The Thrush : a choice selection of the most admired popular songs, heroic, plaintive, sentimental, humorous, and bacchanalian / arranged for the violin, flute, and voice ; by the editor of the "Skylark."
London : T. Tegg, [1827]
1 score (vii, 327 p.) ; 20 cm.
Added t.p., engraved, dated 1827.
With unaccompanied melodies to most of the songs.
Today’s entry features a song titled “Éirinn go Brách” or “Erin Go Bragh” printed in an early 19th century songbook. The book, The Thrush, has a beautiful engraving on the title page, as well as a mix of tunes sourced primarily from England and Scotland.
This particular musical declaration of “Erin Go Bragh” is often subtitled “the exiled Irishman’s lament”.
Its authorship was a matter of some dispute in 1844, when Thomas Campbell claimed to have written the song, though it was attributed to a George Nugent Reynolds. You can read the resulting exchange in the brochure, “Memoranda of Irish matters, by obscure men of good intention”, available via Google Books (the discussion starts on page 81). Members the Reynolds family and other acquaintances provide evidence that George indeed wrote the song.
The memorandum concludes:
Some days after this memorandum had been sent to press, the melancholy intelligence of the death of Mr. Campbell arrived in Dublin.
Upon this announcement, the first impulse of the writer of this Memoranda was to sup press altogether this paper, lest its publication might wound the feelings of the surviving relatives of the poet.
But upon consideration he did not feel that he had a right to keep back the solemn declarations of the family and friends of Mr. Reynolds upon this subject, which had been entrusted to him for the purpose of publication.
He has accordingly allowed that portion of the Memorandum which contains these declarations to be printed, and has suppress ed the remainder. He found it impossible, in the short time allowed for revision, so to re-mould his arguments as to avoid attach ing some blame to Mr. Campbell for his con duct in this matter, and this he could not bear to do so soon after the poet's eyes were closed in death.
Oh, and there’s a song called “Corn Rigs are Bonny”. #iowa
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