Volume I, song 043, page 43 - 'Allan Water' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'What numbers shall the muse repeat! What verse be found to praise my Annie! O her ten thousand graces wait, Each swain admires, and owns she's bonny. Since first she trode the happy plain, She set each youthful heart on fire; Each nymph does to her swain complain, That Annie, kindles new desire.' The 'Scots Musical Museum' is the most important of the numerous eighteenth- and nineteenth-century collections of Scottish song. When the engraver James Johnson started work on the second volume of his collection in 1787, he enlisted Robert Burns as contributor and editor. Burns enthusiastically collected songs from various sources, often expanding or revising them, whilst including much of his own work. The resulting combination of innovation and antiquarianism gives the work a feel of living tradition. According to Burns, in his notes on the 'Museum', the song was named after the Allan Water in Strathallan. Interestingly, the tune can be traced back through manuscript collections as early as 1692. Whilst different versions of the tune appeared in these early collections, all of them had 'Allan Water' as their title. Unfortunately it is not known who was responsible for either the song or the tune.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503238

Title

Volume I, song 043, page 43 - 'Allan Water' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Object Type

PhysicalObject

Measurements

- 130 x 211 mm