Mel Bay The Robert Burns Song Book, Vol.1 [Paperback]

Robert Burns (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1997

This volume of the songs of Scottish poet Robert Burns contains 85 songs excerpted from the chapter "Country Life" in a larger collection of 324 Burns songs compiled and researched by Serge Hovey. It includes songs portraying farmers, shepherds, millers, weavers, tinkers, colliers, coopers, shoemakers, tailors, and other country folk reflecting Burns's intense love of the Scottish countryside and the oral tradition and music of its people. Robert Burns (1759-1796) spent his life collecting Scottish songs, using fragments of existing lyrics as the basis for his own poems, and wrote original lyrics for traditional melodies. Burns left for posterity about 270 poems and more than 300 songs which are usually printed without their tunes. Serge Hovey meticulously examined Burns' own sources, letters, and manuscripts to determine the origin of every tune and all the verses as well as Burns' intended match of words and music. He then arranged each song with highly imaginative and beautiful accompaniments geared for pianists with average skills.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Serge Hovey (1920-1989) studied composition with Arnold Schoenberg and Hanns Eisler. Hovey was musical director of Bertolt Brecht's Galileo in Hollywood (1947). He composed the score for John Brown's Body, produced at UCLA. His other credits are numerous, including a ballet, an opera, music for two plays, songs, choral and chamber works, and the seven-album series The Songs of Robert Burns. While developing theories and musical structures related to the field of ethno-musicology, Hovey pursued intensive self-studies regarding intonation and tuning systems. He created a 21-tone scale linking ancient Greek musical theory with modern Western practices. These studies found expression in his electro-acoustic projects, resulting in works utilizing "just intonation" and electronic techniques. For the last two decades of his life, Hovey worked with a progressively debilitating neurological illness which eventually deprived him of all movement and speech. In keeping with his positive and imaginative perspective, Hovey developed unique methods enabling him to communicate his musical thoughts for others to notate.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786630469
• ISBN-13: 978-0786630462
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #957,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)