Skip to main content

Songs. Musical compositions.

 Subject
Subject Source: Local sources
Scope Note: Musical compositions, typically relatively short, consisting of words, melody and, often but not necessarily, other elements of musical arrangement. The words, which may be sung with or without instrumental accompaniment, may be specific to the music, lyrics, or the music may be composed to accompany existing words, such as those of a poem.

Found in 246 Collections and/or Records:

Final versions of musical compositions of Ronald Center., Mid 20th century-[?1973], undated.

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS.22171-22186
Scope and Contents From the Series:

The musical compositions consist of final versions (MSS.22171-22186), and sketches, drafts and fragments (MSS.22187-22193). The other papers consist largely of press cuttings.

Dates: Mid 20th century-[?1973], undated.

Four volumes of music, including songs by Lady John Scott, detailed in Miss Warrender’s notes in MS.834., Mid 19th century-late 19th century.

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS.838-841
Scope and Contents From the Series:

The collection consists of manuscript music composed or collected by Lady John Scott (Alicia Anne Spottiswoode of Spottiswoode, died 1900, wife of Lord John Douglas Scott), much of it being in her autograph.

Dates: Mid 19th century-late 19th century.

Full score, arrangements and piano accompaniment for ‘Cauld kail het’, a selection of Scots songs by G W Crawford., 1914.

 Sub-Series
Identifier: MSS.21917-21918
Scope and Contents From the Series: Most of the compositions of G W Crawford are written on a large scale and the collection consists chiefly of full scores, piano reductions and orchestral parts. There are very few drafts or sketches: almost all the compositions are in their final form, and many are in the hands of copyists. Most of the works are undated. Those dates that appear (usually on the last page or leaf) range from 1892 to 1941, but it is rarely clear whether these are of composition, revision or performance. Almost...
Dates: 1914.

Gaelic and Irish songs and some of George Campbell Hay's poems set to music., 1936-1947.

 Series
Identifier: MSS.26741-26743
Scope and Contents

George Campbell Hay was a self-taught piper and by 1940 had acquired an impressive repertoire of songs. In the late 1930's he began to compose settings both for his own and traditional poems. Some of the settings of the poems set to music are traditional.

Dates: 1936-1947.

Gaelic and Irish songs and some of George Campbell Hay's poems set to music., 1936-1939.

 File
Identifier: MS.26741
Scope and Contents From the Series:

George Campbell Hay was a self-taught piper and by 1940 had acquired an impressive repertoire of songs. In the late 1930's he began to compose settings both for his own and traditional poems. Some of the settings of the poems set to music are traditional.

Dates: 1936-1939.

Gaelic and Irish songs and some of George Campbell Hay's poems set to music., [Circa 1936]-1947.

 File
Identifier: MS.26742
Scope and Contents From the Series:

George Campbell Hay was a self-taught piper and by 1940 had acquired an impressive repertoire of songs. In the late 1930's he began to compose settings both for his own and traditional poems. Some of the settings of the poems set to music are traditional.

Dates: [Circa 1936]-1947.

Gaelic and Irish songs and some of George Campbell Hay's poems set to music., 1947.

 File
Identifier: MS.26743
Scope and Contents From the Series:

George Campbell Hay was a self-taught piper and by 1940 had acquired an impressive repertoire of songs. In the late 1930's he began to compose settings both for his own and traditional poems. Some of the settings of the poems set to music are traditional.

Dates: 1947.

Gairdyn manuscript: a collection of songs, marches, minuets, sarabands, country dances, etc., 1710, 1729, 1735, undated.

 File
Identifier: MS.3298 [Glen.37]
Scope and Contents

Of most tunes, only a few bars are given. On folio iv are verses beginning 'Than what shall be done with this traitor in grain' and 'When fierce Renegado cam first to the toun'. A short 'Inventar of household plenishing' appears on folio 42 verso. The dates 1710, 1729, and 1735 occur on folios 40, 40 verso, and 51.

Dates: 1710, 1729, 1735, undated.

Groups of undated songs, untitled tunes, and notes by Joe Corrie., Mid 20th century.

 File
Identifier: MS.26539
Scope and Contents From the Series:

Joe Corrie wrote music for many of his verses, and they were performed at concerts and on the radio.

Dates: Mid 20th century.

Hymns of Dugald Buchanan and songs of unidentified poets., ca. 1760

 Item
Identifier: MS.14851
Scope and Contents The booklet contains versions of three hymns of Buchanan, who is not identified as the poet, and a few other items. On the relationship between the versions of Buchanan's hymns with manuscripts of the same texts found in McLagan MS Gen 1042/20 and 1042/4, Glasgow University Library, see Donald Meek, 'Dugald Buchanan (1716-68): the poet, the translator, and the manuscript evidence. The Canna Lecture 2016' (Scottish Gaelic Texts Society 2019), esp. pp. 20-25. Formerly...
Dates: ca. 1760

Jacobite papers collected by Sir Henry Steuart, titled, 'M.S.S. Jacobite II'., 1700-1869, undated.

 File
Identifier: MS.1696
Scope and Contents From the Series: These papers are part of the collection which was formed by Sir Henry Steuart with a view to composing a ‘History of the Efforts in behalf of the House of Stuart from the Revolution onwards’, together with papers on the Stuarts and the rebellions which were acquired by Robert Chambers, and notes on persons and events of the period by him.The papers consist of originals and copies; most of them have been incorporated in Robert Chambers’ books or in articles written by him for...
Dates: 1700-1869, undated.

Lecture notes and papers of John Stuart Blackie., Mid 19th century-late 19th century.

 File
Identifier: MS.2648
Scope and Contents

The papers concern:

(i) German literature, with translations of German poems and student-songs (folio 1);

(ii) Education (folio 152);

(iii) Language (folio 218).

Dates: Mid 19th century-late 19th century.

Letters and papers on various subjects., 1575-1824, undated.

 File
Identifier: MS.3135
Scope and Contents The contents are as follows:(i) Discharge of Andro Hart, printer, to Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney, 1592 (folio 1);(ii) Discharge of Robert Brysone, printer and bookseller, and Evan Tyler, printer, to Mr George Halyburton for liturgies delivered to the Chapel Royal, Edinburgh, 1637 (folio 2);(iii) Letter of the Earl of Mar to Thomas Kennedy, Lord Advocate of Scotland, demanding an immediate report on the presence of a French ship near Inverkeithing, 1714...
Dates: 1575-1824, undated.

Letters to, and documents concerning Bessie Kerr., 1911-1934, undated.

 File
Identifier: MS.21562
Scope and Contents

The contents are as follows: (i) Letters, 1918-1934, undated, to Bessie Kerr (folio 1); (ii) Press cuttings, circa 1922-1934, undated, concerning Bessie Kerr (folio 45); (iii) Manuscripts of songs, 1924, undated, composed for Bessie Kerr, with some settings of her own (folio 85); (iv) College and school certificates, 1911-1918, of Bessie Kerr (folio 119).

Dates: 1911-1934, undated.

List of thirty-one Scots songs, both traditional ballads and poems by Burns and other authors, followed by arrangements of twenty-nine of them by David Stephen., Early 20th century.

 File
Identifier: MS.22161
Scope and Contents

The arrangements are marked ‘second copies’ and have tonic sol-fa notation added in red.

The compilation was made for a tenor album, which does not appear to have been published, of ‘Folk songs of Scotland’ edited by David Stephen and Robert Burnett.

Dates: Early 20th century.

Literary and linguistic papers of Donald MacPherson., Early 19th century.

 File
Identifier: MS.14894
Scope and Contents Folios 9-72 consist largely of neat transcripts of songs from Donald MacPherson’s notebooks, and are probably the final draft of part of his intended second publication. (Many items appear in earlier drafts in MSS.14891-14892). Folios 88-111 may be the promised English part.The contents are as follows.(i) John MacCodrum. “A’ chainnt a thuirt Iain”, 196 lines. From “Sàr Obair” (folio 1 recto);(ii) Niall MacMhuirich. “Aodroman muice hŏ! Hò!” 45 lines. From...
Dates: Early 19th century.

Loose sheets of Scottish music, including seven songs by Lady John Scott, bound with notes on the collection by Miss Margaret Warrender., Mid 19th century-early 20th century.

 File
Identifier: MS.834
Scope and Contents From the Series:

The collection consists of manuscript music composed or collected by Lady John Scott (Alicia Anne Spottiswoode of Spottiswoode, died 1900, wife of Lord John Douglas Scott), much of it being in her autograph.

Dates: Mid 19th century-early 20th century.