The sheer number of relevant publications was somewhat surprising. As usual it became much larger than I had first expected. The following text is a first attempt at untangling the German history of "Robin Adair". This looks like a fascinating story and in fact it was. This variant can be found for example in a songbook for schools with the title Deutsches Jugendliederbuch für höhere Lehranstalten, a popular collection compiled by Bavarian music teacher and composer Simon Breu that was first published in 1908 and then regularly reprinted (here from the 11th ed., 1923, Nr. One was called "Heut' muß geschieden sein". The tune was also sung with different texts. Other important and influential arrangers like Friedrich Silcher and Ludwig Erk also took care of the song and and even today it is still performed by male choirs, as can be seen in a video recorded in 2012 that is available at YouTube.
SOLDATENLIEDER TEXTE 1890 SERIES
It was first published in 1854 in the 9th booklet of his popular series Männerlieder, alte und neue, für Freunde des mehrstimmigen Männergesanges (here 6th ed., 1869, No. Here is for example a version by Wilhelm Greef, choirmaster and seminary teacher in the town of Moers. This piece also became a standard for German Männergesangvereine - male choirs - and at least half a dozen different four-part arrangements were published during the 19th century. These example clearly suggest that the German "Robin Adair" was no mayfly but for a considerable time a part of the common song repertoire. But these hints as well as the reference to Boieldieu's popular opera La Dame Blanche can serve as helpful starting-points for further research. Apparently the editors were sometimes divided about its origin. In the first book the song was identified as "Scottish" and in the second one as "Irisches Volkslied". 597):Ībout 40 years later it appeared in a book called Deutsche Lieder. This weighty tome was published in Leipzig 1867 (No. One of many examples is the second edition of August Härtel's Deutsches Liederlexikon, according to the subtitle a "collection of the German people's best and most popular songs and chants". The German "Robin Adair" can be also found in numerous songbooks. I came across half a dozen translations - or better adaptations - of which one became particularly widespread. It is listed more than 70 times in Hofmeister's Musikalisch-Literarischen Monatsberichten between 18 (found via the database Hofmeister XIX) but even that number is far from complete. The tune is identical to today's "Eileen Aroon":īut interestingly the song was equally popular in Germany during the 19th and early 20th century. 70, both available at the Internet Archive). A Selection Of The Best Songs Of All Nations For Young People by Dolores M. 355-7) or in the appropriately titled collection Songs Every Child Should Know.
Johnson's influential Our Familiar Songs (New York 1889, pp. This "Robin Adair" was then reprinted regularly in countless publications on both sides of the ocean over the next hundred years. It names not only Braham but also Scottish singer John Sinclair, one of the many artists who at that time started to perform this popular hit: Here is for example an edition from Liverpool (1812). It was first introduced to English audiences by singer John Braham in 1811 and then published as sheet music by numerous music sellers. Among them is a song called "Robin Adair" that seems to have been one of the most popular hits of the 19th century both in Britain and in the USA. This group of songs can be traced back to the early 18th century and includes variants with quite different lyrics and sometimes also music (see my attempt at a Chronological List ). Here is for reference the tune and one verse of the version that is best known these days. New Words & New Tunes - Other Attempts at "Robin Adair"Ī while ago I started researching a song family that is nowadays usually represented by "Eileen Aroon". "Copy & Paste" - "Robin Adair" In Song Collections Until 1900 Herder's Cuckoo's Egg - Some Notes About The Term "Volkslied" "Aileen Aroon" & "Robin Adair" in Britain 1729 - 1826 Follow Treu und herzinniglich, Robin Adair"
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