Sheet Music: The Broom of The Cowdenknowes

TitleThe Broom of The Cowdenknowes
Alternate titlesBroom, the Bonnie, Bonnie Broom
Bonny May
Cowden Knows
The Lovely Northerne Lass
O My King
ComposerTraditional Scottish
InstrumentationFlute solo
KeyF major
RangeF4–A5
Time signature4/4
Tempo80 BPM
Performance time0:50
Difficulty leveleasy
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (52 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (401 kB)
Date added2017-12-16
Last updated2017-12-16
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 0.4 (below average)
Categories
Ballads, Celtic Music, Love songs, Slow airs, Traditional/Folk

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Saturday 16 December 2017

Tune of the Day: The Broom O' The Cowdenknowes

Traditional Scottish air

This very old air has been set to various words, but most famously appears as “The Broom of the Cowdenknowes”. The title of the song references the Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) flower, a vibrant yellow flower found throughout Scotland, including the barony of Cowdenknowes. Stems of the plant were at one time bundled together and bound to sticks for use as sweepers, hence the name ‛broom’ for the common implement.

The melody can be traced back to the mid-17th century and is probably Scottish in origin, or at least so believe most scholars. Its earliest appearance in print is in John Playford's The Dancing Master, published in 1651.

Thanks to Jean for suggesting this tune!

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