Volume V, song 446, page 458 - 'Waly, Waly. - A different set - see volume 2. Page 156' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'O Waly, waly up yon bank, And waly waly down yon brae, And waly by yon river side, Where I and my love wont to gae! O waly waly love is bonny, A little while when it is new, But when its auld it waxes cauld, And wears awa' like the morning dew!' 'Auld' is Scots for 'old' and 'cauld' is Scots for 'cold'. 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. Burns on his commentary on the first composition, song 158, commented that he had heard a different melody played in the south-west of Scotland. It did, however, take Burns eight years to publish this alternative melody, as volume II appeared in 1788 and volume IV in 1796. Its inclusion is thought to be a mark of respect for Robert Riddell who had requested its publication just before his death.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503640

Title

Volume V, song 446, page 458 - 'Waly, Waly. - A different set - see volume 2. Page 156' - 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