The Garb of Old Gaul

The Garb of Old Gaul (sometimes given as "Auld Gaul") is an 18th-century patriotic Scottish march and song about Highland soldiers during the Seven Years' War.

Soldier Samuel McPherson of the Black Watch at the time of the mutiny of 1743

Origins

The music was written by General John Reid, who was a senior officer of the 42nd Regiment of Foot (The Black Watch) during the Seven Years' War. The words have traditionally been attributed to Sir Harry Erskine (1710 -1765). Robert Burns described it as "This excellent loyal Scottish song" and states that it first appeared in print in Herd's Collection of 1769. Alternative titles include The Highland Character and The Highland or 42nd Regiment's March.[1] The tune was originally a quick march but was later rearranged as a slow march.[2]

Lyrics

The lyrics of the song are about the martial prowess of Highland soldiers and the perceived British tradition of freedom and fighting against the despotic French.[3] The phrase "Garb of Old Gaul" refers to the traditional Highland dress, ancient Gaul being thought of at the time as the heartland of the Celtic peoples.[4]

The first stanza runs:

In the garb of old Gaul with the fire of old Rome,
From the heath-covered mountains of Scotia we come;
When the Romans endeavoured our country to gain,
Our ancestors fought, and they fought not in vain.

Military use

The tune is used by a number of Scottish military units as their regimental march. These include:

It was also the former slow march of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, until being replaced by "Lili Marlene".

References
  1. "The Scotish Musical Museum: Consisting of Upwards of Six Hundred Songs, with Proper Basses for the Pianoforte". W. Blackwood and Sons. 2 November 2018. p. 202. Retrieved 2 November 2018 – via Google Books.
  2. "Garb of Old Gaul (The) - The Traditional Tune Archive". Tunearch.org. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  3. Ian Bradley, Believing in Britain: The Spiritual Identity of 'Britishness', I B Taurus & Co Ltd 2007, (p. 120) ISBN 978-1-84511-326-1
  4. Ray, R. Celeste (2 November 2018). "Highland Heritage: Scottish Americans in the American South". UNC Press Books. p. 175. Retrieved 2 November 2018 – via Google Books.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.