Robert Burns (1759-1796) is considered by historians as the single most important poet from Scotland. While The Linnet is indeed found in print, the text is actually an excerpt from a longer poem from 1787:

A Rose-bud by my early walk

A Rose-bud by my early walk,
Adown a corn-enclosed bawk,
Sae gently bent its thorny stalk,
All on a dewy morning.
Ere twice the shades o’ dawn are fled,
In a’ its crimson glory spread,
And drooping rich the dewy head,
It scents the early morning.

Within the bush her covert nest
A little linnet fondly prest;
The dew sat chilly on her breast,
Sae early in the morning.
She soon shall see her tender brood,
The pride, the pleasure o’ the wood,
Amang the fresh green leaves bedew’d,
Awake the early morning.

So thou, dear bird, young Jeany fair,
On trembling string or vocal air,
Shall sweetly pay the tender care
That tents thy early morning.
So thou, sweet Rose-bud, young and gay,
Shalt beauteous blaze upon the day,
And bless the parent’s evening ray
That watch’d thy early morning.

Burns did write in the Scots language, although much of his work – including this lovely poem – demonstrates his use of a “light Scots dialect” so as to be more accessible to larger English-speaking audiences.

Before rehearsing this piece, choir members should have a working understanding of compound meter as this will lead to them learning the individual parts more quickly and with more accuracy and independence. Once this understanding is in place, relax a bit and let the tempo become more rubato. The continued shifting between 6/8 and 9/8 should simply create a bit of an unmetered feel: someone humming a tune while lost in thought, perhaps daydreaming. The natural pulse of compound meter, along with the rolling texture of the piano accompaniment, should be enough to keep the ensemble together.

Singers should maintain a warm, relaxed tone throughout the song, and allow the dynamic shape of each phrase to gently rise and fall as the melodic line moves up and down. Unison singing tends to project more than harmony singing: m68 is the true high point of the piece, so take care that the unison passages at m27 and m58 remain mezzoforte. The “oo” sections should ideally be sung with staggered breathing, thus never breaking the continuous line. If necessary, however, the ensemble may breathe just prior to the points where the word “oo” is repeated.

The texture of the piano accompaniment is light and transparent; its repetitive nature should be gentle and somewhat hypnotic. The Linnet should maintain a sense of elegance and restraint throughout.