James Oswald (composer) facts for kids

James Oswald (1710–1769) was a talented Scottish musician. He was a composer, who wrote music, an arranger, who changed existing music, a cellist, who played the cello, and a music publisher. He even became the Chamber Composer for King George III, which meant he wrote music especially for the King! He also published many popular Scottish folk tunes.

A Musician's Life

James Oswald was born in Crail, Scotland, in 1710. He passed away in Knebworth, Hertfordshire, in 1769. When he was young, he worked in Dunfermline as a musician and a dancing teacher. He always loved traditional Scottish music, but he also wrote classical music in a popular style called style galant.

In 1741, James left Edinburgh and moved to London with Mary Ann Melvill. The poet Allan Ramsay wrote a poem about James leaving. James and Mary Ann had their first child in 1742 and got married in 1744. They had three daughters. In London, James Oswald started his own music publishing company. He published a famous collection of Scottish folk tunes called the Caledonian Pocket Companion. This collection had 12 books and was printed many times.

James Oswald was part of a secret music group in London called "The Temple of Apollo." Other famous composers like Thomas Erskine, 6th Earl of Kellie and Charles Burney were also members.

James's first wife, Mary Ann, died in 1756. He later married Leonora Robinson Lytton in 1762 after she became a widow.

Oswald's Music and Compositions

James Oswald wrote new versions of popular Scottish folk tunes. He arranged these tunes for the fiddle and also wrote his own new tunes in the same style. He used the pen name "Dottel Figlio" for some of his classical music. In 1736, he published a "Collection of Minuets" in Edinburgh. Later, in 1740, he released a "Curious Collection of Scots Tunes."

Some famous Scottish fiddle tunes, like "The East Neuk of Fife" and "The Flowers of Edinburgh," have been linked to him. However, "The East Neuk of Fife" was written before James was born. "Flowers of Edinburgh" also appeared in another collection around 1737, before it was in Oswald's Caledonian Pocket Companion.

Many tunes in his Caledonian Pocket Companion were later used for songs by the famous poet Robert Burns. For example, an early version of Burns's song 'Ae Fond Kiss' was based on Oswald's tune 'Rory Dall's Port'. It's important to remember that not all tunes in his collection were written by him, but many of the special variations he added were his own work.

Later, James Oswald wrote a collection of German military music. It was called "40 Marches, Tattoos and Night Pieces." These were for instruments like German flutes, violins, or guitars, and were played by the Prussian and Hessian Armies.

In 1761, when George became King, James Oswald was chosen to be the Chamber Composer to George III. This meant he composed music especially for the King. Because many of his works were published without his name, researchers are still working to find all of his compositions.

Some of James Oswald's most interesting works are his two sets of 'Airs for the Seasons'. There are about 96 pieces in total. Each one is named after a different flower or plant and belongs to a specific season. These pieces can be played by a violin (or flute or oboe) and a cello. Some also have parts for a second violin, so they can be played by three musicians. A handwritten copy of his "Airs for Autumn" is kept in the Wighton Collection in Dundee.

Main Published Works

• Caledonian Pocket Companion – This was a collection of popular Scottish tunes for the German flute. James Oswald published 12 books of this collection around 1760. It was printed in London by different publishers, including his own music shop.

See also

• Scottish Baroque music
• God Save the Queen