This edition was prepared by David Anderson — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Bonnie ran the burnie doon
Staff Notation • Secular, Partsongs
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Bonnie ran the burnie doon by Henry A. Lambeth — Lyrics
Bonnie ran the burnie doon,
Wand’rin’ and windin’;
Sweetly sang the birds abune,
Care never mindin’.
The gentle simmer wind
Was their nursie saft and kind,
And it rockit them, and rockit them,
All in their bowers sae hie.
The mossy rock was there,
And the waterlily fair,
And the little trout would sport about
All in the sunny beam.
Though simmer days be lang,
And sweet the birdies’ sang,
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About Bonnie ran the burnie doon
Henry A. Lambeth sets a poem in Lowland Scots, capturing the transition from a gentle, idyllic summer day to the harshness of winter. The SATB voicing allows for rich harmonies, mirroring the descriptive natural imagery. The piece opens by evoking the scene of a babbling brook and singing birds, with the texture perhaps reflecting the wind and water. As the text turns towards the inevitable arrival of winter, the music may shift in character to reflect the stormier, more dramatic final stanzas. It is a secular part-song that explores nature’s cycles and their emotional resonance through evocative language and choral colour.
