Re: "Scotland the Brave"

Iskandar Taib (ntaib@copper.ucs.indiana.edu)
Tue, 18 Jun 1996 08:34:46 -0500 (EST)

Mike May wrote:
>
> Diane Wild writes:
>
> > Marianne, the words are glorious and the song sounds like a must for my
> > program at Scottish Highland Society... where can I find the melody/tune?
> > Any ideas?
>
>
> No offense intended, I'm just hornswaggled that anybody in the world
> hasn't heard _Scotland the Brave_ 50 gazillion times over. And just be
> aware that the members of the Scottish Highland Society probably *have*
> heard it *at least* 50 gazillion times! At least. Really. 8-) I know
> that I probably hear the song/tune at least 4 or 5 times a day at every
> Scottish games that I've ever attended.
>
> And I definately agree with a previous poster who said that the current
> contender for a new Scottish Anthem is _Flower of Scotland_. In my
> opinion, a much more beautiful and moving song, both musically and
> lyrically, than _Scotland the Brave_.

And no offence here, but that tune makes me shudder. Maybe its having
heard it too many times. But mainly its because I associate it with
the Victorian-era "Scottish" sentimentalism that causes a lot of Scots
to spout off in soc.culture.celtic. Things like "clan tartans" (most
of which were supposedly invented by a pair of POLISH - or maybe they
were Czech? - brothers called Sobieski-Stewart..). I guess Dougie
McLean put it best - can't remember the name of the song, though - it
was a song railing about the elderly "Scots" who move back to Scotland
to "wear miles of tartan, you wrap it round your waist and you wear it
on your head"...

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Iskandar Taib | The only thing worse than Peach ala
Internet: ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu | Frog is Frog ala Peach
Home page: http://bigwig.geology.indiana.edu/iskandar/isk2.html
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