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

138
EAELY SCOTTISH MELODIES.
the Eepository, indeed, says that the reel tune is the progenitor of the melody
of the song." We consider Gow's assertion to be pure conjecture. Sten-
house then states, " The reel tune was modelled from the old air about the
year 1723, by James Crockat, son of the lady to whom the old manuscript
Music-book originally belonged, which has been so frequently referred to in
the course of this work. James Crockat gave his reel tune the strange
title of ' How can I keep my Maiden-head,' which was the first line of an
old indelicate song now deservedly forgotten. The first attempt to make
the old tune into a reel, in the handwriting of James Crockat, is now in the
possession of the editor. Bremner altered the old title, and published the
tune about the year 1764, under the name of ' Lennox's Love to Blantyre.'
It is now called The Braes of Auchtertyre. Many of our modern reel
tunes, strathspeys, jigs, etc., are indeed palpably borrowed from the subjects
of our ancient vocal melodies. Several instances of this fact have been al-
ready pointed out in the preceding part of this work, and the reader will
find more of them in the course of the sequel."
This long passage of Stenhouse we have produced in its entu-ety, as
we wish to point out its many errors, and to shew its absurdity. As we
have already remarked on the relation of dance tunes to vocal melodies,
we shall not return to that subject in this note. It is evident that Sten-
house was ignorant of our national dance music, or at anyrate was
unacquainted with many collections of reels, strathspeys, jigs, etc. Our
first observation is on his note on song No. 483, " Tlie "Wren, or Lennox's
Love to Blantyre," where he states — " This tune is modelled from the air
called ' dear, Mother, what shall I do.' " Now we aver, that if any
mortal with either eyes or ears says there is the least relationship between
the two tunes, he is simply insane. Had he known Bremner's Reels, he
could not have said that " Lennox Love " is now " The Braes of Auchter-
tyre," nor that Bremner had given a new name to the tune. It was
known as " Lennox love to Blanter " nearly fifty years before it was pub-
lished by Bremner. John Walsh inserted it under the name of " How
can I keep my Maiden-head," in his Caledonian Country Dances, vol. ii.,
circa 1736. The most curious point is, how did Crockat turn " dear,
Minny, what shall I do " into " Lennox love to Blantyre," or why has he
called it " How can I keep my Maiden-head" ? The fact is, both of the
tunes are contained in Margaret Sinkler's Musick-Book, 1710, entitled
respectively, " 0, Minie," and " Lennox love to Blanter." What has
become of James Crockat's first attempt ? It would be a curiosity.
O MntrE. ivio.
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