Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Early Scottish melodies

128
EAELY SCOTTISH MELODIES.
air, in thorough Scottish style ; but we possess no knowledge of the com-
poser. The author of the song is said to be Sir George Elliot of Minto,
Bart.
207. TIBBIE DUNBAE.
Tune—" Johnny M'Gill."
This is a sprightly Scottish jig, named after its composer, an Ayrshire
musician who lived in the first half of the eighteenth century. We are
not aware, however, that it was printed prior to Joshua Campbell's " Collec-
tion of the Newest and Best Eeels," etc., 1778. It also appeared in Eobert
Eiddell's " Scotch Galwegian and Border Tunes," 1794, as " My silly auld
man " : and he states, " This tune is said to have been composed by John
M'Gill, Town Piper of Girvan." The Irish have a tune of the same name,
which is contained in John Macpherson Mulhollan's Selection of Irish and
Scots Tunes, 1804, but it is not the Scottish melody ; and in ignorance of
their own jig, they have claimed our Johnny M'Gill for Ireland. This
The Jio op Johnky Maccill.
IHE JIO OP JOHNWY MaCGILL. ^-» 1809
assumption, for it can be nothing more, arose probably through the employ-
ment by Moore of the first strain of the Scottish tune as the second
to the old melody of " Green Sleeves," and dubbed the mongrel " The
Basket of Oysters " in his " Irish Melodies," fifth volume, 1834.* F. Hoff-
mann has included the Scottish air in an Irish form, apparently derived
from some itinerant musician, in "Ancient Music of Ireland, from the
Petrie Collection," 1877, as " Oh, what shall I do with this silly old man?"
By such mistakes the wrong melody has been claimed for Ireland by many
of her sons. The song of " Come under my plaidie " is sung to this tune.
208. JENNY WAS EAIE AND UNKIND.
Tune — " Scots Jenny."
This song is another effusion of John Lapraik, who has already been
noticed as the writer of " When I upon thy bosom lean." The melody is
furnished from one of Oswald's compositions, called " Scots Jenny," which
was published in the second volume of " The Collection of Curious Scots
Tunes, dedicated to the Prince of Wales," 1742, page 31. He made his
claim to the tune about ten years previous to the publication of book v. of
the " Caledonian Pocket Companion."
See " The Basket of Oysters," Irish, in Aird's Fifth Selection, 1797.