The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-06-20
THE REFRAIN MUSIC.

Just at evening on the night before the
attack on the Great Redan, the Scottish SOL
diers in the Crimea joined in the familiar
ballad-song of I" Annie Laurie" A few be-
gan it outside of the tents, but in very lit
tie while hundreds came forth through the
whole camp, and, with the manifest of voices
and tenderest of hearts, struck in, hardy old
veterans as they were, unused to the melting
mood, yet subdued at times even to tears as
they sang. The voices on the earlier lines
of the verses were gentle and plaintive; but
when they reached the closing chorus it
seemed as if they could hardly sing strongly
enough. Great waves of sound rolled across
the plain, over the trenches, and up against
the walls of the moonlit citadel. The enthu
sasm was intense; there seemed but the
throbbing of one mighty heart, the beating
of one pulse through all the battalions.
Now, how are we to explain this 1t was
not the words nor the music; hear verse
or two, and you will see this plainly:
"Maxweltons braes are bonnie,
Where early fa's the dew;
And t is there that Annie Laurie
Ged me her promise true,
Gied me her promise true,
Which meier forgot will be;
And for bonnie Annie Laurie
I'd lay me down and dee
" Like dew on the gowan lying,
Is the fa' O. her fairy feet,
And like winds in summer signing,
Her voice is low and sweet,
Her voice is low and sweet
And she's a the world to me:
And for bonnie Annie Laurie
I'd lay me down and dee!"
Now, any one can see that this is mere
love song. The music is sweet, but just as
simple as the poetry; not martial strain in
it from beginning to end What, then, is
there here at all calculated to move the heart
of stern soldier on the field of battle 2
This, to begin with; it had beautiful mel
ody, and it also had an easy refrain.
Then farther; they made that little home
ballad symbol and suggestion. At once
it brought to their Imagination their own
Caledonian land far away over the waters.
Annie Laurie became to every true-hearted
husband, brother, lover, or friend among
them, the representative of one for whom his
soul was longing.
No wonder then, that he sang with the
spirit and the understanding also. No won
der that the air rocked with the tones when
such hearts burst forth at once with the ut
terance,
"And for bonnie Annie Laurie
I'd lay me down and dee ~
And, added even to this, was the spirit of
patriotism. Those strains were thoroughly
Scottish. They had rung for years in the
fatherland and now in this distant camp the
song whispered to their minds the memories
of what they might never see again; the
straths and the glens; the deep blue lakes,
the wailing winter torrents, and the snow
laden mountains which fed them; it was only
the echoed sound of their mOOrland winds,
their lonely waterfalls, in dear old Scotland,
their country and their home.
Nobody knows how much of power there.
is in this principle till he has tried it. Give
people rhythm and sentiment and they will
sing, and singing will attack the Redan, or
the devil, or fastidious unbelief, or anything
else that gets in the way. 1t does not make
any difference whether it is artistic or not
Put three things together, and the singing of
the multitude will go on. Give them melody,
and refrain, and the gospel, and they will
make the welkin ring. And at the same
moment they will be kindled and moved and
melted Christian Weekly.
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