Jock o' Hazeldean

[nigelgatherer]

The Crieff Community Band are doing "Jock o' Hazeldean" in a set for the Waltz Country Dance, and while we were playing it on Friday, Charlie asked if I knew anything about the tune. The short answer was no, but I'm looking at one of my favourite sources of knowledge for Scottish melodies, The Popular Songs and Melodies of Scotland (1893), where it says that before Scott wrote his verses, it was an old ballad. The air is in the Leyden Manuscript of music for the Lyra-viol which dates from the late 17th century; there it is titled "The Bony Brow". Other titles found in early Scottish printed collections include "The Bonny Brow", "The Glancing of Her Apron" and "In January Last".

Interestingly, the melody given in Popular Songs and Melodies of Scotland is in 2/4.

[John Kelly]

Marcelyn, one of the regular posters over on the Song-A-Week Group on the Mandolin Cafe website has posted a version of the song as a YouTube clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv_MhWRLh...detailpage and there has been some interesting discussion generated on the use of the voice as an instrument.

I have posted my version on SoundCloud for Marcelyn to hear a Scot's rendering of the words and this is the link:
Jock O' Hazeldean.

[Addie]

Fiddler’s Companion lists the original air as “The Bonny Brow” from the Leyden MS, c. 1640, Words by Sir Walter Scott, building on a stanza by Thomas Pringle, BUT, in “The Poetical Works of Thomas Pringle,” 1839, p. 177, there is “Pleasant Teviotdale” sung to the air "Jock o’ Hazeldean.”

The earliest ref. I have found so far is Plumstead’s “The Beauties of Melody,” 1827, p. 255: "Jock o’ Hazeldean. A celebrated Scotch Song, sung by Miss Paton. The words written by Sir Walter Scott.” This work gives the tune as well.

Ford’s “Song Stories” claims the original air to be “Jock o’ Hazelgreen,” from “Albyn’s Anthology,” 1816.

[Jack Campin]

"Jock (or John) of Hazelgreen" is thought to be the original version of the whole song, not just the tune. I think the place is somewhere in southwest Scotland or northwest England.

In the Blaikie ballad MS there is a tune called "Johnie of Airlegreen" which I presume is intended for a variant of "John of Hazelgreen". It's in 6/8 and completely unrelated to the usual "Jock of Hazeldean" tune.

http://www.campin.me.uk/Music/Blaikie.abc