All of you must certainly have a whole raft of new year’s day experiences and moments of memory.
We’ve been living in London, Ontario for close to 7 years and one of the many things that London is known for is that it’s the birthplace of Guy Lombardo. He was the king of New Years Eve music, and with his ‘Royal Canadians’ band, served as Canada’s goodwill ambassador to the English speaking world each New Year’s Eve with his famous arrangement, and his band’s performance of ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
If you listen to the Time’s Square’s famous New Year’s celebration you will still hear “Should old acquaintance be forgot…” at the stroke of midnight, and if you’ve done this, or tuned into Niagara Fall’s celebration (a family favourite of ours), you’ll still hear this wonderful song at the stroke of midnight.
The meaning of ‘auld lang syne’ could be simple translated as ‘old, long since’. Although it’s is sometimes translated as ‘olden times’, which rhymes nicely with the 2nd stanza, the feeling is not quite the same.
How many of us think in terms of ‘since’, with regards to friends and experiences from earlier days in our lives? ‘It’s such a long time since I’ve seen you!’ remains a common phrase in today’s world, and back in 1788, when Burns first wrote these words, the feelings must have been near to our own today.
We aren’t certain who wrote the melody that we know so well. Burns himself wasn’t a melody writer, usually giving reference to a common song whose melody and rhythm fitted, when indicating how one of his poems should be sung. However, under the title of this poem, he specifies the tune is ‘as title’, which is, of course, ‘Auld lang syne’.
When Burns first sent the words to the Scottish Music Museum soon after he wrote the words, he noted in his accompanying letter, ” “The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man.”
More than likely, he was referring to the song ‘Old Long Syne’ printed in 1711 by James Watson. It is very similar in the first verse and the chorus to Burns’, and is most likely derived from the same ‘old song”. Note the similarity in both the sentiment, rhythm and words …
Old Long Syne
Should Old Acquaintance be forgot,
and never thought upon;
The flames of Love extinguished,
and fully past and gone:
Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold,
that loving Breast of thine;
That thou canst never once reflect
On old long syne.
Chorus:
On old long syne my Jo,
On old long syne,
That thou canst never once reflect,
On old long syne.
The melody that was most likely used for both this and Burns’ original ballad can be traced back to 1700, but Burns complained that he felt the tune was only ‘mediocre’. Eleven years after Burns first registered this poem, it was published with the tune we sing today, which remains anonymous.
The song was soon a hit throughout Europe, with the famed Joseph Haydn writing a brisk arrangement of it in 1799, followed by none other than Beethoven, in 1814.
An interesting feature of the melody is that it uses only five notes of the scale, which is called a ‘pentatonic scale’.
As well as being sung on New Year’s Eve, it is also often sung at gatherings, including funerals, in memory of those who have passed.
(The opening of this blog was written January 1st, in anticipation of posting a new year’s song from our annual family card. Delays in recording some of the elements, in part due to our Covid times, and updating the recording setup and arrangement of things in our music room meant changing the song to an ‘all the best to you’ theme, which I’ll be posting later today, April 1st. For those of you who’ve followed the blog in the past, I apologize for this interruption.)
I did a short improvisation on this song this morning, to fit all of the words, as well as the changing moods and reflections. Perhaps you’d like to sing along. All in all, going through all of the verses lies bare the reality that this is a drinking song. One can only imagine this as a popular pub song, either as a solo, or more likely, given its renown, with everyone joining in, especially on the frequent choruses.
May we always remember at times, to celebrate the importance of having close and trusted friends, that time and space and even death itself cannot separate, from a forever place of prominence in our lives.
Auld Lang Syne
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?
Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!
and surely I’ll buy mine!
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Chorus
We two have run about the hills,
and picked the daisies fine;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
Chorus
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
Chorus
And there’s a hand my trusty friend!
And give me a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
Chorus