Volume VI, song 506, page 522 - 'Whar' Esk its silver stream' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'Whar' Esk its silver current leads 'mang greenwoods gay wi' mony a flower I hied me aft to dewy meads in happy days and built my bower. I call'd upon the birds to sing An' nestle in ilk fragrant flower, While in the liv'ry of the spring I deck'd my sweet enchanted bow'r.' 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 John Glen, in 'Early Scottish Melodies' (1900), 'This song is united to a melody taken from (James) Oswald's Caledonian Pocket Companion (1759), called 'I'll never see him more'. Unfortunately, little else is known about the song or the melody. The use of pastoral themes within folk song was extremely popular during the eighteenth century. At a time when Scotland was transforming into an industrial nation, those migrating to the towns and cities often harked back to an idealised rustic life. This was naturally reflected in the songs that were being sung.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503700

Title

Volume VI, song 506, page 522 - 'Whar' Esk its silver stream' - 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

- 129 x 211 mm