Volume IV, song 327, page 337 - 'Lord Ronald my son' - 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 where hae ye been Lord Ronald, my son? O where hae ye been, Lord Ronald my son? I hae been wi' my sweetheart, mother, make my bed soon, For I'm weary wi' the hunting and fain wad lie down.' 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 was asked by his friend, Robert Riddell, to make notes on some of the songs he collected. These were written into the interleaving page of Riddell's copy of the 'Museum'. Some of the notes are very brief and even terse but this song may have touched Burns in some way as he left this longer comment: 'This air, a very favourite one in Ayrshire, is evidently the original of 'Lochaber'. In this manner, most of our finest more modern airs have had their origin. Some early minstrel, or musical shepherd, composed the simple artless original air, which being pickt up by the more learned modern musician took the improved form it bears'.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503523

Title

Volume IV, song 327, page 337 - 'Lord Ronald my son' - 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

- 132 x 211 mm