Annotation:Lowlands of Holland (1)

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LOW LANDS OF HOLLAND [1], THE. AKA - "Lowlands of Holland." Scottish, Slow Air (4/4 time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA. The melody appears in James Oswald's Collection of Curious Scots Tunes (1741), attributed to "David Rizo," which Alburger suggests is possibly a pseudonym for Oswald. The real David Rizzio was Queen Mary's secretary and an accomplished lutenist and singer (see Alburger, 1983, for a discussion of the legend). Another early song by this title appears in Herd's Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, vol. II (1776). The theme of the song stems from the Anglo-Dutch conflicts of the mid-17th century, when press-gangs roamed the countryside surrounding port communities.

Last night I was a-married and in my wedding bed,
Up came a bold sea captain, and stood at my bed-head;
Saying 'Arise, arise, young married man and come along with me,
To the lowlands of Holland for to fight the enemy.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Alburger (Scottish Fiddlers and Their Music), 1983; Ex. 21, p. 42. Oswald (Caledonian Pocket Companion, Book II), 1760; p. 36

Recorded sources:

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