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Description: | Verse 1: 'Simmer's a pleasant time, Flowers of ev'ry colour; The water rins o'er the heugh, And I long for my true lover! Ay waukin, O, Waukin still and weary: Sleep I can get nane, For thinking on my Dearie.'
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.
In 'Early Scottish Melodies' (1900), John Glen notes that 'this beautiful little melody was published by William Napier in his 'Selection of the most Favourite Scots Songs' (1790)'. Its appearance in Napier's collection was just months before its inclusion in the 'Museum'. Glen further notes that 'Napier's version of the air is that which Captain Riddell communicated to Stephen Clarke, and which was printed in the fourth (third) volume of the 'Museum''. Captain Robert Riddell of Glenriddell (1755-94) was a friend of Robert Burns and fellow commentator on the 'Museum', and Stephen Clarke (d 1797) worked on the 'Museum' as musical advisor and arranger. | License: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0 | Publisher: | National Library of Scotland | Temporal: | 1787-01-01 - 1803-12-31 | Source: | Burns Scotland | Identifier: | Volume III, song 213, page 222 - 'Ay wau | Go to resource |
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