Blythsome Bridal (The)

 BLYTHSOME BRIDAL, THE. AKA and see "An the Kirk Would Let Me Be," "Bremner and the kirk would let me be," "Blithesome Bridal," "Come fy, let's a' to the bridal," "Come Let's A' to the Bridal." "Come to the Bridal," "I'm the Boy for Bewitching Them," "Let us waa to the wedding." "The Jolly Pedler's [4]," "Silly Old Man [2]." Scottish, (9/4 time). F Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. This odd-timed tune appears in Johnson's Scots Musical Museum, 1787; No. 58 (it is noted variously in 9/8 and 6/8 time). Words to the melody have been attributed to 17th century Scots writer Francis Semple, son of Robert Semple of Belltrees, the author of the humorous poem "Sanny Briggs." The words were printed in the first publication of miscellaneous Scottish verse in Watson's Choice Collection of Comic and Serious Scots Poems (1706-11). It is from this volume the Thomas D'Urfey got his copy of "The Blythsome Bridal" which he reprinted in his Pills to Purge Melancholy (1719-1720), including the very curious errors owing to printer Watson's ignorance of the Scottish language [Robert Burns, Robert Riddell, Notes on Scottish Song]. Tyneside fiddler and singer-songwriter Robert "Bobby" Nunn (1808-1853) set his song "The Sandgate Lass On The Ropery Banks" to this tune. William Stenhouse (1773-1827), in his Illustrations to the Scots Musical Museum (1839) remarks that the song is "another of the old Scottish songs which has fortunately been handed down to us in its primitive state. It is valuable both as a curious specimen of the ancient language of Scotland as well as of the coarse but lively manners of our peasantry in the olden times, circumstances which too frequently escape altogether the notice of the historian" (p. 61). Printed source: Emmerson (Rantin' Pipe and Tremblin' String), 1971; No. 76, p. 157.

X:1 T:Blythesome Bridal, The M:9/4 L:1/8 K:F F2|F3G F2A2 c2e2d2 A2F2|G3A F2G2A2c2 d4f2| F3G F2f2e2d2c2A2F2|G2A2d2 A3G FE D4||f2| f2c2f2 f3gf2 e2d2c2|d2c2A2 f3g a2g4e2| f3g f2a2g2f2e2d2c2|de f2d2c2c2A2F2G4||

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