Music and words for 'Merry hae I been teethin a heckle'

The song 'Merry hae I been teethin a heckle', no. 270, in the 'Scots Musical Museum', written by Robert Burns about 1790 and set to the pipe tune 'Lord Breadalbane's March'. The tune is known also in Gaelic as 'Bodaich nam Briogais' and in Scots as 'The Carles wi' the Breeks', and is included in the earliest piobaireachd collections of Donald MacDonald (c. 1820) and Angus Mackay (1838). An alternative song and song-title to this tune is 'The Wives of the Glen' or Mhuinntir a' Ghlinne seo' and is said to have been played as a warning to the MacDonalds by a Campbell piper on the eve of the Massacer of Glencoe in February 1692.

The Scots Musical Museum, published in Edinburgh in six parts between 1787 and 1803, includes more than 600 tunes and songs, and represents one of the most important and comprehensive collections of traditional Scottish music.

The collection was instigated by James Johnson (1754 - 1811), engraver and publisher, who was, until he met Robert Burns in April 1787, planning to produce a collection of the best songs to be found in Scotland, Ireland and England. Under the influence of Burns and then with his collecting and editing help, Johnson restricted the collection to Scottish songs only. As against prevailing fashions in 18th century Scotland for Italianate musical forms, Johnson and Burns presented their 'folk music' in its pure simplicity' and stated on their title page 'In this publication the original simplicity of our Ancient National Airs is retained unencumbered with useless Accompaniments and Graces depriving the hearers of the sweet simplicity of their native melodies'.

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