 This song can be sung by every choir. Robert Schumann used the German translations of poems written by famous Scottish poet Robert Burns. The poems were written in Scottish Gaelic, which was considered as the language of poor people while English was becoming more common in Scotland. His work was original, and he encouraged Scottish people to defend their cultural identity. He was called “the Ploughman poet,” “the Patriot Bard,” “The National Bard,” also said to be a free-thinker, a revolutionary, and a feminist. Scottish people celebrate Burns Night on January 25th, which is also the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns by eating Haggis, tatties and neeps. They recite his poems, dance on traditional songs drinking whiskey. Lieder op. 55 by Robert Schumann and Gesänge op. 59 were his first compositions of this genre in 1846. These choral songs were written for Liderkranz Mendelssohn in Leipzig. The contrast between the simple songs based on popular melodies and lively songs is amazing. |
