Volume VI, song 517, page 533 - 'Scenes of woe and scenes of pleasure' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'Scenes of woe and scenes of pleasure, Scenes that former thoughts renew; scenes of woe and scenes of pleasure, now a sad and last adieu. Bonny Doon, sae, sweet at gloaming, Fare thee weel before I gang Bonny Doon whare early roaming, First I weav'd the rustic sang.' 'Gloaming' refers to dusk or twilight. 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 Johnson has included a note under the title attributing this song to Burns, in point of fact it was written by the Edinburgh printer and poet, Richard Gall (1776-1801). A devotee of Burns, Gall strived to write in the style of the bard and, as such, his work is often wrongly attributed to him. John Glen (1900) was not only full of praise for Gall, describing his lines as 'extremely beautiful', but also for the accompanying melody. Believed to have been composed by Allan Masterton (d. 1799), Glen described it as 'a perfect gem'.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503711

Title

Volume VI, song 517, page 533 - 'Scenes of woe and scenes of pleasure' - 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