Tune Req: Lads o' Galla Water

Subject: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: GUEST,Lutenist
Date: 04 Jul 03 - 03:20 PM

The song is: Braw, braw lads o' Galla Water / Bonnie lads o' Galla Water / I'll kilt my coats abune my knee / And follow my love through the water / Braw, braw lads. Anyone know of another tune to this beside the one at http://www.molwert.de/Lieder/Gala_Water.htm

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: Emma B
Date: 04 Jul 03 - 04:37 PM

There is an arrangement by the Battlefield Band in their book 'Forward with Scotlands Past' don't know of this is the same as the one mentioned but it is the traditional tune to Gala Water

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 12:45 AM

Yes, Emma, the Battlefield's tune is the tune which appears on the web site.

Lutenist: why do you want another tune? If it's just that you don't like the tune listed, why don't you devise another of your own? Or are you trying to track down a tune that you heard and loved?

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: masato sakurai
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 01:37 AM

The tune Lutenist referred to is virtually the same as the one in Scots Musical Museum (No. 125; "Braw, braw lads of Galla-water"). Burns' version ("Gala Water") is sung to that tune. See also Scots Minstrelsie: A National Monument of Scottish Song, edited and arranged by John Greig, Volume 1 ("Braw, Braw Lads").

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: GUEST,Lutenist
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 12:36 PM

The reason I'm asking about another tune? In the Balcarres lute book, c. 1700, there is a tune listed as Lads of Gallowater, and I want to know if it is a different tune to the one now popular for the song, used to the words discussed, or if it is unrelated.

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 02:13 PM

Obvious question: Do the words and that tune fit?

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 02:18 PM

Without looking this reads like a different song than "Lads o' the Fair" by Brian McNeill and done by The Battlefield Band. The Corries did an album called The Braw Braw Lads which I have never seen. Perhaps the tune lies there.

Don

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 09:23 PM

With due respect to the Battlefield Band (and to the Corries, for that matter) invoking them as perhaps supplying some kind of clue to the history of a piece of music on the grounds that they recorded something with a similar title is about as useful as suggesting that someone who wants details of the life and works of the medieval Scottish translator of the Iliad should ask me about it because we share a surname. I've done what I can for Lutenist in some of his or her other threads, but what's needed is a visit to a decent library.

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 09:42 PM

Excuse me then.

Don

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 09:58 PM

Nothing personal, Don, and I'm sorry if I seemed dismissive of your suggestions. No offence intended, though some impatience exhibited on my part, for sure. It's a very specialised question is all, and I can't answer it; nor, I'm pretty sure, could the Battlefield Band or the Corries.

Of course, if Lutenist were to quote the lute book tune, we might have some chance of giving an informed opinion. At the moment, none of us have anything substantive to work on. It could be the Lads o' Galla Water on Mars, for all we know.

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 10:25 PM

Now that I have time to look into this further, and an enjoyable pursuit it is too. I have found a few things that may help marginally.

A Google search of "Galla Water" give many sites with various but very similar lyrics for this tune as well as several midi files, all of them are simple variations of the melody.    Since I can't read music well enough to tell you if any are different from the midi file in the site directed to I suggest you do the search as well.

The lyrics are almost universally atributed to Robert Burns and the melody used is titled "The Brave Lads of The Galla Water." This melody is clearly not related to Brian McNeills fine song. But it is the title and melody used by the Corries. As to other tunes attributed to this title I am unable to find them.

A further suggestion is to looki into Robert Burns for more definitive information as he appears to be the lyrical author atleast.
This is probably lucky for you because I can't think of a single person that is more annotated and footnoted than Mr. Burns. There is sure to be a truly scholarly effort put into his melodic choices and the previous histories of the melodies as well.

Good luck Lute

Don

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 04:43 PM

Curious, I found this site

http://www.musicofscotland.org/tmos-4.html

and I think I understand the problem here. If that is the best version of the Balcarre's Lute Book to be found, then no wonder Lutenist doesn't know how its version of 'Lads of Galla Water' is supposed to sound.

This calls for a graduate student!

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 05:04 PM

Yikes! That's some notation, interesting!

Subject: RE: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: Emma B
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 06:50 PM

Took a peek at the Balcarres too! It would be interesting if someone out there with that kind of knowledge could assist

Btw, I know I'm easily confused but how on earth did Brian Mcneills song 'Lads of the Fair' enter this thread? I quoted the Battlefield arrangement of Gala Water because I thought it was more accessible than the 1887 Burns version I have and, frankly (sorry Don) I think the traditional words (as recorded by the Battlefielsd Band) are far superior to Burn's version!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 08 Jul 03 - 12:13 AM

Emma,

No appologies, I only know the Burns words and have never heard TBB's version of Galla Water. I expect it is very fine indeed.
As I said I don't read music well at all so I was working this song from a vocal standpoint.

I know better than to argue whether Burns words are the real words or a rewrite of an older tune with all the resident Scots about.

But "Lads o' The Fair" was a miss cue on my part. The Braw Braw Lads by The Corries however is nearly word for word one of the versions I pulled off a Burns site. And the melody in their song book reads nearly note for note the music I found on another site.

Don

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: GUEST,Lutenist
Date: 08 Jul 03 - 04:29 PM

leeneia, I think you misunderstood. I *do* know how it sounds in Balcarres. I am a lutenist, read lute tab, and therefore ought to be able to play it. The question is this: is the Balcarres tune 'Lads of Gallowater' the same tune as for the *song* 'Lads of Gallowater', as it is a different tune to theone now popularly used for the song.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lads o' Galla Water tune(s)?
From: Emma B
Date: 08 Jul 03 - 05:13 PM

The tune that Burns used in 1792 for 'Braw Braw Lads' is the same air as given in Oswald's Collection of 1755 as 'The Brave Lads of Gallawater' and the same one I quoted as is currently sung by Battlefield (under the title 'Gala Water') et al. If the Balcarres one is different then I would conceed the answer is No!