the book
of Andro Hart, of which we have already made mention, con-
Manj Eoman Catholic chants became the property of the se-
cular Muse; and such airs as "John, come kiss me now,"
" Auld lang syne," " John Anderson my Jo," and " We're a'
noddin," which belonged to the cathedral service of both coun-
tries, were appropriated to profane purposes and indecent paro-
dies, and sung sometimes in ridicule of that Church from which
they had been taken, and sometimes to words of the most ob-
jectionable character.
Scottish music was, however, but little known to the world
until Allan Eamsay, in the year 1724, collected the melodies
of his country. His " Tea-Table Miscellany" was the first suc-
cessful attempt to give them a local habitation. Without him
they would have died, as many old English melodies have un-
fortunately done; but honest Allan gave little account of them;
indeed, he could not tell what he did not know, for " although,"
as Mr. Eobert Chambers says, " the Scottish people are more
proud of their songs and music than of any other branch of
literature, they can tell very little regarding the origin and
early history of these endeared national treasures." But Allan
Eamsay, though certainly the most valuable of the early
labourers in the field, was not the first. Towards the middle
of the seventeenth century Scottish music began to be spoken
of in England, and from that period to the reign of Queen Anne
became so fashionable as to be imitated by English musicians.
English song- writers, of the class of D'Urfey and others, also
began to imitate the Scottish manner, and produced some very
barbarous songs, as distasteful to Scotchmen as they were in-
comprehensible to Englishmen. But in Scotland itself at this
time the current music was purely traditional and popular;
and the first music -book printed north of the Tweed, the book
of Andro Hart, of which we have already made mention, con-
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Special collections of printed music > Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Illustrated book of Scottish songs from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century > (27) Page 11 |
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Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/90348907 |
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Description | Scottish songs and music of the 18th and early 19th centuries, including music for the Highland bagpipe. These are selected items from the collection of John Glen (1833 to 1904). Also includes a few manuscripts, some treatises, and other books on the subject. |
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Description | The Glen Collection and the Inglis Collection represent mainly 18th and 19th century Scottish music, including Scottish songs. The collections of Berlioz and Verdi collected by bibliographer Cecil Hopkinson contain contemporary and later editions of the works of the two composers Berlioz and Verdi. |
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