Scotland's Burning
{{Short description|Song and nursery rhyme popular with children}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Redirects|London's Burning (round)|The Clash song|London's Burning (The Clash song)}}
File:London's Burning fountain.jpg, showing the song's words]]
"Scotland's Burning", also known in England as "London's Burning", is a variant of a song and nursery rhyme popular with children.
Words
The song can be sung as a round when each part starts two bars after the previous one. It may be an example of a nursery rhyme with tragic or violent themes. The London lyrics are said to be about the Great Fire of London, a five-day fire in the city of London in 1666. The first notation of a round in this theme dates from 1580. The Scotland lyrics are said to be about the Burning of Edinburgh in 1544, ordered by Henry VIII of England.[https://bertvanzantwijk.com/2016/08/20/brand-in-mokum/ Bert van Zantwijk, Brand in Mokum (2016)]
The lyrics are alluded to in William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Act 4, scene 1, when Grumio asks Curtis to prepare a warm fire for guests.(1902). "Music of Shakspere's Time", [https://books.google.com/books?id=0NsRAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Scotland%27s+Burning%22&pg=PA243 Lippincott's Monthly Magazine: A Popular Journal of General Literature, Volume 69], p.243-4. J.B. Lippincott. pre-ISBN.
In the Netherlands the song is known as "{{ill|Brand in Mokum|nl|Brand in Mokum}}" ("Fire in Amsterdam")Dutch Wikipedia, Brand in Mokum{{Circular reference|date=April 2018}}, which is said to refer to the Amsterdam revolt against Napoleon in 1813.
Musical scores
{{gallery|File:Scotland's Burning four voice round.png|"Scotland's Burning" (1580)Lindahl, Greg. "[https://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/ravenscroft/songbook/scotland.html Scotland, It Burneth]", Ravenscroft Songbook. Cites Vlasto, Jill. "An Elizabethan Anthology of Rounds", Musical Quarterly XL (1954) 222–234. Retrieved 25 August 2015. {{audio|Scotland's Burning four voice round.mid|Play}}
|File:London's Burning four voice round.png|"London's Burning"Margaret Read MacDonald & Winifred Jaeger (2006). The Round Book: Rounds Kids Love to Sing, p.73. August House. {{ISBN|9780874837865}}. {{audio|London's Burning four voice round.mid|Play}}
|File:Scotland's Burning four voice round duple meter.png|"Scotland's Burning" in duple meter.Mason, Lowell (1837). [https://books.google.com/books?id=h1AAAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Scotland%27s+Burning%22&pg=PA191 Parley's Magazine, Volume 5], p.191.Kaye Pottie, Vernon Ellis, Kathy Kaulbach (1992). Folksongs of the Maritimes: From the Collections of Helen Creighton and Other Distinguished Maritime Folklorists, p.12. Formac. {{ISBN|9780887802003}}.Newman Ivey White, Jan Philip Schinhan; eds. (1977). The Frank C. Brown Collection of NC Folklore: Vol. V: The Music of the Folk Songs, p.115. Duke University. {{ISBN|9780822382850}}. {{audio|Scotland's Burning four voice round duple meter.mid|Play}}
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References
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External links
- [https://www.mfiles.co.uk/scores/londons-burning-round.htm Downloadable sheet music and mp3s]
Category:British nursery rhymes
Category:English children's songs
Category:Traditional children's songs
Category:Scottish children's songs
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