line or the chorus; but as Dr. Laing points out that not one of the secular songs of which these parodies were imitations has come down to us, a few only of the tunes can be ascertained. Three of them are certainly English, 'John cum kiss me now,' 'Under the greenwood tree,' and 'The huntis up.' A fourth is 'Hey now the day dawes,' which Sibbald and Stenhouse have attempted to identify with 'Hey tuti taiti' (Scots wha hae). This is not only improbable, but is disproved by a tune of the same name being found in the Straloch MS. (1627). It has no Scotish characteristics, and may have been picked up from some of the English or foreign musicians who were frequent visitors at the Scotish Court. It is an excellent lively tune, and may have been that played by the town pipers of Edinburgh in the time of James IV; if so, the note marked with an asterisk must have been altered to C to suit the scale of the instrument. Dunbar thought it so hackneyed that he complains
Your common menstrallis has no tone
But 'Now the day dawis' and 'Into Joun'
Think ye nocht shame.
The day dawis.
Of the other songs, 'Ah my love, leif me not' may be 'I'll never leave thee,' and 'Ane sang on the birth of Christ, to be sung with the tune of Bawlulalu,' may probably be 'Baloo my boy lie still and sleep,' for in both songs the measure and also the subject—sacred for secular—are the same. The words, being in Bishop Percy's ancient MS., are thought to be English, but Dr. Rimbault considered the tune to be Scotish. Sibbald's identifications of a few other tunes are altogether fanciful: 'The wind blaws cauld, furious and bauld,' with 'Up in the morning early'; 'My luve murnis for me,' with 'He's low down in the broom,' and so on. Altogether not more than a third of the whole can now be even guessed at.
The religious troubles of this and the following reigns would no doubt completely unsettle whatever musical tuition might be carried on by the Romish Church, but the introduction of 'sang schuils' and of Genevan Psalmody would probably soon compensate for any loss thence arising. [Sang Schools.] It does not come within the scope of this paper to consider such changes; but the allegation already alluded to, that Rizzio composed some of the finest Scotish melodies, is deserving of a more careful enquiry.
Goldsmith, at the instigation apparently of Geminiani, chose to write an essay on a subject of which he evidently knew very little. He asserts that Rizzio was brought over from Italy by James V., lived twenty years in Scotland, and thus had sufficient time to get a knowledge of the style, and ample opportunities for improving it. It is well known, on the contrary, that Rizzio came over in the suite of the Piedmontese Ambassador in 1561, 19 years after the death of James V., and was little more than four years in Scotland. That he ever composed anything in any style has yet to be shown. Tassoni, who was born the year of Rizzio's death (1565), and who speaks of Scotish music—as has already been noticed—entirely ignores him. In truth the myth seems to have been got up in London early in the last century, probably among his own countrymen. It is first heard of in the 'Orpheus Caledonius' of 1725, where the editor ascribes seven tunes to him. Two at least of these are shown by their style to be very recent compositions; but the absurdity of the statement must have been quite apparent, as all mention of Rizzio's name was withdrawn in the next edition of the work, 1733.
Oswald, by jestingly ascribing some of his own compositions to Rizzio, helped to keep up the falsehood. Notwithstanding the disclaimers of Ritson, Hawkins, and more recently of G. Farquhar Graham, as well as of all who have made any research into the question, the belief still exists, and is from time to time gravely propounded by persons who ought to know better, For 160 years after his death Rizzio is not mentioned as having composed music of any kind. Had he done so, it would have been in the style of France or of Italy, and it may be doubted whether Queen Mary herself would have appreciated any other. It must not be forgotten that she quitted Scotland when little more than five years of age, and returned Queen Dowager of France, a widow of nineteen, with all her tastes formed and every association and recollection connected with a more civilised country than her own.
Mr. Dauney, in his Dissertation prefixed to the Skene MS. gives some interesting information regarding the Chapel Royal in Stirling. It was founded by James III., of whom Lindsay of Pitscottie says that 'he delighted more in musick and in policies of Bigging (building) than he did in the governance of his realm … He delighted more in singing and playing on instruments, than he did in the Defence of the Borders … He took great pleasour to dwell thair (in Stirling) and foundet ane collige within the said Castle callit the Chappell Royal; also he bigget the great hall of Stirling; also he maid in the said Chappell Royal all kynd of office men, to wit, the bishop of Galloway archdean, the treasurer and sub-dean, the chantor and sub-chantor, with all other officieris pertaining to a College; and also he doubled thaim, to that effect, that, they schould ever be readie; the one half to pass with him wherever he pleased, that they might sing and play to him and hold him merrie; and the other half should remain at home to sing and pray for
