This talk argues for a change of emphasis from Burns the ‘poet’ to Burns, in his most radically innovative capacity, as folk musician, early ethno-musicologist and prolific national song-writer. In so doing, the lecture features numerous musical illustrations from the only ever recorded Complete Songs of Robert Burns (12 vols, Linn Records) which Freeman released in 2003 to international acclaim.*
Moreover, the lecture considers Burns’s background as a fiddler; his expansive use of Scottish instrumental forms (strathspeys, reels, jigs, slip jigs, hornpipes); his curious method of composition – from the tune to the words; his seminal theories of ‘ballad simplicity’, language and rhythm.
The lecture will be followed by a traditional Burns lunch.
*‘a remarkable and monumental achievement, comparable – in traditional music terms – to the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling’
Alan Taylor, The Sunday Herald