Volume III, song 286, page 296 - 'Frennett Hall' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'When Frennett castle's ivied wa's Thro' yallow leaves were seen; When birds forsook the sapless boughs, And bees the faded green; Then Lady Frennet, vengeful dame, Did wander frae the ha', To the wild forest's dewie gloom, Among the leaves that fa'.' 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. John Glen, during his researches for 'Early Scottish Melodies' (1900), was unable to find this melody in any song collection published prior to the 'Museum'. He did, however, believe it to be of Irish origin, Unfortunately little else is known about the tune. As is so typical of many ballads and folksongs, the origin of 'Frennett Hall' is steeped in mystery. The essence of the oral tradition, of which this is a part, is in the handing down of songs through the telling, from generation to generation and from place to place. They were never intended to be written down and carefully documented. It was only with the advent of manuscript and printed song collections in the seventeenth century onwards that many were recorded on paper for the first time.

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503482

Title

Volume III, song 286, page 296 - 'Frennett Hall' - 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