Happy Birthday Scotland in Music Robert Burns! By Edward Scott Pearlman By Irené Waldman Costello, 2nd VP f you walk through the old Imarket cross of Dunkeld to- anuary 25th marks the birthday of Robert Burns, and “Burns ward the ca thedral, you might JSuppers” as they are called in Scotland, will be happening all notice a round blue plaque over the world around this time. The traditional festivities of on the last house on the Burns Night (Burns Nicht) focus on the celebration of his life right, which says: “The Old and the poetry that has traveled all over the world. Your prob- Rectory…Dunkeld’s oldest ably know Auld Lang’s Sign that is usually sung on Hogmanay surviving house. Fiddler Niel as one of his most worldly known songs! Gow and poet Robbie Burns enter tained here 1787.” The first Burns supper was held in memoriam at his Last year, in January, some home by Burns’s friends, on 232 years after Burns and 21 July 1801, the fifth an- Gow met in Dunkeld, their niversary of his death and it violins met and made mu- has been a regular occurrence sic to gether at the Gaiety ever since. The first still extant Theatre in Ayr. Ayr shire fiddler Alistair McCulloch, dressed Burns Club was founded as Robert Burns, greeted Perthshire fid dler Pete Clark, who in Greenock in 1801 by Greenock Burns Club Menu 1894 personified Niel Gow, in a concert called The Twa Fiddles. Ayreshire merchants, some They went on to perform again in Sep tember at the Scottish of whom had known Burns. They held the first Burns supper Parliament build ing, sponsored by Deputy First Minister John on what they thought was his birthday, 29 January 1802, but Swinney, whose district includes the homes of Niel Gow and in 1803, they discovered that his parish records recorded his Pete Clark. The concert was attended by several members of date of birth as 25 January 1759. Since then, suppers have been Parliament and about 60 invited academics, musicians, mem- held on or about 25 January. The Saint Andrew’s Society of San bers of the National Trust for Scotland and friends. Francisco will be holding ours on February 1st at the Marines Memorial Hotel. The pairing of these historic violins was the brainchild of retired schoolteacher Paul Creighton of Ayr. “I knew Pete was Burns suppers may be formal or informal. Both typically one of the few fiddlers allowed to play Niel Gow’s fiddle,” said include haggis (a traditional Scottish dish celebrated by Burns Paul, “and Alistair was one of the few to play Burns’s fiddle. It in Address to a Haggis), Scottish whisky and the recitation of oc curred to me that we might have an op portunity to do some- Burns’s poetry. We shall be including all three in our Burns thing quite special.” Bringing together the two historic violins Supper! is certainly something special, and Alistair, Pete and Paul are Robert Burns, continued on page 3 Scotland in Music continued on page 4 JANUARY 2020 ~ Vol. 157, NO. 1 Happy Birthday Robert Burns ..................................... 1 From the Bard – What is Haggis? ................................ 2 Scotland in Music ........................................................... 1 Burns Supper Announcement ...................................... 8 Hogmanay 2019! .............................................................2 Calendar of Events .......................................................... 9 1 JANUARY 2020 THE SAINT ANDREW’S SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO Hogmanay 2019 Celebration hosted From The Bard — Jek Cunningham at the Firehouse. The Desecration of Scotland’s National Dish Imagine, if you can, at a Burns Night the toastmaster rises to intone “Ladies and gentlemen I can assure you no animals were harmed in the making of this dish.” I must look wi scornful view on sič a dinner, because they’ve finally done it; taken a hearty meal and turned it into a ghastly concoction of nuts, beans and oatmeal rolled in cabbage leaves and baked. Burns commented on “Fricassé wad mak her spew’, but I doubt he could have imagined this thing they call the vegetarian haggis. He said “Auld Scotland wants nae stinking ware that jaups in lug- gies.” Apparently the newer Scotland has come to that “Poor devil see him ower his trash, as feckless as a withered rash. His spindle shanks a guid whiplash. His nieve a nit; thro bloody flood or field to dash, O how unfit!” Call it what you like, you cannot call it Haggis. David Campbell, Kristian Mullins, Laurien Fiddes. 2 JANUARY 2020 THE SAINT ANDREW’S SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO Continued from page 1 O Lord—yestreen—thou kens—wi’ Lord, in thy day o’ vengeance try him! Robert Burns Meg— Lord visit him that did employ him! Holy Willies Prayer is one of my Thy pardon I sincerely beg! And pass not in thy mercy by them, favorite Burns poems and was written in O may ’t ne’er be a living plague, Nor hear their prayer; 1785. It was first printed anonymously To my dishonor! But for thy people’s sake destroy them, in an eight-page pamphlet in 1789 and And I’ll ne’er lift a lawless leg An’ dinna spare! is considered the greatest of all Burns’ Again upon her.— satirical poems and a mocking attack on But Lord, remember me and mine religious hypocrisy. Besides, I farther maun avow, Wi’ mercies temporal and divine! Wi’ Leezie’s lass, three times—I trow— That I for grace and gear may shine, O Thou that in the Heavens does dwell! But L—d, that friday I was fou Excell’d by nane! Wha, as it pleases best thysel, When I cam near her; And a’ the glory shall be thine! Sends ane to Heaven and ten to Hell, Or else, Thou kens, thy servant true Amen! Amen! A’ for Thy glory! Wad never steer her.— And no for ony gude or ill They’ve done before Thee.— Maybe Thou lets this fleshy thorn Buffet Thy servant e’en and morn, I bless and praise Thy matchless might, Lest he o’er proud and high should turn, When thousands Thou has left in night, That he’s sae gifted; That I here before Thy sight, If sae, thy hand maun e’en be borne For gifts and grace, Untill Thou lift it.— A burning and a shining light To a’ this place.— Lord bless Thy Chosen in this place, For here Thou has a chosen race: What was I, or my generation, But God, confound their stubborn face, That I should get such exaltation? And blast their name, I, wha deserv’d most just damnation, Wha bring thy rulers to disgrace For broken laws And open shame.— Sax thousand years ere my creation, Thro’ Adam’s cause! Lord mind Gaun Hamilton’s deserts! He drinks, and swears, and plays at When from my mother’s womb I fell, cartes, Thou might hae plunged me deep in hell, Yet has sae mony taking arts To gnash my gooms, and weep, and wail, Wi’ Great and Sma’, In burning lakes, Frae God’s ain priest the people’s hearts Where damned devils roar and yell He steals awa.— Chain’d to their stakes.— And when we chasten’d him therefore, Yet I am here, a chosen sample, Thou kens how he bred sic a splore, To shew Thy grace is great and ample: And set the warld in a roar I’m here, a pillar o’ Thy temple O’ laughin at us: Strong as a rock, Curse Thou his basket and his store, A guide, a ruler and example Kail and potatoes.— To a’ Thy flock.— Lord hear my earnest cry and prayer [O Lord thou kens what zeal I bear, Against that Presbytry of Ayr! When drinkers drink, and swearers Thy strong right hand, Lord, mak it bare swear, Upon their heads! And singin’ there, and dancin’ here, Lord visit them, and dinna spare, Wi’ great an’ sma’; For their misdeeds! For I am keepet by the fear, Free frae them a’.—] O Lord my God, that glib-tongu’d Aiken! My very heart and flesh are quaking But yet—O Lord—confess I must— To think how I sat, sweating and shaking, At times I’m fash’d wi’ fleshly lust; An’ pish’d wi’ dread, And sometimes too, in wardly trust While Auld wi’ hingin lip gaed sneaking Vile Self gets in; And hid his head! But Thou remembers we are dust, Defil’d wi’ sin.— 3 JANUARY 2020 THE SAINT ANDREW’S SOCIETY OF SAN FRANCISCO Continued from page 1 ability to collect and preserve so many great melo dies of Scot- Scotland in Music land. He could read and write music, and he said himself that hoping to raise funds to present more Twa Fiddles concerts, as when he wrote a song, he first selected the melody and sang it well as produce a video and an educational package for schools, as he wrote the words. His songs are certainly a masterful blend so that the unique connection of Niel Gow and Robert Burns of music and lyrics. can be more widely appreciated. The violin associated with he original meeting Burns was used by his dancing Tbetween Burns and Gow teacher, William Gregg. At took place in late summer, age 17, Burns defied his father 1787. Perhaps Burns was and went off to learn country seeking more melodies for dancing at the Bachelor’s Club his project, the Scots Musical at Tarbolton Lodge, a small Museum. The first volume building that can still be seen of this six-volume series had not far from Ayr.