Sheet Music: Dumbarton's Drums

TitleDumbarton's Drums
ComposerTraditional Scottish
InstrumentationFlute solo
KeyC major
RangeG4–C6
Time signature2/2
Tempo60 BPM
Performance time0:35
Difficulty leveleasy
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (44 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (274 kB)
Date added2015-10-17
Last updated2015-10-17
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 0.4 (below average)
Categories
Celtic Music, Slow airs, Traditional/Folk

Performances

  • Heather — Flute with backing track.

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Saturday 17 October 2015

Tune of the Day: Dumbarton's Drums

Traditional Scottish air

The lyrics of this song appear in print as early as 1724, and a tune was published in 1733. But it was not this tune! The present slow air, which probably also dates back a couple centuries, was made popular by the New York folk group The Beers Family in the 1960s.

Dumbarton's drums they sound sae bonnie
And they remind me o' my Johnnie,
Such fond delight doth steal upon me
When Johnnie kneels and kisses me.

There is also a male version of the lyrics, with “Johnnie” changed to “Jeannie”, which has notably been recorded by The Corries.