2.3 (above average)
Sunday 25 July 2010
Tune of the Day: A Scottish Soldier
Traditional Scottish tune
This pipe tune is actually called “The Green Hills of Tyrol”, and was written in 1854 by John MacLeod, a Pipe Major in the 93rd Highlanders, during the Crimean War. He adapted it after hearing a Sardinian band play a continental tune. That tune was based on an alpine folk tune, and had also been used by Rossini in William Tell.
The tune is also known to many as “A Scottish Soldier”, because of the lyrics added to the tune in 1961 by Scottish singer Andy Stewart. He said they came from his heart. The song is about a dying Scottish soldier, wishing to return to the hills of his homeland rather than die in Tyrol. The song was a significant international hit, reaching #1 in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.