Tune Req: Castles in the Air

Subject: Castles in the Air
From: Richard
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 07:48 PM

Does anyone know where I can find a recording of the 19th C Scots song by Ballantyne, Castles in the Air? I have the words but no tune.

Thanks Richard

Subject: RE: Castles in the Air
From: Mbo
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 08:19 PM

I'm not sure about a recording, but you can get the GIF here. If you post an e-mail address, I can make a MIDI out of it and send it to you. Cheers!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Castles in the Air
From: Mbo
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 08:32 PM

The MIDI is now done, and ready to be sent out to you!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Castles in the Air
From: Bruce O.
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 09:03 PM

The tune is "Bonny Jean of Aberdeen". The song is in Scarce Songs 1 on my website. www.erols.com/olsonw. There you will also find an ABC or two of the tune. Other songs to the tune are "The Sturrering Lovers" and "The Ball of Kerrimuir".

Subject: RE: Castles in the Air
From: ddw
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 09:40 PM

Gee, Bruce, that's quite a collection you've got on your site. Thanks for sharing it with us.

David

Subject: RE: Castles in the Air
From: Richard
Date: 18 Jan 00 - 10:29 PM

Mbo

email is [e-mail]

Many thanks

Richard

Subject: RE: Castles in the Air
From: Bruce O.
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 12:23 AM

X:1
T:Castles in the Air [with Ballantine's song]
S:Scottish Song, by J.S. Blaikie, 1889
Q:120
L:1/8
M:C
K:F
F| F3/2 F/ F/ A3/2 C2 C D|F3/2 E/ F G A3 z|\
B3/1 A/ B d (c/A3/2) G F|(G3/2A/) (GF)D3z|\
F3/2 F/ F A C/ C3/2 (C3/2D/)|F2 F3/2 G/ A3z|\
G3/2 c/ (df) c/ A3/2 F3/2 G/|A3/2 B/ A G F2||(Ac)|\
d2 d f c2 c c||B3/2 A/ B c A3 A|\
B2B d c A3|G3/2 A/ G F D2 (A3/2G/)|\
F3/2 F/ F/ A3/2 C2 (C3/2D/)|F E F3/2 G/ A3z|\
B3/2 c/ d f (cA) F3/2 G/|A3/2 B/ A G F3|]

You'll find it about the same on a copy of 1858 in the Levy sheet music collection, Box 127, Item 026.

Subject: RE: Castles in the Air
From: Richard
Date: 19 Jan 00 - 01:26 AM

mbo and Bruce;

Many thanks. Mbo's file downloaded just fine. Unfortuantely I have not learned ABC yet, Bruce. Your site is great. I will be going there often.

From the midi it sounds like a reel; a little more uptempot than I imagined by the words. Now I will go back to Levy--Must have missed it. Thanks again.

Richard

Subject: Lyr Add: CASTLES IN THE AIR (James Ballantyne)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 02 May 04 - 11:31 PM

Lyrics and glossary copied from http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_castles.htm.

The same lyrics with only slight differences are also at
http://www.contemplator.com/scotland/air.html, where it says the tune is a variant of BONNIE JEAN O' ABERDEEN, and a midi file is provided.

There is also sheet music dated 1858 at The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music.

CASTLES IN THE AIR
James Ballantyne

The bonnie, bonnie bairn wha sits poking in the ase,
Glow'ring in the fire wi' his wee round face;
Laughing at the fuffin' lowe, what sees he there?
Ha! the young dreamer's bigging castles in the air.
His wee chubby face and his touzie curly pow,
Are laughing and nodding to the dancing lowe,
He'll brown his rosy cheeks, and singe his sunny hair,
Glow'ring at the imps wi' their castles in the air.

He sees muckle castles tow'ring to the moon!
He sees little sodgers pu'ing them a' doun!
Worlds whombling up and doun, bleezing wi' a flare,
See how he loups! as they glimmer in the air.
For a' sae sage he looks, what can the laddie ken?
He's thinking upon naething, like mony mighty men;
A wee thing mak's us think, a sma' thing mak's us stare,
There are mair folk than him bigging castles in the air.

Sic a night in winter may weel mak' him cauld;
His chin upon his buffy hand will soon mak' him auld;
His brow is brent sae braid, O pray that daddy Care,
Would let the wean alane wi' his castles in the air!
He'll glow'r at the fire! and he'll keek at the light!
But mony sparkling stars are swallow'd up by Night;
Aulder e'en than his are glamour'd by a glare,
Hearts are broken, heads are turn'd wi' castles in the air!

[ase=ashes
fuffin' lowe=smoking blaze
bigging=building
pow=head
muckle=large
whombling=capsize
loups=jumps
ken=know
Sic=such
buffy=chubby
brent sae braid=smooth right across
keek=peep]

---

Click to play (tune from Bruce O)

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Castles in the Air
From: masato sakurai
Date: 03 May 04 - 12:58 AM

Sheet music is also at Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920 (from Duke University):

Castles in the air; Scotch song. The Southern musical boquet of favorite songs and ballads; no. 7. (Macon, Georgia, John C. Schreiner & Son, [186-])

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Castles in the Air
From: Jim McLean
Date: 03 May 04 - 04:58 AM

My father sang a song called 'The Drunkard's Ragged Wean' to this tune.

Subject: ADD: The Drunkard's Raggit Wean
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 May 06 - 12:28 PM

Here's the poem/song Jim McLean refers to. I copied it from http://www.rampantscotland.com. -Joe Offer-

---

Scottish Poetry Selection
- The Drunkard's Raggit Wean

A considerable increase in the consumption of alcohol was one of the by-products of the Industrial Revolution and the dreadful living conditions endured by of most of those crammed into the hastily built towns. This, in turn, gave rise to the temperance movement, attempting to turn people away from the evils of drink. The poem below, by James P Crawford (1825-1887) was written in 1855. It was one of the most successful and frequently performed in the temperance movement of its time. Crawford was a tailor and the poem (which also had music written to accompany it) was said to have been written in a United Presbyterian Church in Glasgow, while the minister was delivering a long sermon.

The Drunkard's Raggit Wean

A wee bit raggit laddie gangs wan'rin' through the street,
Wadin' 'mang the snaw wi' his wee hackit feet,
Shiverin' i' the cauld blast, greetin' wi' the pain-
Wha's the puir wee callan? He's a drunkard's raggit wean.

He stan's at ilka door, an' keeks wi' wistfu' e'e
To see the crowd aroun' the fire a' laughin' loud wi' glee;
But he daurna venture ben, though his heart be e'er sae fain,
For he mauna play wi' ither bairns, the drunkard's raggit wean.

Oh, see the wee bit bairnie, his heart is unco fu',
The sleet is blawin' cauld, and he's droukit through and through;
He's speerin' for his mither, an' he won'ers whare she's gane:
But oh ! his mither, she forgets her puir wee raggit wean.

He kens nae faither's love, and he kens nae mither's care,
To soothe his wee bit sorrows, or kaim his tautit hair,
To kiss him when he waukens, or smooth his bed at e'en;
An' oh ! he fears his faither's face, the drunkard's raggit wean.

Oh, pity the wee laddie, sae guileless an' sae young!
The oath that lea's the faither's lips 'll settle on his tongue,
An' sinfu' words his mither speaks his infant lips 'll stain;
For oh! there's nane to guide the bairn, the drunkard's raggit wean.

Then surely we micht try an' turn that sinfu' mither's heart,
An' try to get his faither to act a faither's part,
An' mak' them lea' the drunkard's cup, an' never taste again,
An' cherish wi' a parents' care their puir wee raggit wean.

Meaning of unusual words:
Raggit Wean=child with ragged clothes
hackit=cracked, grazed
greetin'=crying
puir wee callan=poor, small lad
ilka=every
keeks=peeps
ben=within
fain=affectionate, in love
mauna=must not
bairns=children
unco fu'=very drunk
droukit=soaked through
speerin'=asking
kens=knows
kaim=comb
tautit=matted, tangled

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Castles in the Air
From: Jim McLean
Date: 27 May 06 - 04:38 AM

The tune is also used for the bawdy 'Ball of Kirriemuir'