thank the University of
Virginia's song anthologies library.
Burns did publish the song in the 1796 edition of the Scots
Musical Museum, the library admits, but signed it with a Z. denoting a traditional song by
an anonymous writer.
He also edited it, corrected the verses and refined the language
and rhythms. He also claimed to have discovered it, saying he wrote it down when he heard
it sung by an old man who knew the old folk tunes of the Ayrshire area, Burns' home turf.
It is thought to be a song about two young men, friends in youth,
who drifted apart, met, reminisced and must part again. Auld lang syne translated
literally from the Scottish means "old long since".
"Light be the turf on the breast of the heaven-inspired poet
who composed this glorious fragment." Burns wrote in a letter to one Mrs. Dunlop in
1788.
Five years later in a letter, he tells George Thomson, "One
song more, and I have done. Auld Lang Syne. The air is but mediocre, but the following
song, the old song of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in
manuscript, until I took it down from the old man's singing..."
This "glorious fragment" spread across the world. and
it was first sung, some believe, in Poosie Nancy's Tavern in, Mauchline in Ayrshire.
Others believe it was in the Bachelors Club in Tarlton, nearby.
How it went from there onto the lips of every Hogmanay (New Year's Eve) reveler to bid
goodbye to the old year, is a theory disputed as hotly as the Poosie faction opposes the
Bachelors Clubbers.Persuasive
facts
Some
believe it was first spread across the world by Freemasonry and there are some very
persuasive facts in an article by T.G. Paterson in The Scottish Rite Journal called Auld
Lang Syne and Brother Robert Burns.
Like many men of genius, Mozart among them, Burns saw Freemasonry
as the cutting edge of democracy, equality and brotherhood of all men and races. Burns
became a Mason at age 23 and his poetry crystallized a message of a simple yet noble
humanity.
For all that, he wrote in a language few understand -- how
many singing Auld Lang Syne know that "we twa hae paidl't l' the burn" and
"pou'd the gowans fine" mean we two have "waded the stream" and
"picked the beautiful daisies"? -- yet he seems one of the most universally
understood and revered of men.
And it is just this universal humanist philosophy that
leads others to point out that Burns took his poetry and message to places that banned and
reviled Freemasonry, such as the Soviet Union. There he was treasured as an Icon of
international brotherhood.
Paterson trumps that assertion with the wonderful tale of
the Lodge Norad (Nation) in the Czech Republic, which was re-established in 1990 after the
fall of Communism. Lodge Norad meets every two weeks and closed each meeting with Auld
Lang Syne sung in Czech.
Paterson also concedes it is so universal a song of
parting that a major Tokyo department store plays Auld Lang Syne over the public address
system to tactfully hint to shoppers that the store will soon be closing.
Some think that the spread of the Scots themselves into
every corner of the globe and, incidentally the excellent "cup o'kindliness"
they took with them, whether single malt or blended, is the secret of the song's success.
Who cares that "pou'd the gowans" means
"picked the daisies" as long as there's "sic anither" -- another such
-- in the bottle and good friends to share it with.
But just listen to Paterson describe the Masonic routine
for singing Auld Lang Syne.
The Masonic routine is to form a circle in which everyone
is equidistant from the centre, demonstrating they are all equal. In this regard, the
practice adopted by some lodges by placing Masters or other distinguished Brethren in the
centre defeats the purpose of the ceremony associated with the song.
"At the beginning, the Brethren stand with hands at
their sides, symbolizing they are relative strangers. The early verses should be sung (or
hummed) very softly as Brethren reflect both on cherished memories of earlier times
together and those Brethren who have since passed to the Grand Lodge Above.
'Trusty frier'
"When
they come to the last verse, 'And there's a hand, my trusty frier (friend)', each Brother
then extends his right hand of fellowship to his Brother on his left, and the left hand to
the Brother on his right.
"This symbolizes two things: First, that they are
crossing their hearts, second that they automatically form a smaller and more intimate
circle of friendship.
"Now they have an unbroken chain of Brethren who are
close friends. The tempo should then rise and, to the tapping of feet, all
enthusiastically sing the final chorus. The foregoing routine should be followed as far as
is practicable at non-Masonic functions. If necessary, small circles can be formed around
tables."
And so they are, at New Year's Eve banquets beyond number,
across the world.
Paterson adds: "At Scottish functions, they uaually
wind up forming a 'snake' and moving around the hall in increasingly smaller circles as
they sing. Then the leader reverses the movement and all participants revert to a large
circle."
But for the modern universality of the song sung on New
Year's Eve, the credit must go to Canadians.
Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, who played the song
at midnight every single New Year's Eve in New York Citry from 1929 until 1976.
Long before that, Auld Lang Syne had become the band's
theme song with which they ended every concert or dance they played all year.
Back at that first New Year's Eve, it was the Depression
-- though Wall St. professional market analysts predicted a bullish 1930. It was also
Prohibition -- you brought your own in a flask.
The party was at The Roosevelt Grill in the Roosevelt
Hotel and the whole thing -- meal, dance and favours, perfume for the ladies, a tie clasp
for the men -- cost $14.
Lombardo's New Year's Eve broadcasts moved from the
Roosevelt to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and by that time 55 million people tuned into the
broadcasts on 145 TV stations, many millions more on countless radio stations, Armed
Forces networks and, when they arrived, by satellite around the world to be sung at the
end of every day in Tokyo department stores.
Now, if only 'Wee Rabbie' could collect royalties! |
