Volume V, song 422, page 435 - 'Wantonness for ever mair' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

'Wantonness for ever mair, Wantonness has been my ruin; Yet, for a' my dool and care, Its wantonness for ever. I hae lo'ed the Black, the Brown; I hae lo'ed the Fair, the Gowden: A' the colours in the town I hae won their wanton fever.' 'Dool' means 'grief' or 'sorrow'. 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. Many consider this song to be by Burns. John Glen (1900) quotes William Stenhouse as saying, 'This bagatelle was written by Burns. (Stephen) Clarke thought it worthy of a place in the Museum, that the tune might be preserved, which is 'ancient', and deserving of better lines than those furnished by the bard.' William Stenhouse was the editor of the 'Museum' (1853) following Johnson's death. He wrote extensively on many of the songs in the 'Museum', although in recent years his views have largely been discredited or at least found, with alarming frequency, to be inaccurate. Stephen Clarke worked on the 'Museum' as a musical editor and arranger.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503617

Title

Volume V, song 422, page 435 - 'Wantonness for ever mair' - 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