Inglis Collection of printed music > Printed music > Hamilton's universal tune-book

NOTES.
in this work, was a native of Paisley. Early in life he
commenced the study of music. He resided for some
time in Ayr as a teacher and seller of music. Here he
first became known as a composer. His song " Love
and our ocean home" was very successful. After he
left Ayr he came to Glasgow, where he conducted the
Psalmody in St. Georges' Established Church. He
was an excellent harmonist, but his melodies generally
want simplicity. He died in the year 1845, aged 42.
8. Awa , Whigs, Awa' . — This is one of the oldest of
our airs. The Jacobites selected this melody for a
eong entitled "The Earl of Mar's Men." The an-
cient air, " Oh, silly soul alace," says the editor of
Johnson's Musical Museum, "is evidently the proge-
nitor of this air." We have examined the air so named
as published by Mr. Dauney in the Skene MS., and
we are disposed to think that it must have been another
air which he refers to, because there is not enough of
similarity between theair in the Skene MS. and "Awa',
Whigs, awa'," to warrant us in supposing that they
are the same.
9. The Banks of Forth. — This air, the composition
of James Oswald, was first published in his Pocket
Companion, 1741.
10. The Banks of Nith — This air was composed
by Robert Riddel of Glenriddel, for Burns' song, ' ' The
Thames flows proudly to the sea."
11. Bannocks of Barley Meal. — This old air was
formerly called "The Killogie." It is printed twice
in " Oswald's Caledonian Companion" — the first time
with the title "Bannocks of Bear Meal ;" next, "There
was a lad and a lass in a Killogie," from the first line
of the old song.
12. The Beds of Sweet Roses. — This is a border
melody. Burns mentions that when he was a boy it
was very popular in Ayrshire, and he has heard those
fanatics the Buchanites sing some of their nonsensical
rhymes, which they dignified with the name of hymns,
to it. For an account of this sect, see Blackwood's
Magazine, vol. vi. p. 663.
13. Benny Side. — This air, with the song beginning
"My loved Celestia is so fair,'' which is set to it in
Johnson's Musical Museum, were both furnished by
Dr. Blacklock for that work about the close of 1785,
and were copied for the Doctor by Allan Masterton.
14. Black- eyed Susan. — Richard Leveridge was
born in 1670. He was a singer, and celebrated for
his fine bass voice. In 1727 he published a collection
of songs in two volumes, which were exceedingly popu-
lar. He died in 1758.
15. The Blue-eyed Lassie. — This air was composed
by Robert Riddel of Glenriddel, for Burns' song, "I
gaed a waefu' gate yestreen.''
16. Bohemian Waltz. — Lanner was a native of Ger-
many. He died in Vienna about two years ago.
17. The Bonnie Grey-eyed Morn. — The song in
the Beggars' Opera, " 'lis Woman seduces all Man-
kind," is sung to this air. In the " Musical Biography"
it has been attributed to Jeremiah Clark, organist of
St. Paul's, but it has been held that this opinion was
given without sufficient evidence. The tune appears in
Playford's Wit and Mirth in 1698 Pir William's
song in the Gentle Shepherd is sung to this air.
18. Braes o' Lochiel. — This is a Gaelic air, and is
preserved in R. A. Smith's Scottish Minstrel.
19. Braw Braw Lads. — This tune was greatly
admired by Haydn, who harmonised it for Mr.Wm.
Whyte's Collection of Scottish Songs. On the MS.
of the music Haydn expressed his opinion of the
melody in the best English he was master of, in the
following short but emphatic sentence — "This one Dr.
Haydn favourite song.''
20. Bruachan Loch Neish. — Captain Frazer, who
has this air in his very excellent collection, says, "The
words and music of the ' Banks of Lochness' are. the
composition of a very obscure individual, whom the
editor remembers ;'' and this is all. In the same way
hundreds of beautiful airs and songs have been dropped
upon the stream of time, and because they were in many
cases the composition of "very obscure individuals,"
their names werenot deemed worthy of being chronicled,
Shakspere and Burns were at one time very obscure
individuals, and had their works been left to be ga-
thered by such men as Captain Frazer, their name!
would have been allowed to slip out of the chronicle,
that the fame of the collector might not be dimmed by
their lustre.
21. By the gaily circling Glass Dr. Arne was
born in London, 1710. He was educated at Eton, and
bred to the law, which he seemed to have no taste for.
At eighteen he composed music for Addison's Rosa-
mond. HisComuswas produced in 1738; Artaxerxes
in 1762 ; and Love in a Village in 1763. He received
the degree of Doctor in Music from the College of
Oxford in 1769. He received seven gold medals from
the Catch Club for his glees and catches. He died in
1778.
22. The Captain's Lady. — This air in Oswald's
"Pocket Companion" is named "Mount your Bag-
gage;" in Walsh's " Country Dance Book," published
more than a hundred years ago, it is called "The Cad-
die Laddie;" in the third volume of Gow's " Com-
plete Repository" it is altered into a strathspey, and
named " Dairy House." Burns' song "Mount and
go" is sung to this air.
23. Cold and Raw. — This air was called "Catch
that Catch can" in a collection published by John Hil-
ton, 1652, where it appears in the shape of a Catch.
The same tune is introduced in Purcell's " Orpheus
Brittanicus," in the form of a bass to an Ode in honour
of Queen Mary, the consort of William III.
24. Come under my Pluidie. — The proper name of
this air is " Johnny Macgill," after the composer, who
was a musician in Girvan, Ayrshire.
25. Coming thro' the Rye. — This air was altered
in the first measure from an old set of the same tune
by Mr. John Watlen, musician and music-seller, and
he published it with new words. The original air was
taken from the third and fourth strains of a tune called
the Miller's Daughter. The song became popular.
26. Could I each fault remember. — Charles Dibdin
was born at Southampton in 1745, and educated at