TOSAD 2020 : Day 25 | Now Westlin' Winds

As the 25th of January is Robert Burns Day (his birthday was the 25th of January), I figured it would be most fitting to play a tun e that usually accompanies one of his most beautiful poems when it is sung, "Now Westlin' Winds". The title we use now comes from the first verse, though it was originally given the looser name, "Song Composed in August", and later became commonly known as how it's called now. My version of the tune is descended from the one sung by Dick Gaughan, which can be found here:    • Dick Gaughan - Now Westlin Winds   I also highly recommend Andy M. Stewart's album, "Songs of Robert Burns". With Andy's voice, Manus Lunny's playing, and brilliant interpretations on already beautiful words, this album is a true necessity for anyone interested in Burns or the traditional scene. The tune seems to be a version of "I had a horse, I had nae mair", which is another nice Scots song. If you haven't read any of Robert Burns's poems or don't know who he is, I highly recommend looking more into him. He was a Scottish poet who almost entirely wrote poems in Scots and died far too young, despite his already prolific works. His poetry is certainly "quintessentially Celtic", being incredibly flowing and descriptive, and perhaps most of all, lyrical, like the words are asking to be sung from the page. Perhaps his most famous work is "Auld Lang Syne", though many may know him for "My Love is Like a Red Red Rose", "Ae Fond Kiss", "Green Grow the Rashes O", and likely many versions of traditional songs that are commonly sung today. What's your favorite Burns poem or song? Always feel free to critique, criticize, share, ask me questions, or make any comments! Thanks for watching!