The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-05-27
mo. S.

stunted instrument called the stock and hor,
winch In ITS turn was forced to yield, to infe-
rior species ct bag-ppe. Yet during this time
srih such insfrunents these, it is pretended that
! on the banks OF the Tweed or elsewhere some,
Scotch shepherds imagined those precious strains
OF rural melody and that they were either SO
nsens,D,e 10 praise, or the nation itself SO unaf-
fected by their beauties, as to suffer their names
| 10 sleep with their authors in the graveyard du-
rang this time is knogvn with certainty that Ireland
| N;'d hundreds OF eNceuent performers the harp,
and composers of unequalled excellence, whose
names have not been suffered 10 perish and hun
dreds OF whose exquisite melodies have been
| preserved.
The history of the pretensions of Scotland To
| national music, is short and easily understood.
Amidst the tranquility that succeeded to the
UNION OF that nation with England, the love Of
letters and taste for English literature and Lam
gnage began universally to prevail The people
fund themselves in. possessio,, OF a species OF
WIG but sweety expressive harmony strung orr
ginally to gaelic words, or as Mr.. Currie would
express 1t " which more immediately OF
highland origin" which tradition was handed
down as Gaelic or Irish but which henceforth
being adapted to words of Scotch or English
dialect began to he regarded as Scotch-This is
entirely conformabe TO the cOnectures of Mr.
Ramsay OF ----, that the most beautiful of the
scottish tunes were cloathed with new words
after the union of the crowss.
list. Lochaber no more-2d Through the.
WOOD iaddie-Sd. Moll Roe--4th Come under
my pladde-5tA Banks of Dee-6th What
beauties does Flora disclosa-7th. Maggie
Lauder-9th. My Nanny oh-l0th Green
grow the Ruslies-11th When bidded to the.
wake or FAIR. But aware .. !, would seem &C
the difficulty into which this admission would
lead the advocates for Scottish song, the same
gentleman under the signature of Rein
cole gives his reasons at large for questioning tho
antiquity OF many of the most celebrated Scot
tish songs. In the collection Of Poppy, indeed
there are a few Scottish songs of the last centu-
ry but the names ofthe authors = not preser-
we'd, and IT 1t be allowed us to Judge from the,
specimens which have survived their loss should
occasion but small regret to the admirers of Scot
ush music or national antiquities The truth
probably is, that some part of the Rowland mu-
SIC OF Scotland and the whole of that of England
with the exception of Wales, are of the same
character and origin, that small part of ii NAV
De traced as high up as the reign of Mary Queer,
~ ocous, a>which time IT was either introduced
from Italy by David Rizzio or composed by him
during twenty years residence in Scotland.
ms opinion agrees with Oswald in his collecti-
on OF Scottish tunes, in which the Broom of Cow
den Knows the Black Eagle, and sever.l other of
the pest Scotch tunes. arc ascrbed to him. 1t de-
serves fresh credit by the conformity between
their basses and those of the old French Vaude-
vliles brought from Italy by Rincucine nearly a.
bout the time of Rzzio.-It is still farther con-
nrrned by Its entire want of resemblance to the,
SSellc music still preserved in the highlands.
ROyVx
entirely III the Irish manner.
1t IS moreover the opinion of the melodious
Cemlnlanl, that there is no original music on this
side the Alps except the Irish: the Scotch and
English, that is the lowland music of both he
ing originally borrowed from the Italians lie
any thing be wanting to affordcomplcte convection
on this head it will be- founded in the fact so nf
zen repeated thatthe Scotch cannot produce rho
name @, a single composer nor the date of a SIM
sic musical combosition
But although these observations are tr,,e IF ,
par! Oh tne iowiard music, they do not affect the.
ah'iquty OF the greater part, which in the Ian.
guage OF DR.. Currie is more jmmed;ate,, 80.
hishiahd origin; of that part, which ACCORDING, IA
Nir' ramsay was sung to English words after
Inc union OF the Crowns. About this part the
question is between Scotland and Ireland but
II Will cease TO be question, the materials ona.
IN our hands to decide it forever W. Iii 90
ouce such proofs as Mr.. Burns himself deeme;
sufhcient We will produce the original CT
&c songs to which these airs were and are %,
lhis day sung IN every part Of Irelano In soms,
49, tie airs are literally the same in others a
sight variation is to be found, which may he cor, :
sidered species of dialect arising, from tl,a;,,
ueScent by tradition and their loosinp AZ ever,, va
move some portion of their original cbaracte
sometimes the departure from the original s,ra,,.
IS wider and the likeness consequently less obv;-
GUS. 1his could have arisen only from plaor;
rsm the effort of min>s deficient in ;n1aaSs;.'
saGacity to modify the antent airs into T.,
suci cases sometimes the opening of the melody
IS alone preserved sometimes tie conclns;onsS
In others the character and expression are fre-
quentiy altered by tRne
The very language Of Scotland is sufficient =.
lone to have produced the difference that 10 Oh
Servable. This observation may perhaps ra;ee
snc ut incredibly b.: al! doubt, ,,r, tis h,.a,;
Will be removed by listening to an Irish air s,,no-
TO words OF Scotch idiom. 1t will be ob;ectaS
mat this cannot affect the style of the mnsic IS
executed on an instrument. We can easiIy he
leve, however, from the effect produced hyy H..
use OF the Scottish dialect i'm a single inst.n
now great would be those produced bv its h.
thai use on the tunes cOntended for drint, tbc;,
descent we can readily believe that the tnne.,
have been taken down from the voice. and d.
The expression of the Scotch sonpster IS now
stampt OH the music.
In general however the tunes are in cverv tb;r,.
the same. The Scotch and Irish sets of C!afbSr;n4.
Ogle dhier no more than sets of modern tnnc,
winch we meet With every day Burns's adiem caJ'
led by the Irish the Peacock l. PLAYED in si,,,,
tune IN Scotland 1t is a more lively strain in Ire.
land The Scotch mode certainlyis the best hnt
the tune IN other respects is the same. .nJ -
IS IRISH Lochabar no more, with scarccIy ,hS.
change OF single tone, as the music @, the oId r
liS song, under nv Platldie ,rJ a. -