Volume V, song 473, pages 486 and 487 - 'Auld king Coul' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'Our auld king Coul was a jolly auld soul, And a jolly auld soul was he; Our auld king Coul fill'd a jolly brown bowl, And he car'd for his fiddlers three: Fidell-didell, fidell-didell, quo' the fiddlers three; There's no a lass in a' Scotland Like our sweet Marjorie.' 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. The inclusion of this song in the 'Museum' by Burns is quite unusual as he was quite strict about only including material which demonstrated a Scottish origin. It has now been proved that this popular nursery rhyme has an English origin. It first appeared in 1733 in Gay's opera 'Achilles'. The tune given in the 'Museum' is also based on this opera. Another tune to the piece is known and is based on a melody entitled 'The British Grenadiers'. Unfortunately no connection with Scotland can currently be proven.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503667

Title

Volume V, song 473, pages 486 and 487 - 'Auld king Coul' - 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

- 258 x 211 mm