Folks Sorry I had to drop in with a quick thank you months ago. My job (or ex job)interfered with a lot of things.

First: The liner notes to the "Robert White Sings Beethhoven" LP (thank God for second hard stores) says "occasionally one is pleasantly surprised to recognize a familar tune, often disguised by an unfamilar text--Sally in Our Alley and The Minstrel Boy( The Soldier)...."

The song on the LP is "The Soldier". The arrangement by Beethoven is very similar to "The Minstrel Boy". Does anybody know the words to "The Soldier"? Hard to pick them out of White's singing. And any of the history of the song. The notes to the album say that George Thomson in 1803 asked Beethoven to provide arrangements to a number of Irish and Scottish tunes, including those above.

I found the words to "The Pulse of an Irishman" on a Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau recording of Beethoven songs. Alexander Boswell listed as the author.

The pulse of an Irishman ever beats quicker when war is the story, or love is the theme; and place him where bullets fly thicker and thicker you'll find him all cowardice scorning. And tho' a bakk should main poor Darby light at the heart he rallies on "Fortune is cruel. but Norah, my jewel, is kind, and with smilling, all sorrow bequiling, shall bid from our cabin all care to be gone, and how they will jig it, and tug at the spigot, on Patrick's day in the mornin'."

O blest be the land in the wide western waters, sweet Erin, lov'd Erin, the pride of my song; still brave be her sons, and still fair be the daughters thy meads and thy mountains adorning! And tho' the the eastern sun seems tardy, tho' the pure light of knowledge slow, night and delusion, and darking confusion like mists from the river shall vanish for ever and true Irish hearts with warm loyalty glow: and pround exaltation burst forth from the nation on Patrick's day in the monrin'.

Thomson apparently liked only songs that were uplifting an fit for decent company, and this seems to fit.

But again does anyone know anything about this song or "The Soldier" or the tune behind "The Minstrel Boy"? How much did Moore rip off from Beethoven?

Thanks for all the earlier comments jtm