SONGS AND BALLADS OF SCOTLAND.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1247, 16 April 1880, Page 2

SONGS AND BALLADS OF SCOTLAND.

At the meeting of the St. Paul's Young Mens Association last evening' there was a good attendance of Members and Visitors, and a sprinkling of Ladies. After the routine business had been disposed of, the Chairman, Mr. M'Farlane, introduced Mr. G. Brownlee, senior, who came forward and gave bis lecture on the Songs and Ballads of Scotland. lie began by giving a brief apcount of prevalence of song in Scotland as far back as the year 120Q, and quoted specimens from, the songs of the Gude Bruce, -'The death of Alexander the H 1.," and from James the Firsts "Peblis to the play." IJe gave some quaint arid satiric lines from Oaxton in commemoration of the marriage of David, the son of Bruce of Scotland, to Jane, the sister of King Edward of England. She was facetiously called Jane Makepeace. Coming down to the days of Henryson, Douglas, and Dunbar, he gave a curious example of a song, " line hunts up," which is quoted by Shakespeare in his Romeo and Juliet-—" Hunting thee hence with hunts up to the day," From Douglas' translation pf iEneid he gave,—

"Ane sang the ship sails over the salt faem Will bring their merchandise and my leman hame."

' He gave some strange examples of the songs of the Sixteenth Century, such as " The. frog cam' to the mill door," "Trollee, lollee, leman dow," and "My love is lying sick," touching on the goodly ; balladg g,nd psalms of Dundee; and a little further on he sang the pathetic ancient ballad, " Oh, Bothwell bank, thou bloomest fair," Coming down to the reign of the House of Hanover, he gave some anecdotes illustrative of the times, and sang the Jacobite song "Royal Charlie's noo awa." Coming to the time of Allan Ramsay, the Scottish Theocritus, he described the condition of the Scottish peasantry, a'qd nqtieed the superiqr state of education even of the poqrest subject, owing to the parish sphool system of education, which has not yet bggn expelled in sny country. As a specimen of Ramsay's songs, he read " Lochaber, no more. A little further on he gave the " Flowers of the Forest," both the old and the more modern version, which he illustrated by thsm on the concert, flute. He qlsq played Lady Apn" Lindsay's (i - Auld Robin Gray/' giving the old setting .also. He-now introduced that glorious master of song, the Ayrshire ploughman, and at this point the lecturer warmed to his work in real earnest. After some account of the poet and his work he gave his first song— Oh, once I loved a lass ; Ay, and I love her gtpl, He gave tlie touching incident qf the loyes of the poet" and Highland Mary, their tender parting, and her sad death. He read the beautiful gong t( To Mary in heaven," which was so pathetically given some time since by the Rev, Mr. Inglis. The origin of the song " Scots wha hae" was given, and the song sung, by Mr. Brownlee. Although not given with the voice of a volcano, as Carlisle has it, yet it was sung with a pathos' showing olearly that the lecturer 'had carefully studied tlie singing of a Scotch song. " Bonnie Doon" and " Duncan Gray" were played and sung by Mr. Brownlee. The lines " Spak a loupingowera linn," and " Meg was . deaf as Ilsa Craig," was done full Justice to, " Comin' thfo' ths rye" was slso sung and illustrated. Shortly touch T iiig on the life and works of Tannahill, he sang " Jessie the flower o' Dunblane." -The lecturer-here gave some account of a living poet, Mr. Archibald Mackay, of Kilmarnock, and r§afl His " E>e kind to Auld Qrannie," and -concluded, with i

Burns' Auld Lattgsyne, stating its and giving some anecdotes of its magid power. He proved by demonstration that the song was not merely Scotch, bufi now belonged to the common kindred of •our race, and with an exquisite touch of almost irony, he asked " For where is it not sung," and who can fail to be moved by the exquisite touch in the words and the spirit of the melody. The speaker then askeil the audience to join with him in singing, Should auld acquaintance be forgot," and we think every one in the room joined. The lecture was fairly commented upon by the Members, and a vote of thanks accorded to Mr. Brownlee. Upon the motion of one of the Members, Me. Brownlee was asked to again give his lecture at an early date—to which he kindly consented, and thanked the Meeting for its cordial vote of thanks.