Prepared for the 1875 Edition.
THE DRAMA.
TANNAHILL was an ardent admirer of the Drama, and attended the theatre in Paisley when a company of comedians arrived in town, and occasionally travelled to the theatre in Glasgow when Thespian Stars made their appearance in that city. He was acquainted with several actors, particularly with Messrs. Archibald Pollock and William Livingston, both of them very worthy men. TANNAHILL stated that the “Interlude” was undertaken by desire of the former, and urged by the latter. Pollock died before the “Interlude” was well commenced, but Livingston lived for 48 years afterwards. Livingston was a correspondent of TANNAHILL'S, and sent the poet two very interesting letters dated respectively 18th November, 1804, and 7th March, 1806. In the former letter Livingston expressed his impatience to see the “Sodger's Return.” Mr. James Moss, an Edinburgh comedian, was another of his theatrical acquaintances.
COLLECTION OF IRISH AIRS.
TANNAHILL soon directed his attention to the collection of old Irish airs, and to the writing of verses to suit,—taking a Paisley maiden for his model of Nancy Vernon, another for poor Sheelah, and a third for Kitty Tyrrell. In 1808, he aspired to become a contributor to Mr. George Thomson's work, then publishing in Edinburgh, “A Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs for the Voice, with select and characteristic verses by the most admired Scottish Poets.” TANNAHILL opened up a correspondence with Mr. Thomson on the airs and verses of the songs we have noticed ; but these not coming up to the editor's standard, he did not admit them into that important work. However much TANNAHILL may have known regarding Scottish airs, it was quite a different matter to enter upon Irish tunes, when he neither sufficiently understood the subject of the ancient song nor the old air to which it should be sung. The fourteen Irish songs (Nos. 151 to 165, both inclusive), it must be admitted, did not please the fine critical acumen of Mr. Thomson ; and, in the circumstances, it was quite out of the question to suppose that a sedate Scotsman like TANNAHILL was capable of writing verses to suit the wild airs of Hibernia. TANNAHILL, nothing daunted with the refusal of Mr. Thomson, continued his search after Irish airs, wrote verses to them, and submitted the pieces to his personal friends, James Clark and James King.
In the end of the year 1808, TANNAHILL wrote the humorous song of “Caller Herrin,” to the air of “The Cameronian Rant,” which, he said had been suggested by an observation made by Mollison in an essay on “Melody the Soul of Music.”
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE “SCOTS MAGAZINE”.
This was the last periodical TANNAHILL patronised, and from 1807 to 1810, inclusive, he sent the six following pieces:—
SINGING OF THE POET'S SONGS.
The songs of TANNAHILL had now obtained great popularity, and young persons both in town and country delighted to lilt them. The singing of an author's songs in his hearing by persons unseen, must be gratifying to the ear; and the sensitive TANNAHILL was very much delighted to hear his songs sung by persons whose voices were unknown to him. The pleasant sensation which tickled his ears was communicated in a letter to his friend James King on l0th September, 1809, as follows: “Perhaps the highest pleasure ever I derived from these things has been in hearing, as I walked down the pavement at night, a girl within doors rattling away at some of them.” The pavements then recently formed in Paisley became promenades for walking, and were much frequented in the fine autumn evenings before the weavers of Paisley commenced lighting on the 15th of September for the winter, (e.g., the Festival of Saint Mirin).
PROPOSED NEW EDITION BY THE AUTHOR.
In the beginning of the year 1810, the Author resolved to publish a new edition of his poems and songs, and he authorised Mr. R. A. Smith to negotiate with a publisher, who accordingly called upon Mr. Thomas Stewart, bookseller, in Greenock, on the subject. On the first of March, TANNAHILL, wrote a letter to Mr. Stewart regarding the publication of a new edition of his Poems and Songs, and, at the same time, sent Mr. Stewart a copy of the first edition, stating that he had almost re-modelled the Interlude. In the poems he merely intended to suppress several which he had deleted with pencil, and supply their places with as many other pieces.* To the songs he could add sixty or seventy, and the whole would comprise about 240 pages 12mo, being 65 pages additional to those of the first edition. He also stated that he intended to improve the arrangement of the poems and correct some of the faults that were to be found in the first publication. The Author deprecated the idea of again publishing by subscription from the obligations it laid him under. He desired Mr. Stewart to consider the matter for a month and then give his opinion freely on the business.
* Former editors and biographers have made vague statements and lamentation over the great loss that had been sustained from the Poet, two days before his death, destroying a great number of his songs, without having ascertained the actual number of songs he had really written. The letter referred to in the text discloses the number to have been between 60 and 70, and it was well known that TANNAHILL supplied copies of all the songs he wrote to his acquaintances, and these were not destroyed. Each editor has boasted how many of these he had recovered. The following calculation shows the loss to be very small indeed :—
