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Updated
04/29/2013 |
Flower of Scotland
Roy Williamson
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Flower of
Scotland
(Scottish Gaelic:
Flùr na h-Alba,
Scots:
Flouer o Scotland)
is a Scottish song, used frequently at special occasions and
sporting events. Although Scotland has no official national
anthem,
Flower of Scotland
is one of a number of songs which unofficially fulfill this
role, along with
Highland Cathedral
and the older
Scotland the Brave.
It was written by Roy Williamson of the folk group, The Corries,
and presented in 1967, and refers to the victory of the Scots,
led by Robert the Bruce, over England's Edward II at the Battle
of Bannockburn in 1314.
Ironically in 1603 Elizabeth I died childless and her second
cousin James VI, King of Scots, ascended to the English throne,
thus gaining by marriage what what force of arms could not. The
tune was originally composed on the Northumbrian smallpipes,
which play in F and have the benefit of keys on the chanter to
achieve a greater range of notes.
Roy Williamson
was born in 1936 in Edinburgh. His mother played the piano. At
school he learned to play the recorder by ear, pretending to
read music. The teacher found out and banned him from music
lessons. He went to Wester Elchies School, then Aberlour House
and Gordonstoun in Moray. He taught seamanship and navigation at
Burghead before going to Edinburgh College of Art. It was there
that he met Ronnie Browne in 1955. The partnership lasted over
thirty years.
Williamson
teamed up with Bill Smith and Ron Cockburn to form the "Corrie
Folk Trio" in 1962. Their first performance was in the Waverley
Bar in St Mary's Street, Edinburgh. After a few weeks Cockburn
left. They had already accepted an engagement at the Edinburgh
Festival so Williamson suggested that Ronnie Browne should be
brought in to make up numbers. They also added female Irish
singer Paddie Bell to become the "Corrie Folk Trio and Paddie
Bell". The audience was only eight people for the debut of this
line-up but by the end of the festival it was house full at
every performance. A corrie is a circular dip in a highland
mountain. They chose it to evoke the Scottish landscape.
Williamson was
a skilled woodworker. In the summer of 1969 he invented the 'combolins',
two complementary instruments which combined several into a
single instrument. One combined a mandolin and a guitar (along
with four bass strings operated with slides), the other combined
guitar and the Spanish bandurria, the latter being an instrument
Williamson had played since the early days of the Corrie Folk
Trio.
Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne played
together as The Corries for 28 years, until Roy died in 1990.
This
arrangement is by John G. Slattery. He followed Angus MacDonald
as Pipe Major of the Scots Guard. He attended Queen Victoria
School Dunblane and was taught piping by PM James Sanderson of
the Cameronians.
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Lyrics by Roy Williamson
O Flower of
Scotland,
When will we see
Your like again,
That fought and died for,
Your wee bit Hill and Glen,
And stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.
The Hills
are bare now,
And Autumn leaves
lie thick and still,
O'er land that is lost now,
Which those so dearly held,
That stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again. |
Those days
are past now,
And in the past
they must remain,
But we can still rise now,
And be the nation again,
That stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.
0 Flower of
Scotland,
When will we see
your like again,
That fought and died for,
Your wee bit Hill and Glen,
And stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again. |
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