Volume I, song 028, page 29 - 'He stole my tender Heart away' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'The fields were green, the hills were gay, And birds were singing on each spray, When Colin met me in the grove, And told me tender tales of love. Was ever swain so blythe as he, So kind so faithful and so free! In spite of all my friends cou'd say, Young Colin stole my heart away, In spite of all my friends cou'd say, Young Colin stole my heart away.' 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. Although Burns was against the inclusion of English songs in the 'Museum', he concedes that this 'Anglo-Scot(t)ish production' was 'by no means a bad one'. Despite this favourable opinion, however, he did persuade James Johnson to restrict selection for the remaining volumes to Scottish songs. Originally, Johnson's intention had been to compile a collection of Scots, English and Irish songs.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503224

Title

Volume I, song 028, page 29 - 'He stole my tender Heart away' - 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