Volume IV, song 314, pages 324 and 325 - 'The Whistle' - Scanned from the 1853 edition of the 'Scots Musical Museum', James Johnson and Robert Burns (Edinburgh and London: W. Blackwood & Sons, 1853)

Verse 1: 'I sing of a Whistle, a Whistle of worth, I sing of a Whistle the pride of the North, Was brought to the court of our good Scotish king And long with this Whistle all Scotland shall ring Fal de dal lal lal lay And long with this Whistle all Scotland shall ring.' 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. This song was written for the 'Museum' by Robert Burns and is considered to be one his brilliant, 'racy' poems. The inspiration for the piece was a drinking contest held at Friar's Carse, his friend Robert Riddell's home, on the 16th October 1789. The game involved being above the table and being able to play the whistle. The little ebony whistle was thought to have belonged to a member of Anne of Denmark's retinue and was subsequently lost to various people in drinking contests. It eventually came into Riddell's possession, although on this particular occasion it was lost to another friend, Alexander Fergusson (1746?-96).

Collection

Scots Musical Museum

Inventory Number

4503510

Title

Volume IV, song 314, pages 324 and 325 - 'The Whistle' - 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

- 263 x 211 mm