Extensive and probing research of at least 10 minutes in google suggests that Burns wrote the poem (or song?), "I Gaed A Waefu' Gate Yestreen" in 1788 (or 1787). It appears with music in the Scots Musical Museum in 1790 set to a tune in a major key. But it appears elsewhere set to the minor key tune of "My only jo an' Dearie O" and this melody has its own words and the melody is slightly different in different versions.
The poem, "I Gaed A Waefu' Gate Yestreen", was composed when Burns spent an evening with a Reverend Jeffries and he was rather taken with the Rev's seventeen-year-old daughter. The minor key version brings its own particular pungency to the matter. Burns had a (wire-strung) guitar/guittar in his possessions (made by Rauche and Hoffman and it still exists but in very poor condition) and presumably he, or someone in his circle, played it and played the melodies of his songs. The very bed he slept in survives in the Robert Burns Centre in Dumfries too! Played here on an original 18th century guitar/guittar. [1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v^3tzNTIyjbg Stuart __________________________________________________________________ [2][avast-mail-stamp.png] This email is free from viruses and malware because [3]avast! Antivirus protection is active. -- References 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%C2%B3tzNTIyjbg 2. http://www.avast.com/ 3. http://www.avast.com/ To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
