Annotation:Scotland the Brave

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X:1 T:Scotland for Ever T:Brave Scotland M:2/4 L:1/8 R:Trumpet March Q:"Moderate" B:MacDonald - The Gesto Collection of Highland Music (1895, p. 109) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:F C|F (G/F/E/) FG|AFAc|f (g/f/e/) fg|fcAF| B(c/B/A/) dB|AcAF|G (A/G/^F/G/) [Ec]>[Ec]|[E4c4]| F (G/F/E/) FG|AFAc|f (g/f/e/) ag|fcAF| B (c/B/A/) dB}|AcBG|F (G/F/E/) FF |F3:| |:c|g (a/g/^f/) ga|g2 ec|f (g/f/e/) ag|fcAF| B (c/B/A/) dB|AcAF|G (A/G/^F/G/) [Ec]>[Ec]|[E4c4]| F (G/F/E/) FG|AFAc|f (g/f/e/) ag|fcAF| B (c/B/A/) dB|AcBG|F (g/f/e/) ff|f3:|]

SCOTLAND THE BRAVE. AKA and see "My Bonnie Lass(ie)," "Brave Scotland," "Scotland Forever." Scottish, March (2/4 time); English, Morris Dance Tune. G Major (Brody, Wade): D Major (Reiner). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Wade): AA’B (Johnson): AABB (Brody): AA'BB (Reiner). Tune used for a polka step in the North West (England) morris dance tradition, and a march in Scotland and Shetland. Jack Campin believes it first appeared around the turn of the 20th century, with words later set to it in 1950 by Cliff Hanley (1923-99) for Robert Wilson, a performer who needed a finale for a Christmas Scottish review that was being performed at the Glasgow Empire Theatre. The words may be tongue-in-cheek—it has been said that that Hanly, a great humorist as well as an author, historian and broadcaster, tried to put as many cliches about Scotland into the lyric as possible!. Another story told regarding the lyric is told by Harry Burns:

'Robert Wilson, who was at the time at the peak of his career, was looking for a new song for his stage show. Hanley was commissioned to write the song. The fee was £25 and Wilson was to get the copyright. Hanley took the completed song to Wilson who read it, gave him the agreed £25 then refused to let Hanley sign away the rights. "Naw, naw son, this is far too good. I'd be cheating you if I took the rights to this," said Wilson.

The oldest appearance of the melody Campin has seen was in a Boys’ Brigade pipe tune book from about 1911 where the title appeared as “Scotland, the Brave!!!” Charles Gore say the tune appears to date from about 1891-5, when it was published in Keith Norman Macdonald’s Gesto Collection of Highland Music (p. 109) under the title "Brave Scotland" and/or "Scotland for Ever," set as a 'Trumpet March'.

Since 2006 "Scotland the Brave" has been the regimental march of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Additional notes

Source for notated version: -

Printed sources : - Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; p. 252. S. Johnson (The Kitchen Musician No. 4: Collection of Fine Tunes), 1983 (revised 1991, 2001); p. 10. MacDonald (The Gesto Collection of Highland Music), 1895; p. 109. Reid, p. 5. Reiner (Anthology of Fiddle Styles), 1979; p. 16 (includes variations). Sweet (Fifer’s Delight), 1965; p. 50. Wade (Mally’s North West Morris Book), 1988; p. 18.

Recorded sources: -F&W Records 6, Fireside String Band "Square Dance Tunes for a Yankee Caller." Front Hall 01, Fennigs All Stars "The Hammered Dulcimer." Tradition 2118, Jim MacLeod & His Band "Scottish Dances: Jigs, Waltzes and Reels" (1979).

See also listings at:
Jane Keefer’s Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]
Alan Ng’s Irishtune.info [2]
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [3]

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