Dr Karen McAulay explores the history of Scottish music collecting, publishing and national identity from the 18th to 20th centuries. Research Fellow at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, author of two Routledge monographs.
On 18 June 1946, Herbert Wiseman wrote to publisher Thomas Nelson’s editor suggesting a meeting about their proposed Scots Song Book series.
It took another two years before the first of four books rolled off the press.
I’ll be writing much more about this series later this year!
Once used in an Edinburgh school, a wee Scots song book (pupil’s edition) found its way to a shop on the Isle of Arran, then back to the mainland to me in Glasgow.
If you ever find any of these in the back of a school cupboard, or bookshop, or car boot sale, or Granny’s attic …
… please do let me know! I’m trying to get complete set! There were four books for the kids, and four for teachers.
Karen McAulay, Musicologist 