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Music

Music plays an important role throughout the Outlander novels and television series. Many of these songs are performed in the books by Roger MacKenzie, who earns the nickname a Smeòraich, meaning "song thrush" in the Gaelic.

Outlander Series[]

Outlander[]

Chapter Song Audio
10 "Maggie Lauder"[1] 18_-_Maggie_Lauder
Claire thinks of a few lines from the song: "Oh, they call me Rob the Ranter, / and the lassies all go daft, / When I blow up my chanter."
16 (poem fragment)[2]
from the Carmina Gadelica, vol. II (1900)
n/a
Jamie recites an old Gaelic love song to Claire: "Thou daughter of the kingdom of the regions of the light, / On the night that thy wedding is on us..."
16 "Cock o' the North"[3] "Cock_of_the_North"_with_Alyssa_Rodriguez
Claire and Jamie dance at the inn.
24 "Up Among the Heather"[4] Up_Among_the_Heather
Jamie leaves Claire to go work in the stables, singing as he goes.
34 "The Dowie Dens o Yarrow" Ewan_MacColl_-_The_Dowie_Dens_o'_Yarrow.wmv
Murtagh teaches Claire this song while on the road searching for Jamie.

Dragonfly in Amber[]

Chapter Song Audio
3 "Auld Lang Syne" by Robert Burns Auld_Lang_Syne_-_Dougie_MacLean_(Lyrics_and_Meaning)
Claire sees tea towels at a tourist shop in Inverness, depicting the Loch Ness Monster singing Auld Lang Syne.
6 "Farewell to Tarwathie"[5] The_Corries_---_Farewell_to_Tarwathie
Claire makes oblique reference to the whaling song when considering Jamie's debilitating seasickness.
11 "Le Papillon" n/a
Herr Gerstmann enlists Claire in a singing exercise.
15 Kyrie eleison Kyrie_VIII_from_Mass_VIII,_Gregorian_Chant
Jamie admits to Mother Hildegarde his complete lack of musical aptitude.
15 "La dame fait bien" n/a
Jamie admits to Mother Hildegarde his complete lack of musical aptitude.
15 "Goldberg Variations" by Johann Sebastian Bach Goldberg_Variations_Complete_(J.S._Bach_BWV_988),_with_score,_Kimiko_Ishizaka_piano
The piece used to create the cipher that Claire and Mother Hildegarde decode.

Voyager[]

Chapter Song Audio
3 "Rule, Britannia!"
by Thomas Arne (music), James Thomson (poet)
Rule_Britannia_(With_lyric_annotations)
Frank sings in the shower while Claire, after being up constantly all night with the baby, listens to Brianna cry.
7 "How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?"
by Walter Donaldson (music), Joe Young (lyricist), and Sam M. Lewis (lyricist)
How_'Ya_Gonna_Keep_'Em_Down_on_the_Farm?_(After_They've_Seen_Paree)
Claire mentions the WWI-era song to Roger, as one that her Uncle Lamb's army friends used to sing.
20 Dem Dry Bones (spiritual), by James Weldon Johnson (melody) Delta_Rhythm_Boys_-_Dem_Bones_Dem_Bones_Dem_Dry_Bones
Joe Abernathy sings the song while he and Claire examine a two hundred year old skeleton.
37 "Tha Mo Leabaidh 'san Fhraoch (In the Heather's My Bed)"[6] Tha_Mo_Leabaidh_'san_Fhraoch
Jamie tells Claire about how he and Laoghaire danced at Hogmanay.
40 Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest, a fictional sea song, originally from Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island n/a
Claire quotes the first two lines of this to Jamie when they learn the coins in the seal's treasure belonged to the Duke of Sandringham.

Drums of Autumn[]

Chapter Song Audio
1 "Fill Every Glass"[7][8] The_Beggar's_Opera_(after_J.C._Pepusch_Version)_Act_II_Fill_every_glass_(Filch,_Chorus)
Claire hears people in the tavern singing.
"Captain Thunder"[9][10] n/a
Claire hears people in the tavern singing.
"To Anacreon in Heaven" To_Anacreon_In_Heaven_(acapella)
Claire hears someone in the tavern sing the song, and she softly adds the last two lines of The Star-Spangled Banner.
4 "The Road to the Isles" Road_to_the_Isles_(song)
From Roger's set at the Celtic festival in New England with Brianna.
"The Gallowa' Hills"[11] North_Sea_Gas_Gallowa_Hills
From Roger's set at the festival.
"The Lewis Bridal Song" Mairi_Bhan_-_The_Lochies_-_Gaidhlig_Supergroup
From Roger's set at the festival.
"Gradh Geal Mo Chridh"[12][13] The_Corries_---_Eriskay_Love_Lilt
From Roger's set at the festival.
"Hey, Johnnie Cope, Are Ye Waking Yet?" 14_-_Johnny_Cope
From Roger's set at the festival.
"MacPherson's Lament" The_Corrie_Folk_Trio_--_MacPherson's_Rant
From Roger's set at the festival.
"The Sherramuir Fight" by Robert Burns Sherramuir_Fight_sung_by_the_Corries
From Roger's set at the festival.
"The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond" The_Corries_-_Loch_Lomond
From Roger's set at the festival.
25 "Blow the Man Down" Blow_The_Man_Down
Claire sings the song in a low, sinister voice while anointing the sick Indian man with lavender oil.
"Onward, Christian Soldiers"
by Sabine Baring-Gould (lyrics) and Arthur Sullivan (music)
ONWARD_CHRISTIAN_SOLDIERS_Hymn_Lyrics_Words_text_trending_sing_along_song_music
At the sick Indian's request, Claire sings the song.
26 Tantum Ergo
from Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium
by Thomas Aquinas
Tantum_Ergo_Sacramentum
Claire sings to the dying Indian man in the corncrib.

The Fiery Cross[]

Chapter Song Audio
8 "Ceann-ràra"[14] n/a
Mrs. Bug learns of Roger's nickname, a Smeòraich, and is in awe of his singing the night before.
"Loch Ruadhainn"[15] n/a
Mrs. Bug learns of Roger's nickname, a Smeòraich, and is in awe of his singing the night before.
12 "Rose, Rose" Rose,_rose,_rose_red
Germain tunefully chants the word merde.
"Row, Row, Row Your Boat" Row_Row_Row_Your_Boat_Super_Simple_Songs
Germain chants rude French phrases to the melody.
16 (poem fragment)[2]
from the Carmina Gadelica, vol. II (1900)
n/a
Roger sings for Brianna on their wedding night.
"Yesterday" by The Beatles Yesterday_(Remastered_2009)
Roger sings for Brianna on their wedding night.
21 "Oh My Darling, Clementine" Malcolm_Forest_Oh_my_darling_Clementine
Roger hears Brianna singing this to Jemmy.
22 "Lillibullero" Liliburlero_.ROYAL_CORPS_of_TRANSPORT
Claire hums the tune to Jemmy while taking him along for a walk.
23-24 "Ho-Ro My Nut-Brown Maiden"[16] The_Corries_Nut_Brown_Maiden_Live!
Brianna conveys a list of song requests to Roger from Jamie for the burning of the fiery cross. One of these she calls "Ho Ro!".
"Birniebouzle"[17] The_Corries_---_Birnie_Boozle
From Roger's set on Fraser's Ridge.
"The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry" The_Great_Silkie_-_trad._arrangement_by_Dave_Burland_(12-string_cover)
From Roger's set on Fraser's Ridge.
"The Braes o' Killiecrankie" The_Corrie_Folk_Trio_---_Killiecrankie_(1965)
From Roger's set on Fraser's Ridge.
"The Haughs of Cromdale" The_Haughs_O'_Cromdale_-_The_Corries
From Roger's set on Fraser's Ridge.
"Hey, Johnnie Cope, Are Ye Waking Yet?" 14_-_Johnny_Cope
From Roger's set on Fraser's Ridge.
"Flower of Scotland" The_Corries,_Flower_of_Scotland_(original_version)
From Roger's set on Fraser's Ridge.
41 "Ewie wi' the Crooked Horn"[18] (first two minutes)
The_Ewie_With_The_Crooked_Horn_The_Perrie_Werrie_Linden_Rise
Roger discusses music with Seamus Hanlon.
"Shawn Bwee"[19][20] (first minute)
Jigs_Sean_Bui,_The_Legacy,_Paddy's_Clancy's
Roger discusses music with Seamus Hanlon.
42 "My Love is in America" n/a
Brianna hears Roger singing.
47 "Oh My Darling, Clementine" Malcolm_Forest_Oh_my_darling_Clementine
Brianna and Roger soothe Jemmy with this lullaby.
57 "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond" The_Corries_-_Loch_Lomond
Brianna sings the song softly while packing for their departure in the morning with the militia.
72 "Frère Jacques" Frère_Jacques
Brianna sings under her breath, sitting by Roger's side.
81 Main Title of The Yogi Bear Show by Hoyt Curtin Hanna-Barbera_Tunes_From_The_Toons_-_Yogi_Bear_Main_Title_Theme
Brianna hums the tune while Peter Bewlie tells the story of the ghost bear, and Claire recalls the lyrics from the TV show. Later, Brianna makes another reference to the show: "Smarter than the average bear."
82 "The Ants Go Marching" Edewcate_english_rhymes_-_The_Ants_go_Marching_One_by_One_Song_Nursery_Rhyme
Roger works his vocal chords by singing the song.
86 "The Twa Corbies" Cannach_-_Twa_Corbies
Roger thinks of the song after he and Jamie encounter a pig carcass, already partially devoured by crows.
97 "Bonnie Dundee" The_Corries_-_Bonnie_Dundee
Claire refers to a few different verses of poetry and song, making a point about bloody-minded Scots.[21]
"Blue Bonnets Are Over the Border"[22] Blue_Bonnets_sung_by_the_Corries
Claire refers to a few different verses of poetry and song.
"The Haughs of Cromdale" The_Haughs_O'_Cromdale_-_The_Corries
Claire refers to a few different verses of poetry and song.[23]
98 "Jamie Telfer of the Fair Dodhead"[24] n/a
Roger tries to recall some new verses of the song in order to write them down.
102 / 107 "Oh My Darling, Clementine" Malcolm_Forest_Oh_my_darling_Clementine
Roger thinks of the lyrics as he treads water beneath the wharf at Wylie's Landing; back on the Ridge, he sings to Jem.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes[]

Chapter Song Audio
6 "Alouette" Jean-françois_Alexandre_-_Alouette
Germain sings the song, drunk on cherry bounce and ignoring Brianna's questions.
"The Maid Gaed Tae The Mill"[25]
(The Maid Went to the Mill)[26]
The_Maid_Gaed_to_the_Mill_Ewan_MacColl_Peggy_Seeger
A drunken Roger, singing lines from a bawdy song, makes advances on Brianna at the McGillivrays'.
29 "Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan Bob_Dylan_-_Mr._Tambourine_Man_(Audio)
Claire hears Brianna whistling the tune, which reminds her of the 1960s, and of the time traveler she met during her captivity.
52 "Oh My Darling, Clementine" Malcolm_Forest_Oh_my_darling_Clementine
Claire can be heard singing, while Brianna tells Jamie about Disneyland.
55 "Yellow Submarine" by The Beatles The_Beatles_-_Yellow_Submarine
Donner whistles this song to identify himself to the other time travelers.
85 "Eppie Morrie" Ewan_MacColl_-_Eppie_Morrie_(Child_223)
Young Ian sings this song while he, Jamie, and Roger prepare to ride with Joseph Wemyss to find Fraulein Berrisch.
99 "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash Folsom_Prison_Blues
Brianna hears Jemmy singing.

An Echo in the Bone[]

Chapter Song Audio
1 "Lillibullero" Liliburlero_.ROYAL_CORPS_of_TRANSPORT
Lord John whistles the tune as he returns to his room at an inn in Wilmington.
4 "O thoir a-nall am Botul"[27] Ellen_MacDonald_&_DÀIMH_-_O_Fair_a_Nall_Am_Botal_(7_11)
Jamie makes a passing reference to drunken mourners singing this song.
5 "The Animals Went in Two by Two ('Into the Ark')" The_Animals_Went_In_2_By_2_-_Nursery_Rhyme_-_With_Text
Brianna sings the first lines as she and Roger head upstairs for bed.
8 "Griogal Cridhe (Beloved Gregor)"[28] Griogal_Cridhe-0
Bobby sings the lullaby in Gaelic as he walks with Orrie and Aidan, and Claire wonders if he knows what the lyrics mean.[29][30]
16 "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford Tennessee_Ernie_Ford_-_Sixteen_Tons_-_1955_-_vinylrip
Roger recalls Jem singing this song just as two Tea Society ladies arrive to visit.
34 "The King of Love My Shepherd Is" by Henry Baker, to the tune of "St. Columba"[31] St._Columba_(Songs_Of_Praise_No.654)_The_King_Of_Love_My_Shepherd_Is-0
Brianna hears Roger singing.
"The Lord's My Shepherd" set to the tune "Crimond" by Jessie Seymour Irvine The_Lord's_My_Shepherd_-_Hymn
Brianna hears Roger singing.

Written in My Own Heart's Blood[]

Chapter Song Audio
12 "Die Sommernacht" by Franz Schubert Die_Sommernacht._D_289._Franz_Schubert.
Lord John sings the song to alert Dottie to his presence in the American camp.
"Greensleeves" Greensleeves_-_king's_singers_with_vocals_(lyrics_in_description)
Men in the American camp, inspired by Lord John's burst of song, sing their own songs.
"Chester" by William Billings Chester
Men in the American camp, inspired by Lord John's burst of song, sing their own songs.
"A Nighean nan Geug"[32] A_Nighean_nan_geug
Jamie thinks of the grim lullaby when Mrs. Hardman begins to sing to her youngest daughter.
"The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry" The_Great_Silkie_-_trad._arrangement_by_Dave_Burland_(12-string_cover)
Jamie thinks of the song as a better alternative for a Quaker.
31 "The Sherramuir Fight" by Robert Burns Sherramuir_Fight_sung_by_the_Corries
Roger sings the song for Brian Fraser, who is very taken with the poem – which won't be written for another fifty-odd years.
51 "Yankee Doodle" Yankee_Doodle_American_Patriotic_Song_18
Lord John listens to the continentals sing the latest American version of the song, while recalling earlier British versions he had heard.
66 "Nessun dorma" from Turandot by Giacomo Puccini "NESSUN_DORMA"-Marc_HERVIEUX-(Tenore-Ténor)-PUCCINI-Turandot_Act_III-(TESTO-IT-FR)
Ian thinks of the phrase nessun dorma – "none shall sleep" – as he prepares to put on his war paint, recalling that Brianna had told him it was the name of an aria in an opera.
70 "When the king enjoys his own again" by Martin Parker The_World_Turned_Upside_Down_or_When_the_King_Enjoys_His_Own_Again
William whistles the tune as the camp around him prepares for battle.
80 "Lillibullero" Liliburlero_.ROYAL_CORPS_of_TRANSPORT
Hal whistles the tune to test William's ability to recognize it.

Lord John Series[]

Lord John and the Haunted Soldier[]

Chapter Song Audio
Part III "Lillibullero" Liliburlero_.ROYAL_CORPS_of_TRANSPORT
Lord John whistles the tune, first while visiting Sussex, and again at the shipyard while waiting for Tom Byrd.

The Scottish Prisoner[]

Chapter Song Audio
41 "Eppie Morrie" Ewan_MacColl_-_Eppie_Morrie_(Child_223)
Jamie thinks of the song, though only the words, while rescuing Isobel Dunsany from her would-be suitor.

TV Series[]

In the TV series, music director Bear McCreary selects many traditional Scottish tunes to include in various episodes.

Resources[]

References[]

  1. Maggie Lauder – accessed 6 January 2016.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Carmina Gadelica, vol. II: Notes", page 231, via The Internet Archive. Accessed 16 April 2015.
  3. The Traditional Tune Archive – accessed 6 January 2016
  4. Up Among the Heather – Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music. Accessed 6 January 2016.
  5. Farewell to Tarwathie – Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music. Accessed 7 January 2016.
  6. Tha Mo Leabaidh 'san Fhraoch (In the Heather's My Bed) lyrics. Accessed 24 January 2016.
  7. The Traditional Tune Archive – accessed 5 January 2016.
  8. Volumes 1-6 - Wit and mirth, or, Pills to purge melancholy by Thomas D'Urfrey. National Library of Scotland.
  9. From The comical history of Don Quixote by Thomas D'Urfey. Accessed 11 January 2016.
  10. Volumes 1-6 - Wit and mirth, or, Pills to purge melancholy by Thomas D'Urfrey. National Library of Scotland.
  11. The Gallowa' Hills – Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music. Accessed 21 January 2016.
  12. Written as "Vhair Me Oh" in the book, which is a corrupted spelling of the Gaelic orthography of the refrain, "Bheir mi ò".
  13. Vair Me O (Eriskay Love Lilt)
  14. "This sprightly air commemorates the mirth and festivity kept up by the late Duchess of Gordon at Kinrara, every memorial of whom calling to mind how much she is missed." From The Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles by Simon Fraser (1816). Accessed 6 January 2016.
  15. "Loch Ruthven, celebrated in this air, is as famous in Inverness-shire, for the sport it affords the angler, as Loch Erroch on the confines of Perthshire." From The Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles by Simon Fraser (1816). Accessed 6 January 2016.
  16. Ho-Ro My Nut-Brown Maiden – accessed 6 January 2016
  17. Birniebouzle – accessed 6 January 2016
  18. Ewie Wi' the Crooked Horn – The Traditional Tune Archive. Accessed 8 January 2016.
  19. Also Sean Bui
  20. Sean Bui (jig) – The Session. Accessed 24 January 2016.
  21. See also Literary References.
  22. Blue Bonnets Are Over the Border, National Library of Scotland. Accessed 21 January 2016.
  23. Claire says "lances and swords all over the Haughs of Cromdale." In the song, one line goes: "The Frasers fought with sword and lance." See also Jacobite relics of Scotland via National Library of Scotland.
  24. Child's Collected Ballads by Francis James Child. "Jamie Telfer of the Fair Dodhead", no. 190
  25. Ancient and Modern Scottish Songs, Heroic Ballads, Etc via Google Books. Accessed 25 March 2015.
  26. The Maid Went to the Mill – Accessed 25 March 2015.
  27. O thoir a-nall am Botul – 6 January 2016
  28. Tobar an Dualchais: Griogal Cridhe – accessed 4 November 2015
  29. English:
    Many a night, wet and dry
    Even in the worst of weather
    Gregor would find a little rock for me
    Beside which I could shelter

    Obhan obhan obhan iri
    Obhan iri o
    Obhan obhan obhan iri
    Great indeed is my sorrow

    I ascended to the topmost rooms
    And I descended to the ground floor house
    And I did not find my beloved Gregor
    Sitting at the table

    Great sweetheart of all people of the world
    They poured your blood yesterday
    And they put your head on an oak stick
    A short distance from your body

    I would like to be with my beloved Gregor
    Driving cattle down the glen
    Than with the big Baron of Dall
    With white silk around my head
  30. Gaelic:
    S'iomadh oidhche fhliuch is thioram
    Sìde nan seachd sian
    Gheibheadh Griogal dhòmhsa creagan
    Ris an gabhainn dìon

    Òbhan òbhan òbhan ìri
    Òbhan ìri ò
    Òbhan òbhan òbhan ìri
    'S mòr mo mhulad 's mòr

    Dhìrich mi dhan t-seòmar mhullaich
    'S thèirinn mi'n taigh-làir
    'S cha d'fhuair mise Griogal Cridhe
    'Na shuidhe mu'n chlàr

    Eudail mhòir de shluagh an domhain
    Dhòirt iad d'fuil an dè
    'S chuir iad do cheann air stob daraich
    Tacan beag bho d'chrè

    B'annsa bhith le Griogal Cridhe
    Teàrnadh chruidh le gleann
    Na le Baran mòr na Dalach
    Sìoda geal mu'm cheann
  31. St. Columba – an Irish melody
  32. Celtic Lyrics Corner – "A Nighean nan Geug". Accessed 3 June 2015.
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