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James Gilchrist, Michael Marra, Concerto Caledonia, David McGuinness - Urbani: The Ever Memorable Battle of Bannockburn

from Late Night Extras by Concerto Caledonia

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Festival director Jonathan Mills took the rather provocative step of opening the 2009 Edinburgh International Festival with a performance of Handel’s oratorio ‘Judas Maccabeus’, which celebrates Butcher Cumberland’s victory at Culloden. So it seemed only fair for us to end our concert series with a celebration of Bannockburn, in the interests of political balance.

Despite Burns giving Urbani the words of ‘A Red Red Rose’ to set to music, he specifically forbade the composer to use his name in his advertising. So it may be that this piece was Urbani’s attempt to cash in on his connections with Burns as soon as possible after his death. The titlepage of the souvenir score reads ‘The ever Memorable Battle of Bannockburn, as performed at St Cecilia’s Hall to universal applause. Wherein is inserted Bruce's address to His Troops previous to the Action by the late R. Burns’.

The text that surrounds a slightly butchered version of Burns’s ‘Scots wha hae’ implies that there was still a spirit of optimism about Scotland's rebranding as North Britain, 90 years after the Act of Union. After the depiction of the ‘total rout of the English army’, the final Grand Chorus suggests that Scots could nonetheless ‘still more happy be’ as Britons!

Urbani’s score (entered in Stationers Hall in 1799, but probably published earlier) is designed for domestic performances on piano and violin, but it notes that originally in St Cecilia’s Hall there were at least clarinets and horns in the band too. I expanded his arrangement for piano and string quartet, and skipped over some of the repetition in the Grand Chorus. The published score is now available on the British Library website, so if you want to, you can reinstate the cuts and imagine Urbani’s celebration of being guarded by freedom and the sea in all its original ridiculous glory.

lyrics

Prelude or Introduction to Bruce’s Address
Wrote by a Gentleman.

Of all the Battles which in former days,
added to Caledonia’s warlike praise,
None e’er so bold, so rout e’er so complete,
as when at Bannockburn the hosts did meet?

No day so fatal to the English name
so prosp’rous[?] none to Scottish freedom’s flame.
Proud Edward’s hosts came on in fierce array,
while Bruce address’d his troops and thus did say.

(Segue Aria.)

Bruce’s Address to his Army
By R. Burns.

Scots! wha hae wi’ Wallace bled;

Scots, wham Bruce has often led,

Onward to your gory bed,

Or to glorious victorie!

Now’s the day, and now’s the hour!

See the front o’ battle lour!

See approach proud Edward’s power,

Edward, chains and slaverie!

Wha will be a traitor knave?

Wha can fill a coward’s grave?

Wha sae base as be a slave?
Traitor, Coward, Let him turn and flie!

Wha for Scotland’s King and Law,

Freedom’s sword will boldly draw,

Freeman stand, or Freeman fa;

Caledonian, on wi’ me!

GRAND CHORUS
Wrote by a Gentleman.

May Scotia’s sons, as Bruce be free
And always hail sweet Liberty!
As Britons, still more happy be,
By freedom guarded and the sea.

credits

from Late Night Extras, released June 30, 2023

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