Thomson, George
Achievements: Published Scots folk songs
Born: March 4, 1757; Limekilns, Fife, Scotland
Died: February 18, 1851; Leith, Scotland (Aged 93)
Field & Discipline: Publishing; Editor
Language: English
Education: Banff Grammar School; Lawyer's apprentice
Major Work: Select Collection of Original Scottish Airs for the Voice
Life & Times:
At 23, Thomson was given the job of junior clerk at the Board of Trustees for the Encouragement of Art and Manufactures in Scotland. Soon after, he became principal clerk, a post he retained for 59 years until his retirement in 1839. Thomson gained a reputation as being a fine amateur violinist and singer and participated in many concerts at Edinburgh's St. Cecilia's Hall. It was at the Cecilia concerts during the mid-1780s that Thomson first heard and fell in love with Scottish folk songs. Thomson conceived the idea of collecting all the best Scottish melodies and songs, and obtaining accompaniments to them worthy of their merit.
Thomson started collating and collecting Scottish songs with the idea of anthologizing them in arrangements for voice and piano trio. In 1792, he wrote to poet [commissioned work from] Robert Burns*, to whom he had been introduced several years earlier, asking him to rewrite some of the lyrics to the songs. Thomson wanted an eclectic collection of characteristically Scottish tunes including the words to which they were traditionally sung, if they were "proper" words, and with other words, especially written, if they were not "proper" in Thomson's eyes. By 1796, Burns had written 56 letters to Thomson about the project. He also advised Thomson to collate Irish and Welsh airs, which later were given their own collections.
Thomson also came up with the idea of embellishing the rather bare tunes with musical accompaniments and symphonies (i.e. independent passages for instruments) to precede and follow the airs, to make them more appealing to the "sons of daughters of taste". To this end, he wrote to several European composers requesting their help in the composition of piano trios. Among the composers who complied were Ignaz Joseph Pleyel, who wrote six sonatas and symphonies and accompaniments to 32 Scottish songs; Leopold Kozeluch; [commissioned] Joseph Haydn*, who produced 232 airs with symphonies and accompaniments; [commissioned] Ludwig van Beethoven*, who provided about 100 "Gallic" airs, many of which Thomson returned as too difficult and complicated; and [commissioned] von Weber*, who wrote 10 airs.
Thomson's request was so audacious that it is amazing any of the composers responded at all. In most cases, the composers did not know Scottish music, and often they were not supplied with the lyrics. They were expected to provide accompaniments that would be elegant, pleasing, not too difficult, and not unsuited to the words that Thomson might later connect with them. Not surprisingly the composers complained a great deal. Their correspondence with Thomson was marked by remonstrances, requests for alterations, demands for more money and often despair.
It is also not surprising that their work often did not come up to expectation. Beethoven sent back some singularly inappropriate accompaniments, as did Weber and Pleyel, although Thomson was pleased if only because the music came from great masters. Haydn did a little better, but all in all, it was a bad idea, and the collections of songs did not do as well as Thomson had hoped. Thomson got Burns to write new words to about 120 songs. He requested lyrics from [commissioned work from] Sir Walter Scott*, who also lived in Edinburgh, and [commissioned work from] Byron*. (Byron promised his cooperation but produced nothing.)
From 1793 to 1841 Thomson published 300 Scottish songs in six volumes, three volumes of Welsh songs (1809-14), and two volumes of Irish songs (1814-16). Financially, the collections barely broke even. After retiring in 1839, Thomson and his wife moved to London, to join their two sons and their families. In 1841, Thomson's wife died and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, next to the space owned by Charles Dickens. Without his wife,Thomson felt lost in London, and, in 1843, moved to Brighton. In 1845, he returned to Edinburgh. After his death in 1851, he was buried alongside his wife at Kensal Green. The inscription was written by Dickens.
Extra Connections: His grand-daughter Catherine married [grand-daughter married] Dickens*
Assessment: Although apparently working to preserve Scottish folk music, Thomson culled most of his selections from earlier published editions.
Oneliner: George Thomson, publisher of Scottish folk-tunes with the help of major writers and composers
Bibliography:
- Encyclopedia Britannica.
- Dictionary of National Biography.
- Hadden, J. Cuthbert, George Thomson: The Friend of Burns, London: John C. Nimmo, 1898.
Father: Robert Thomson
Mother: Anne Stirling
Siblings: William; David (landscape painter and musician); half-brother Keith
Spouse: Katherine Miller
Children: 2 sons: Robert; William. 6 daughters: Katherine; Alsie; Margaret; Anne; Georgina; Helen