LindoroRossini's video: Robert Burns Red Red Rose ed 1821 King s Singers

≈History & Music≈ Based on materials from the Grove Dictionary The origins of the present piece, in spite of its innate simplicity, are quite complex. The Scottish poet Robert Burns worked for the final ten years of his life on projects to preserve traditional Scottish songs. In all, he a hand in over 300 songs, the most famous being Auld Lang Syne. He worked on this project for James Johnson's the Scots Musical Museum (1787-1803) and for George Thomson's five-volume A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs. The selected poem was also to be published as part of Thomson's selection. However, after a disagreement on its merits, the poet gave the selection to singer Pietro Urbani who published it in his Scots Songs with a tune in a stylized Lieder-setting with accompanying parts for piano, violin and viola. Burns originally set the lyrics to Major Graham by Gow, a "Scottish dance, a reel of slower tempo". The poem later did appear in Thomson's Original Scottish Airs (1799) where the editor again reset it to the tune Wishaw's Favourite. However, the most familiar setting of Red, Red Rose was produced in 1821, when composer Robert Archibald Smith matched it to the tune "Low down in the Broom" in his "Scottish Minstrel". It is the latter version that we encounter here. Burns' poem itself is a miniature wonder {the poet referred to it as a "simple old Scots song which I had picked up in the country"}, and its 1821 setting helps to underline the elegant poetry. The melody is ideally balanced to the lyrics, flowing, lightly ornamented and naturalistic {Burns actually knew it but did not designate a separate verse for it}. Indeed, it seems that the music and poem accompany each other in a most luminous manner. ≈Text≈ The lyrics can be found here: http://www.robertburns.org/works/444.shtml ≈Recording≈ Some rather too overt vocal flourishes in the second stanza notwithstanding, the King's Singers have produced a dignified, fine reading of the song in question for their 2003 EMI album of folk songs. Hope you'll enjoy!