Monday 19 June 2017
Tune of the Day: The Rose Tree
Traditional English/Scottish tune
The title of this tune comes from a song set to the melody called “A Rose Tree in Full Bearing”, first appearing in print under that title in English composer William Shield's 1782 opera The Poor Soldier. Shield did not compose the melody, but rather adapted an existing, older tune, which may have been of Irish origin. In fact, the tune had previously appeared in Thompson's 24 Country Dances for the Year 1764 under the title “The Irish Lilt”. However, as Scottish music collector Alfred Moffat pointed out, this was a generic title applied to many tunes.
Today, “The Rose Tree” is quite popular throughout England and Scotland, and is often played together with “The Dashing White Sergeant”.