The Background and Context for Aird’s Music Business

Glasgow’s musical life during the eighteenth century can be traced through newspaper advertisements, although few survive from any earlier than 1755.Footnote ¹ The short-lived Glasgow Courant (November 1715–May 1716) and West-Country Intelligence (November 1715–May 1716) give no insight into the cultural life of the city in the early part of the century, and little can be gleaned from some 260 issues of the local press of the 1740s. Almost double the number of papers survives from the 1750s, and these record a number of benefit concerts and the existence of a Musical Society. Subscription concerts were advertised from October 1761, and in June 1763 a concert hall was being constructed, adding to the existing performance venues at the Merchants’ Hall, the new Assembly Room, and the hall at the Black Bull Inn. By 1770 there were several instrument teachers in the city who published their own instrumental and vocal tutors and collections of psalm tunes, as well as offering services such as tuning keyboard instruments and staging concerts to exhibit the achievements of their pupils. It is in this context that Aird established his business by 1776, at the age of 28. His advertisements for what he described as a music shop place musical instruments next to sealing wax, dawn pistols, and a list of titles of sheet music for songs from recent theatrical performances. Six years later, in the summer of 1782, he took the gamble of printing music in his shop, and by the time of his death in 1795 he had a significant catalogue of single songs, keyboard music, and collections of traditional tunes.

Aird’s was not the first music shop in Glasgow but seems to have been the first to have survived for more than a few years. Evidence of earlier ventures is sketchy due to the lack of newspapers between 1748 and 1755, and there are no trades directories for this period. In September 1755 and later, in August 1757, John Carlile advertised: ‘Fine Violins, German and common Flutes [i.e. recorders] of all Kinds, Hautboys, French-Horns, Violin-Strings new imported’.Footnote ² The only other reference to the sale of music and musical instruments in the 1750s is in what appears to be a sequestration sale of a toyshop in October 1755, where the proprietor is not named: ‘THAT the whole Stock of GOODS in the TOYSHOP […] are to be sold off […] Among which are […] different kinds of Musical Instruments, viz., Violins, German Flutes, Common Flutes, Hautboys, Fifes, &c. Music-books and Ballads.’Footnote ³ Another shop appeared briefly in 1764, that of James McEwan and Company, where sample pages of ‘Six solos for the violin or German flute’ by Jacob Althause could be viewed by potential subscribers.Footnote ⁴ The next business described as a music shop, in 1776, is Aird’s; for several years his only real competitor was Archibald McGoun (active 1783–96), who opened his shop in 1783, describing it as ‘a business so entirely new here’.Footnote ⁵ Between them, they served a varied range of customers, from instrumental teachers and their pupils to dancing masters and the local militia bands. For example, Aird’s first publication, in 1782, refers to the Royal Glasgow Volunteers within the title-page image; this local regiment was raised in 1778 and disbanded in 1783.Footnote ⁶ The small format of this book, 113 x 164 mm, makes it easily portable, with two hundred tunes suited for the most commonly played instruments, namely fife, German flute, and violin.

Music publishing in Scotland did not gain momentum until the middle of the eighteenth century, and even then the number of works is small. Frank Kidson and Henry George Farmer outline the licensing and monopoly context which resulted in virtually no secular music being published in the country between John Forbes’s Cantus, Songs and Fancies (1662) and Musick for Allan Ramsay’s Collection of the Scots Songs (1724–25).Footnote ⁷ Robert Bremner (1720–89) was the first to establish a more sustained business, from 1754 in Edinburgh, although he left for London in 1761.Footnote ⁸ The next most important figure is the music engraver James Johnson (1753–1811), who produced printing plates for several Scottish music publishers, including Aird.Footnote ⁹ As the last quarter of the century progressed, Edinburgh had at least seven music publishers and Glasgow three, printing mostly traditional songs and tunes, as well as songs extracted from stage works.Footnote ¹⁰

In Glasgow, the only references to music publishing prior to Aird’s arrival reflect the nation’s focus on the improvement of congregational singing for church services. Several precentors produced collections of the so-called church tunes for their pupils and the general public. Most prolific among these was Thomas Moore (c. 1727–92), who from 1755 was favoured by the City Council to teach ‘psalmody and church music in the touns hospitall’ at public classes that met several times each week.Footnote ¹¹ He subsequently published The Psalm-Singer’s Pocket Companion in 1756, ‘with all the church tunes usually sung in most parts of Scotland’.Footnote ¹²

Aird’s Biography and Entry into Business

The earliest scholarly reference to Aird can be found in James Brown’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians of 1886, which sums up his career in three lines: ‘Scottish music-seller engaged in business in Glasgow. Published in the 18th cent.’, and includes the title of only one publication, A Selection of Scots, English, Irish, and Foreign Airs Adapted to the Fife, Violin, or German-Flute. Footnote ¹³ Subsequent reference works contain brief and often inaccurate details of his life and publications.Footnote ¹⁴ Parish registers show that Aird’s family lived in Govan, at this time a village just outside the Glasgow boundary. His baptismal record, dated 17 April 1748, includes the names of his parents, ‘AIRD James l[awful] s[on] of James Aird and Isobell FOGO’, who were married in Linlithgow on 20 May 1744.Footnote ¹⁵ The Govan parish baptismal records further reveal the names of James Aird Jr’s four sisters, the most significant for his publishing business being Jean, baptized in July 1751. His burial record, for 15 September 1795 in the register of Glasgow High Kirk (i.e. Cathedral), reads ‘AIRD James — Music Seller, 45 years FEVER’, although there is clearly a discrepancy in his age, which should be 47.Footnote ¹⁶

Nothing has been uncovered of Aird’s early life and training before he started in business, although it is reasonable to assume he received some guidance from his father. His entry into Glasgow’s business community is documented in the records of the Merchants’ House where, on 16 September 1773, ‘Aird, James, merchant’ was admitted ‘B[urgess] and G[uild] B[rother], as eld[est] l[awful] son to James A[ird], weaver, B[urgess] and G[uild] B[rother]’.Footnote ¹⁷ Here, he is simply described as ‘merchant’, with no indication of the nature of his business.

The earliest surviving reference to Aird’s business dates from February 1776, when it was described as a music shop with various ancillary services provided (see Table 1). An advertisement in the Glasgow Chronicle later that year gives a fuller picture of the diverse nature of his stock, which was not limited to musical items:

JAMES AIRD, junior, Desires to inform the Public that he continues to sell the following Goods, on very low terms, in wholesale and retail, at his Shop, Exchange [i.e. Trongate], Glasgow, Music Books and Musical Instruments, Great variety of Morocco Etwee [small cases for personal items] and Letter Cases, either mounted with Silver and Instruments or plain, Asses Skin and Slate paper Memorandum Books, Liverpool Strap-books with slate paper, all sizes; Royal, Medium, and Demy Paper, Foolscap and Pot writing do. Thick and Thin Post in Quarto, Gilt and Mourning Post; also the Maps of Lanerkshire [sic], and the Canal between the Firth of Forth and Clyde; Ink Powder, best Dutch Sealing Wax and Quills, Case-hardened Powder-Flasks, with rising, charge, and pump head or plain Shot Bags, and Bottle Flasks, with Hunter Cups; Message Cards, best Black and Red Lead Pencils; Pebble, Bristol, and sprigg’d Sleeve Buttons, set Stock and Knee Buckles; Pen Knives, Razors, Paper Snuff Boxes, Standard Gold Weights in Cases, Down [sic] Pistols, various sizes, either brass or steel, indented with silver or plain; with a variety of Opera Glasses, Concave and Convex Temple Spectacles and Glasses; with several other articles; Catalogues of which may be had at the shop.

Just arrived a fresh assortment of Violin Strings, and Standard Gold Weights according to the latest regulation.

Also just now arrived, a New Assortment of Vocal and Instrumental Music, among which are the following pieces, viz.,

[T. Linley, Sr and Jr] The Duenna, for Voice and Harpsichord, 10s. 6d.

[M. Arne] Cymon, ditto, 10s. 6d.

[Dibdin] The Deserter and Padlock, ditto, each 6s.

[T. Arne] The Beggars Opera, ditto, ditto, each 3s.

[Boyce] Midas, ditto, ditto, 4s.

The Duenna for the German Flute 2s.

Deserter, ditto, ditto, 2s.

[Dibdin] Institution of the Garter, ditto, 1s. 6d.

Dibdin’s Comic Dances 2s.

[T. Arne] Masque of Comus & [Dibdin] Padlock, each 1s. 6d.

Love in a Vi’lage & Beggar’s Opera, each 1s. 6d.

[T. Arne] Lady’s Frolic & [Anon.] Spanish Lady cur’d, each 1s. 6d.

3 setts of Scots songs for voice and harpsichord, each 2s. 6d.

Oswald’s Scots Tunes, in 12 books, each 1s. 6d.

Ditto neatly bound in rough calf and gilt on back, in 2 vols. 21s.

Variety of Operas [i.e. works] for the Violin or German Flute; with Violin, German Flute, Common Flute, Bagpipe, Guitar, and Fife Instruction Books, each 1s. 6d. with Violin Strings, and Harpsichord and Guitar Wire.

P.S. He takes this opportunity of returning his most grateful thanks to those who have favoured him with their orders, and hopes for the continuance of them. — Commissions from the Country carefully attended to.Footnote ¹⁸

Table 1.

James Aird’s published business addresses, March 1776 to September 1795

Table 1. Long description

Beginning at the top row, the table has three columns: Date, Address, and Summary of items being sold. The first entry, March to at least December 1776, lists Exchange, Trongate, with general hardware, printed music, and concert tickets. December 1778 shows the corner of Gibson’s Wynd, New Street, selling general hardware, no music listed. January 1779 records King’s Street, offering tickets for dancing assemblies. December 1779 to May 1780 covers the corner of Gibson’s Wynd, New Street, with a move to McNair’s land, New Street from Whit Sunday 1780, selling general hardware, printed music, instruments, and contact for Mr Wilson, violin, clarinet, and horn teacher. June 1780 at McNair’s land, New Street advertises for an engraving apprentice and deals in selling, repairing, and hiring musical instruments. April to August 1781 at McNair’s land, New Street includes musical instruments, general store goods, concert tickets, and contact for Mr Cranmer, harpsichord, German flute, and singing teacher. July 1782 at New Street lists music, jewellery, general hardware, and music printed on the premises. July 1782 to an unspecified month in 1783 at King’s Street repeats music, jewellery, general hardware, and music printed on the premises. April 1787 at west side of King Street notes a sequestration sale. July to August 1788 at McNair’s land, New Street features music books and instruments. January 1790 at Trongate offers concert tickets. August 1790 to April 1794 at New Wynd includes concert tickets, purchase of music from Corri and Sutherland’s stock and Thomas Moore’s printing plates, musical instruments, single and double songs, fireworks, literature, hardware, and a music and copper-print shop. December 1795 at King Street records sale of goods after James Aird’s death. Each entry is supported by footnotes referencing periodicals and directories.

^a Glasgow Chronicle, 7–14 March, [p. 4], 24–31 October, [p. 4], and 19–26 December 1776, [p. 4].

^b Glasgow Mercury, 10 December 1778, p. 40.

^c Glasgow Mercury, 28 January 1779, p. 30.

^d Glasgow Mercury, 23–30 December 1779, front page.

^e Glasgow Mercury, 1–8 June 1780, p. 184.

^f Glasgow Mercury, 12–19 April, p. 128, 7–14 June, p. 192, and 26 July–2 August 1781, p. 248.

^g Glasgow Journal, 18–25 July 1782, [p. 4].

^h Glasgow Mercury, 25 July–1 August 1782, p. 248; John Tait’s Directory for the City of Glasgow […] From the 15 May 1783, to the 15 May 1784 […] (John Tait, 1783), p. 14.

ⁱ Glasgow Mercury, 18–25 April 1787, p. 136.

^j Glasgow Mercury, 16–23 July, [p. 239], and 30 July–5 August 1788, front page.

^k Glasgow Advertiser & Evening Intelligencer, 29 January–1 February 1790, p. 99.

^l Glasgow Advertiser & Evening Intelligencer, 7–10 January 1791, front page, and 13–16 July 1792, p. 463; Glasgow Courier, 20 March, [p. 3], 17 July, [p. 3], 17 November, [p. 4], and 29 December 1792, [p. 4], 7 March, [p. 3], 30 March, [p. 4], 30 April, [p. 3], and 2 May 1793, [p. 3], and 15 April 1794, [p. 3].

^m Jones’s Directory or Useful Pocket Companion, For the year 1790 and 1791 […] (Joseph Galbraith, 1790), [p. 1].

ⁿ Glasgow Courier, 19 December 1795, [p. 3]; Glasgow Mercury, 22 December 1795, p. 271.

Most of the dramatic works listed under ‘Vocal and Instrumental Music’ were first performed in London in the 1760s, but there are a few more recent ones, such as Dibdin’s Institution of the Garter (1771) and The Deserter (1773), and Thomas Linley Sr and Jr’s The Duenna, performed for the first time about one year earlier, in November 1775.Footnote ¹⁹ The outlier seems to be Arne’s Masque of Comus, which was first performed in 1738, although it was revived in 1772.Footnote ²⁰ At least two of the works for sale had been performed in Glasgow in the previous ten years as part of a regular season of plays and operas: The Beggar’s Opera on 6 May 1765 and The Padlock on 9 December 1769. The latter is described in the local press as ‘never Acted here [i.e. Glasgow] now performing at the THEATRE ROYAL in LONDON […] Being the first time of performing it in this Kingdom’.Footnote ²¹ This performance was just over one year after its first performance in London on 30 October 1768. So it would appear that Aird was stocking some music that was known to his customers, as well as introducing other works that were no doubt considered the height of fashion, coming so soon from a London performance.

This advertisement of November 1776 gives no indication of the instruments in stock, although some later notices do. For example, in December 1779 he had ‘just got home spinets, violins, German flutes, fifes, hautboys and clarionets’.Footnote ²² Later, he included more aesthetic descriptions of the instruments to entice customers: ‘Spinets, either with mahogany or wainscot cases; German flutes, mounted with ivory ferrels and silver keys, or plain; Common flutes, fifes, French horns, violin screwed bows.’Footnote ²³ One instrument sold by Aird, a kit dated c. 1780, is an example of the type commonly played by dancing masters and is on display in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow; his trade label, pasted inside, can be clearly read. Aird makes no reference to the suppliers of his stock, musical or otherwise, and no business records survive. He may have had arrangements with some agents based in Glasgow for businesses in England; one of these, for a Birmingham company, is named in a legal case of 1786 discussed further below.

Aird’s Music Business

Aird conducted his business from a variety of addresses all within about half a square mile in Glasgow’s eighteenth-century commercial district. Most of these are included in newspaper advertisements, although not all, and there are several gaps in his business history, as can be seen in Table 1. These record the development of his business from a general hardware store that included music to one with music publishing facilities. Such changes of business address seem to be typical of the period, and several dates align with the Scottish quarter days, when rental contracts would start and finish, i.e. Candlemas (2 February), Whitsunday (15 May), Lammas (1 August), and Martinmas (11 November).Footnote ²⁴ However, it is possible that some of these moves were due to financial instability and a need for more affordable premises.

A few years later, in 1786, Aird’s business was more obviously in difficulties when his goods were sequestrated under the Bankrupt Statute. Some of the reasons for the bankruptcy are outlined in the sequestration papers, a situation that may have been exacerbated by his pursuit of debits owed to him and the legal costs that will have incurred. The case was heard at the Court of Session and the proceedings are laid out in five short unnumbered documents dated between 14 September and 31 October 1786. It is the nature of such proceedings to be repetitive, which helps to establish the contents of at least one missing document for the start of the case on 8 September, when:

The minutes of the 14 September meeting indicate that it was held as required ‘by the statute And in the presence of Mr Robert Graeme sheriff substitute of the County of Lanark’.Footnote ²⁶ Only two creditors were present: Jean Aird, presumably James’s younger sister, who was owed £100, and Robert Armour, ‘Merchant in Glasgow as agent for Hodgson & Nicholson of Birmingham’, who was owed £20 11s.Footnote ²⁷ Neither seems to have had any connection with the music business. A later Glasgow trades directory lists a ‘Miss Aird, dealer in dead crapes, Candleriggs’, who may have been Aird’s sister Jean. Armour could have been the local representative for a japanner, a tradesperson who varnishes surfaces with black varnish, named Thomas Hodgson, who is included in Bailey’s Northern Directory for 1781.Footnote ²⁸ There were other creditors for smaller amounts, who threatened Aird with imprisonment, but they are not named or recorded as being present at any meetings, and the amounts owed are not stated. Armour was elected to preside at the meeting, and William Macaulay, ‘writer [i.e. lawyer] in Glasgow’, was chosen as interim factor. Macaulay set the ‘caution’ (i.e. bail) at £100, with Robert Maculay, ‘writer in Glasgow’, as the ‘cautioner’.Footnote ²⁹ In addition, the creditors recommended that Aird be left free from ‘diligence’ (i.e. legal means of enforcing payment of debt) and that he should be granted ‘personal protection for the space of six months’ because ‘several of his Creditors for small sums threaten & oppress him with imprisonment’.Footnote ³⁰ Personal protection was granted from 16 September until 15 November.Footnote ³¹

Under the Bankrupt Statute, Aird was required within fourteen days of the 31 October meeting:

Drafting this disposition was no doubt straightforward, since the creditors had already agreed

Full power to proceed with the sale was granted at this meeting, and it went ahead seven months later in May 1787.Footnote ³⁴ Unlike Aird’s previous newspaper notices, there are no details of the genres of printed music or types and number of instruments held in stock from which it might now be possible to estimate the value or extent of this estate, and no sales catalogue exists. The notice reads:

It is the nature of sequestration sales for all the property to be sold as stated in this notice and the money raised used to clear the debts. Yet despite this major setback, Aird was trading again by July the following year, although now from ‘his room’ rather than a shop. This illustrates not only a determination to remain in the retail business, but also, as confirmed in the advertisement, his resolve to continue as a music publisher:

By January 1791, the business was trading as James Aird & Co. Again, a considerable amount of stock was available, ‘too numerous to be inserted in a newspaper’, including items obtained ‘at the sale of Messrs Corri & Sutherland’s stock in Edinburgh’, which ceased trading in 1790.Footnote ³⁷ Aird compiled a manuscript catalogue for consultation within the shop with the intention of issuing a printed one; unfortunately, neither seems to have survived. Among the music that Aird reissued from the Corri & Sutherland sale is Thomas Hamly Butler’s (c. 1755–1823) The Favourite Quick March Composed by Mr Muschet. A close examination of the copy in the British Library shows how the imprint was changed: the new heading includes the phrase ‘GLASGOW Printed by I. AIRD where may be had all the Authors Rondos & Sonatas &c.’. The shadow of a capital C can be seen before Aird’s initial ‘I’, and there is a gap of 17 mm between ‘AIRD’ and ‘where’ in which the letters ‘land’ are just visible.Footnote ³⁸

A comparison of the Corri & Sutherland stock that Aird was able to buy with that acquired by his close competitor Archibald McGoun may again reveal something of his financial status. Whereas Aird’s advertisement of January 1791 lists all the genres of instrumental music for sale, a month earlier, McGoun summarizes his purchase of printed music in a few words as ‘Harpsichord, Violin, and Flute Music’, focusing instead on the expensive instruments for sale:

McGoun may have been at an advantage when acquiring stock since he was named as one of the shops where the Corri & Sutherland sale catalogue was available. Entry to the five-day sale, which started on 10 November 1790, was restricted to those with a copy.Footnote ⁴⁰

Aird further increased his own stock in November 1792, when he ‘purchased the PLATES and PROPERTY […] of the deceased Mr. THOMAS MOOR, late Teacher of Vocal Music in this City’. By doing so, he would be able to produce new copies on demand. However, it is possible that this purchase included existing copies which, like the works from Corri & Sutherland, could be given a new imprint.

If the newspaper advertisements are accurate, it seems that Aird always sold a widely diverse stock. Not only did he supply music and musical instruments but all kinds of stationery items, no doubt to satisfy the needs of Glasgow’s mercantile classes and landed gentry. The music and printing equipment left in his King Street shop when he died in September 1795 was considerable:

The list of musical genres reflects the range of works that Aird published himself and may include items bought from his suppliers and liquidation sales. For example, there is no church music among the surviving publications with his imprint, so this notice most likely refers to items bought at the sale of Moore’s estate. Several of Aird’s own printing plates and perhaps some of the printing paraphernalia were bought by other Glasgow music printers, most notably McGoun and John McFadyen (active c. 1790–1826), both of whom reissued a number of items with their own imprint (see Appendix).

The Legal Case on the Definition of the Title of a Song

Aird did not have an easy time in business. Not only did he endure and survive sequestration but in the final years of his life he was involved in a two-year legal dispute with James Haldane, an engraver in Glasgow. Although Aird probably prepared the music sections of his own printing plates, he will have needed the specialist help of a text printer or engraver for other components.

The legal case brought by Haldane survives in a set of three lengthy documents from the Court of Session. In the earliest, a twenty-six-page document dated 27 February 1795, Haldane sets out his complaint against Aird. He describes how the two ‘entered into a bargain’ in June 1793 whereby Haldane ‘should engrave […] the title of 32 Songs for which the Complainer [Haldane] was to receive the like number of Copperplate prints in lieu of his trouble [and] Expence’.Footnote ⁴² He explains that at the time of the agreement, the cost of engraving each title and the value of the copperplate prints were not written down. As things turned out, these thirty-two songs were not delivered as a single commission, but

This first commission arrived in December 1793, about six months after the agreement, and it is the nature of this task that led to the case being raised first before the Magistrates in Glasgow and later at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. The case hinges on the question of what constitutes the title of a song. As far as Haldane was concerned, “the bare title of a Song is comprehended in a very few words, such as “Britannia rules the waves” “God save the King” and so forth’, whereas Aird asked him to engrave ‘Wine for you, the same for me, a Dialogue and Duett, Sung by Mr Burling, and Mrs Harris at Spa Gardens Bermondsey written by Mr Harris. Music by J. Belwill, N^o3. Price 5sh. Printed by J. Bland, at his Music Ware House N^o45 Holburn.’Footnote ⁴⁴ Haldane refused to do so, claiming that the workmanship involved greatly exceeded the value of one copperplate print ‘sold to him at the rate of 1/6 each’.Footnote ⁴⁵ This must have been the verbal agreement not committed to writing since, as seen above, his testimony states that the costs and values were not written down.

To strengthen his case, Haldane presents a second example, where he was asked to engrave

Here, we see Haldane’s argument for the definition of the title of a song. He had agreed to engrave ‘Still the Lark finds repose’, which fitted his own opinion, but disagreed that the supplementary text and imprint could be considered as constituting part of the title. However, he spoiled his argument by quoting the judgment of the Glasgow Magistrates’ Court of 27 December 1793, namely

Since by giving this conclusion the Glasgow Magistrates had already found against Haldane, his only hope of success was to appeal to the higher Court of Session.

In his reply to the Court of Session, dated 28 March 1795, Aird points out that Haldane had undertaken similar work in the past, and refers specifically to the song ‘Ah! çá ira’, which had been presented as evidence to the Glasgow Magistrates in December 1793.Footnote ⁴⁸ The title reads: ‘Ah! çá ira carrillon national chanté a Paris a la Foédération avec une traduction Anglaise Glasgow se vende chez Jacques Aird Price 6.d.’Footnote ⁴⁹ This song was examined by the expert witnesses James Richards and James Lumsden, also engravers in Glasgow, who submitted their report to the Glasgow Magistrates on 11 June 1794:

The unstated conclusion here is that Haldane had already completed similar work without complaining, so he should have expected subsequent commissions to have a similar amount of text. The Court of Session documents do not include a ruling on the definition of the length of the title of a song nor refer to any copyright laws, but the concluding statement shows that Haldane was charged twenty shillings for having the case reconsidered.

Towards a Catalogue and Printing Chronology for Aird

There is no existing catalogue of Aird’s publications, either contemporary or modern, although there are brief lists in newspaper advertisements and within some of his publications. At least ninety-six works with his imprint survive (see Appendix); these are mostly single songs with keyboard accompaniment, some with an additional part for the guitar, German flute, clarinet, or violin, along with seven keyboard works and ten volumes of traditional tunes. Internal evidence from the imprints indicate that the majority were printed by Aird, i.e. ‘Printed and sold by James Aird’. However, as seen above in the case of the British Library copy of Butler’s The Favourite Quick March, he may have substituted his own imprint for that of a previous printer. Two volumes, twenty-one songs, and one keyboard work were printed for him under the imprint ‘Printed for and sold by James Aird’, but these other printers are not named.

Aird started planning to print his own publications in June 1780, when he advertised for ‘a stout YOUNG MAN, willing to engage for some years as an Apprentice to the Copperplate Printing’.Footnote ⁵¹ Unfortunately, printing was not one of the instituted guilds in Glasgow at this time, and there is no list of apprentices to help identify the person employed.Footnote ⁵² Two years later, in July 1782, he was able to say that he ‘now has the Music printed under his own eye, in his own shop, by an able hand from Edinburgh’.Footnote ⁵³ It is likely that the ‘able hand’ was the established Edinburgh engraver James Johnson, whose name appears on five of the seven publications that can be dated to 1782 under the imprint ‘Printed and sold by’. Two pieces of evidence that help to establish a tentative publication chronology are the Court of Session documents discussed above and the newspaper advertisements announcing the publication of the four volumes of his Selection of Scotch, English, Irish, and Foreign Airs.

Aird’s Selection of Scotch, English, Irish, and Foreign Airs

Volume i of A Selection of Scotch, English, Irish, and Foreign Airs Adapted to the Fife, Violin, or German-Flute was advertised for sale in the Glasgow Journal in 1782, priced 3s.Footnote ⁵⁴ By the following week Aird was able to describe the second volume as ‘near finished’ and to be ‘delivered to subscribers at 3s each copy’; when available for general sale, the price was 3s. 6d.Footnote ⁵⁵ Thus he must have spent the two years between advertising for an apprentice in June 1780 and the appearance of these two volumes accumulating the music and commissioning the typesetting of the four hundred tunes required, two hundred for each volume.

The title pages of volumes i and ii are elaborately designed, with an iconography and dedication (in volume ii) that clearly point to the volunteer militia bands as being the intended buyers. The title and imprint of volume i are printed within the head of a military drum complete with shoulder strap; the drum shell bears the insignia of a crown surmounting the initials GR, i.e. George III, which are placed above the name of the regiment, Royal Glasgow Volunteers. It sits on what appears to be grassy ground with a pair of drumsticks, a German flute, and a cylindrical case for either the drumsticks or the flute (Figure 1). The second impression of this title page adds ‘Volume First’ below Aird’s name within the drumhead. A later impression was prepared to coincide with, or to be issued after, the publication of volume iii, which appeared for sale in July 1788. It can be identified by the addition of, firstly, ‘ENTERED IN STATIONERS HALL’ above the drum, even though none of Aird’s publications is included in the Stationers’ Hall records, and secondly, three more publications in the short catalogue, namely volume iii of the Selection, Campbell’s Scots Reels, and McDonald’s Strathspeys.

Figure 1.

Title page, Aird’s Selection, volume i, first impression, July 1782, National Library of Scotland, Ing.33. Reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY) licence with the permission of the National Library of Scotland <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/>.

Figure 1. Long description

At the center, the drumhead displays the title text: ‘A Selection of Scotch, English, Irish, and Foreign Airs Adapted to the Fife, Violin, or German-Flute. Glasgow Printed and Sold by James Aird.’ The drum is angled with its body extending to the right, showing tension ropes and a crest. In front of the drum, a fife and drumsticks rest on the ground. Along the bottom edge, small print reads ‘Clagget's German Flute Duets Op. 6. Pr. 3/' and ‘Riddls Scots Reels &c. 5/ Scots Medley 6.’ with ‘J. Johnson Sculp. Edin.’ at the far right. In the upper right margin, handwritten notes include ‘Inglis 33’ and a price ‘3/6.’ The overall composition uses the drum as a frame for the publication information, with musical instruments and marginalia reinforcing the musical theme.

Figure 2.

Title page, Aird’s Selection, volume ii, first impression, August 1782, National Library of Scotland, Glen.16a(2). Reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY) licence with the permission of the National Library of Scotland <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/>.

Figure 2. Long description

At the center is an octagonal panel containing the title text: ‘A Selection of Scotch, English, Irish, and Foreign Airs. Adapted for the Fife, Violin, or German Flute. Vol. II. Humbly Dedicated to the Volunteer and Defensive Bands of Great Britain and Ireland. Printed & Sold by Jas. Aird. Glasgow.’ Surrounding the panel, from left to right: on the far left, a man in a hat and striped trousers stands beside a flagpole with a large flag, and a closed book and sheet music rest at his feet. Next, a man in a dark coat and breeches points to the title panel with a staff. To the right of the panel, a man in Highland dress with a feathered bonnet and kilt stands with a musket over his shoulder, and another man in military uniform stands behind him. At the bottom right, a drum, a sword, and a shield with a lion rampant are arranged on the ground. The background is lightly shaded, and the entire scene is framed by the open book’s edges.

The title of volume ii is printed within a hexagonal frame which sits on two crossed cannons, again on a grassy ground. It is flanked by two military figures on each side: two sailors on the left stand in front of the UK union flag with a banner bearing the French fleur-de-lis on the ground; a Scottish soldier and a guardsman on the right stand upon a heraldic shield with the arms of Castile and León (Figure 2).Footnote ⁵⁶ These reference British military engagements with France and Spain during the Anglo-French war, 1778–83, and no doubt were intended to appeal to nationalist sentiments and promote a sense of belief in the dominance of the British forces. The same drum from volume i is included, but there are no other instruments.

A second impression was created to coincide with the appearance of volume iii. It can be identified by the addition of ‘ENTERED IN STATIONERS HALL’ above the hexagonal frame and volume iii of the Selection in the list of publications. Aird announced the publication of volume iii in July 1788, when ‘Subscribers for J AIRD’S 3d Selection of 200 Airs’ were asked to ‘call or send for their subscription copies’.Footnote ⁵⁷ It reuses the title-page image from the first impression of volume ii. A catalogue of Aird’s publications is included at the end of volume iii, which mostly repeats the lists from the title pages of volumes i and ii:

Table 2.

The Following Music Printed & Sold by JAMES AIRD at his Shop in GLASGOW

Table 2. Long description

The table lists music collections and compositions in the first column, including ‘A Selection of 200 Scotch English Irish and Foreign Airs adapted for the Fife Violin or German Flute Voll. 1st’, ‘Ditto Voll. 2d (200 Tunes)', ‘Ditto Voll. 3d (200 Do)', ‘Clagget’s Easy Duets for 2 German Flutes or Violins Op. 6th’, ‘Riddel’s Collection of Scotch Reels etc. With a Bass for Violoncello or Harpsichord’, ‘Cumming’s Collection of Strathspeys’, ‘Corri’s 6 Sonatas for the Piano Forte with Accompanyments dedicated to the Earl of Kelly Op: 2d Price reduced from 10 forward slash 6 to’, ‘Corri’s Canzones for 2 Voices or Guitars and a Bass for the Harpsichord’, ‘Meddley for one or more Voices by Do with a Bass for the Violincello or Harpsichord’, ‘Do A Rondo for Voice and Harpsichord with Accompaniments’, ‘Do B s favourite Scotch Medley’, ‘Reinagle’s Collection of Scotch Tunes etc. with Variations for the Harpsichord’, ‘J. Aird’s Collection of Scotch Reels and Strathspeys in Numbers each’, and ‘Campbel’s Collection of Scots Reels etc. with a Bass for the Violincello or Harpsichord’. The next three columns are labeled L., Sh., and D. Most entries in L. are blank. Sh. and D. columns contain numbers such as 3, 5, 7, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 9, corresponding to each music collection. Some entries have values in both Sh. and D., such as ‘A Selection of 200 Scotch English Irish and Foreign Airs adapted for the Fife Violin or German Flute Voll. 1st’ with 3 in Sh. and 6 in D., and ‘Corri’s 6 Sonatas for the Piano Forte...’ with 7 in Sh. and 6 in D. Two summary rows at the bottom state ‘With great variety of Music Books and Musical Instruments at the London Prices’ and ‘Musical Instruments Repaired and lent out per Month or Quarter.’

This catalogue clarifies the titles of the works by Corri and Reinagle referred to in earlier publications; Aird tends to abbreviate titles presumably to fit into the space available, which can create confusion, with so many being quite similar. There are two new publications, providing a terminus ante quem for both, namely Aird’s Collection of Scotch Reels and Strathspeys and Campbell’s Collection of Scots Reels, which seems to be a late addition to the page as it is placed after the general summary statement of the business.

The fourth and final volume was published in March 1793, when ‘Gentlemen wishing to subscribe for J. AIRD’S 4^th VOLUME of SELECT AIRS, at 3s’, were asked to send their names.Footnote ⁵⁸ Unfortunately, none of the volumes includes a list of subscribers. The contents of this fourth volume were no doubt successfully completed following his request for ‘a few Scotch and Irish Airs’ to be sent to him, with a promise that contributors would receive a copy as soon as it was published.Footnote ⁵⁹ In at least one instance he seems to have taken a fiddle tune in manuscript, ‘Miss Fleming of Moness’s Strathspey’ by Simon Fraser (1773–1832), and published it a year before the composer was able to do so (Figure 3).Footnote ⁶⁰ However, it could be said in Aird’s defence that he gave adequate notice of his intention to publish.

Figure 3.

‘Miss Fleming of Moness’s Strathspey’, Aird’s Selection, volume iv (Glasgow, 1793), p. 74; reissued by McFadyen, National Library of Scotland, Glen.16b(2). Reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY) licence with the permission of the National Library of Scotland <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/>.

Figure 3. Long description

At the top, the page number 74 is printed leftmost. The first staff is labeled ‘Miss Fleming of Moness's Strathspey’ and numbered 198, with a treble clef and key signature of G major, followed by a single line of musical notation. Below, the second staff is labeled ‘Miss Duff of Muirton's Reel’ and numbered 199, also in G major, with a single line of musical notation. The third staff, labeled ‘Todlen Hame.’ and numbered 200, is marked ‘Slow.’ and contains a treble clef, a 6/8 time signature, and two lines of musical notation. At the end of the last staff, the text ‘End of Vol. 4.’ is printed at the far right. All staves are horizontally aligned, and the musical notation consists of standard note heads, stems, and beams, with various rhythmic patterns.

This fourth volume has a much simpler title page, with the full title placed in a hexagon on a plain background. However, the only surviving copy, in the British Library, does not include the printer’s name. The imprint reads ‘Printed & Sold at GLASGOW’ and the volume number ‘4’ has been added by hand.Footnote ⁶¹ It is possible this is a reissue by a publisher who did not have access to the original plates, unlike those produced by McGoun and McFadyen.

The known dates of these four volumes help to situate the appearance of other works within Aird’s publication chronology. A Favourite Collection of Scots Tunes & Highland Airs and the detached title page of A Collection of Scots, English, Irish &c. Songs and Airs both advertise two volumes of his Selection, thus placing their publication between August 1782 and July 1788. His business address is printed on both as New Street, where he was trading until July 1782 and again for certain in July and August 1788, although there is a gap in the evidence from April 1787. These collections could have been part of the first frenzy of activity in the summer of 1782; however, it is more likely that both were published upon his return to New Street in 1788. Two of his single songs, ‘The Tinker’ and ‘Ah! çá ira’, refer to three volumes of his Selection, placing their appearance after July 1788 and before March 1793. This dating for the latter fits perfectly with the evidence in the Haldane papers discussed above; there it is described as having been engraved by Haldane ‘more than a twelve month’ before June 1793, suggesting publication in the second quarter of 1792.Footnote ⁶² This neatly creates a latest possible date for the works listed on page 3 of this song, described as ‘Printed and Sold by J. AIRD’, namely:

It is likely that the six rondos by Butler were bought at the Corri & Sutherland sale in November 1790 and reissued with Aird’s imprint between 1791 and the first half of 1792 in time to be listed here. Of these, ‘Lochaber’ and ‘Tweedside’ seem not to exist. ‘Paddy-Whack’ survives in a reissue by McFadyen; the heading in that publication uses the same font as Aird’s publications of ‘Sow’s Tail to Geordie’ and ‘Muschet’s March’. The ‘Scots Tunes with a Bass’ and ‘Scots Reels & Strathspeys’ are included in the catalogue at the end of the Selection, volume iii, placing these between July 1788 and early 1792. There is no extant copy of Haydn’s duet ‘Master and Scholar’ with Aird’s imprint, but one with McFadyen’s could be a reissue using Aird’s plates.

Engraved Songs

‘Ah! çá ira’ itself belongs to a group of thirteen songs printed from engraved plates that belong to a distinct period in the last five years of Aird’s life; the others are ‘Bonny Dundee’, ‘Cauld Kail in Aberdeen’, ‘Contented I Am and Contented I’ll Be’, ‘The Days of Langsyne’, ‘The Flowers of the Forrest’, ‘Jamie o’ the Glen’, ‘Jem of Aberdeen’, ‘The Lass of Glasgow Green’, ‘Logie of Buchan’, ‘O What a Beau My Granny Was’, ‘Tell Me Lasses, or Venus’s Reward for Cupid’, and ‘The Tinker’. All his other songs use a more universal music typeface, as found in the publications of his contemporaries; see Figure 3 for a sample of this style. Of these, ‘The Lass of Glasgow Green’ can be shown to be the earliest. The heading refers to a performance ‘by Mr Woodroffe, with universal applause, in the Theatre GLASGOW’ that can be dated precisely to 30 August 1790 via an announcement in the theatre section of the Glasgow Advertiser: ‘an entire new Song, called THE LASS OF GLASGOW GREEN To be sung by Mr WOODROFFE’.Footnote ⁶³ The music and text belong to ‘The Lass of Richmond Hill’, with the recurring phrase ‘Sweet lass of Richmond Hill’ replaced with ‘Sweet lass of Glasgow Green’. It is likely that Aird’s version was published close to the date of Woodroffe’s performance, perhaps as early as September 1790. The brief list of composers in the heading includes Cumming and Riddell, already named in several publications from 1782 onwards, and Campbell, who is included in the catalogue at the end of the Selection, volume iii (July 1788). The others — McDonald, Dow, Anderson, and Gow — have not been found among Aird’s surviving publications. The newspaper notification of the performance of ‘The Lass of Glasgow Green’ gives Aird’s business address in New Wynd. Four other songs in this engraved group — ‘Contented I Am’, ‘The Flowers of the Forrest’, ‘Logie of Buchan’, and ‘O What a Beau’ — include an address in New Wynd, placing their publication between August 1790 and April 1794.

As noted above, ‘The Tinker’ must have been published by March 1793, based on the dates for volumes iii and iv of Aird’s Selection. This song is included in a list of thirteen works at the foot of ‘Jamie o’ the Glen’, placing ‘Jamie’ later in the publication chronology. Seven other songs listed on ‘Jamie o’ the Glen’ survive: ‘Ah! çá ira’ and ‘Logie of Buchan’ discussed above, along with ‘Cauld Kail in Aberdeen’, ‘Jem of Aberdeen’, ‘Loch Errochside’, ‘The Surprise’, and ‘The British Grenadiers’. A further five songs have not yet been located with Aird’s imprint: ‘On the Lake of Killarney’, ‘Britannia Rule the Waves’, ‘Did Not Tyrant Custom Guide Me’, ‘Admiral Russell’s Triumph’, and ‘My Ain Kind Deary O’. Aird announced the publication of ‘On the Lake of Killarney’ in December 1792, placing it in the latter part of that year.Footnote ⁶⁴ There is reference to ‘Britannia Rule the Waves’ in the Haldane documents, but it is unclear if he is using this title as an example or if he knew of a printing plate belonging to Aird.

Except for ‘The Tinker’, this group of engraved songs shares several characteristics. The font of the lyrics within the scores is noticeably smaller than that used in songs produced with music typeface. For frequently occurring letters in the engraved scores, a = 1 mm, g = 2 mm, and T = 2 mm, compared with a = 2 mm, g = 3 mm, and T = 3 mm in the standard music typeface. The use of this noticeably different font style in headings or footers can be used to assign other works to this production period, for example ‘Loch Errochside’.

Each engraved song includes a remarkably similar statement in either the heading or at the foot of the page referring to the variety of musical items sold and the services available, as exemplified in the heading of ‘Logie of Buchan’:

The service of repairing, exchanging, and hiring instruments had been offered at Aird’s shop from at least June 1780.Footnote ⁶⁵ He also offered to prepare music and poetry for publication, as advertised on ‘The Tinker’, where customers are informed that ‘Manuscripts of MUSIC, or Poetry, will be most thankfully received, and Carefully Engraved. &c.’. A similar notice on ‘Cauld Kail in Aberdeen’ suggests that he was collecting items for volume iv of the Selection, placing the likely publication of this song in the latter part of 1792:

A closer examination of the engraved scores reveals several distinct levels of competency in handling notation, which suggests several engravers with little previous experience of music notation were involved. ‘The Lass of Glasgow Green’, already shown to be the earliest of the group, is the least well prepared and appears to be the work of an inexperienced hand. Not only are the ledger lines poorly spaced, but there are several ambiguous pitches due to crowding on the stave and a lack of skill in placing noteheads precisely. The key signature has been stamped twice on some staves, and the alignment is generally poor (Figure 4).

Figure 4.

‘The Lass of Glasgow Green’, National Library of Scotland, Glen 368(1). Reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY) licence with the permission of the National Library of Scotland <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/>.

Figure 4. Long description

At the top, the title The Lass of Glasgow Green is centered in large bold text. Below, a subtitle describes it as a favourite song sung by Mr Woodroffe at the Theatre Glasgow, printed and sold by James Aird, with further publication and music shop details. The main body contains musical notation with a treble clef, time signature, and key signature, spanning five staves. Lyrics are interspersed below the notes, beginning with Near Glasgow Green there lives a Lass more bright than May Day Morn. The refrain Sweet Lass of Glasgow Green repeats. At the bottom, two verses are printed in smaller text, starting with Ye Zephyrs Gay that fan the Air and How happy will the Shepherd be. A blue oval stamp at the lower edge reads National Library of Scotland Edinburgh.

Figure 5.

‘The Tinker’, National Library of Scotland, Mus.E.l.55(73). Reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY) licence with the permission of the National Library of Scotland <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/>.

Figure 5. Long description

At the top is the title ‘THE TINKER’ in large bold text, followed by publication details about James Aird's music shop and available music books. Below, the main section contains a musical staff with treble and bass clefs, key signature of G major, and time signature of 6/8. The melody is notated with lyrics beneath each note, beginning with ‘A Tinker J am, my name's Natty-Sem, from Morn till Night J trudget.’ The lyrics continue across three staves, with repeated phrases such as ‘J can mend a Kettle.’ At the bottom, prose text in smaller font provides additional verses and commentary, including references to ‘The Man of War, the Man of the Bar,’ and a note about the availability of concert music by J. Aird. The page number 73 appears in the upper right corner.

A similar level of competency can be traced as developing through ‘O What a Beau’, ‘Ah! çá ira’, and ‘Jamie o’ the Glen’. These scores have some over-stamping and inconsistencies with alignment, but the handling of ledger lines gradually improves, although not all the noteheads are placed accurately. A more confident placement of noteheads and accurate treatment of stems is seen in ‘Logie of Buchan’, ‘Bonny Dundee’, ‘The Flowers of the Forrest’, ‘Contented I Am’, ‘Cauld Kail in Aberdeen’, and ‘Jem of Aberdeen’. More competently prepared are the plates for ‘The Days of Langsyne’ and ‘Tell Me Lasses’. Finally, ‘The Tinker’ is the most accomplished, with an unambiguous placement of notes on the stave, well-spaced ledger lines, no over-stamping, and a uniform approach to spacing systems within the plate. However, it uses a different set of music punches and text font for the score, characteristically using ‘J’ instead of ‘I’, e.g. ‘A Tinker J am […] from Morn till Night J trudge’ (Figure 5). This score may be the work of a different engraver. However, verses 2 and 3, placed in the lower part of the page, use the same font as found in other songs in this group and revert to using ‘I’, e.g. ‘And thus had I time, I could prove’. This dateable and visual evidence can be combined to suggest a tentative publication schedule, as shown in Table 3.

Table 3.

Combining competency at music engraving with the dateable evidence

Table 3. Long description

The table has two columns. The left column is titled ‘Engraved songs ordered from least to most competent notation.’ The right column is ‘Possible publication date from dateable evidence.’ From top to bottom, the rows are: ‘The Lass of Glasgow Green’ with ‘September 1790’; ‘O What a Beau My Granny Was’ with ‘Late 1790/early 1791 to June 1793’; ‘Ah! Ça ira’ with ‘Second quarter 1792’; ‘Jamie o’ the Glen’ with ‘Post-‘The Tinker’, 2nd quarter 1793’; ‘Logie of Buchan’ with ‘Late 1790/early 1791 to June 1793’; ‘Bonny Dundee’ with ‘No dateable evidence’; ‘The Flowers of the Forrest’ with ‘Late 1790/early 1791 to June 1793’; ‘Contented I Am and Contented I’ll Be’ with ‘Late 1790 early 1791 to June 1793’; ‘Cauld Kail in Aberdeen’ with ‘November/December 1792’; ‘Jem of Aberdeen’ with ‘No dateable evidence’; ‘The Days of Langsyne’ with ‘No dateable evidence’; ‘Tell Me Lasses’ with ‘No dateable evidence’; and ‘The Tinker’ with ‘Pre-March 1793.’ The ordering reflects increasing competency in music engraving from top to bottom.

Single Songs and Keyboard Music

In contrast to the engraved songs, all the other works with Aird’s imprint are set in what appears to be an almost universal typeface of the period. This produces clearly legible scores with few ambiguities, although in songs that include an additional instrumental part, for example guitar or German flute, there may be some negligible rhythmic discrepancies between parts. Some of these instrumental parts are the same length as the keyboard score and include the introduction, interludes, and postlude, while others contain only the bars of the vocal part, even omitting any interludes.

Few of these sixty-three songs and seven solo keyboard works have any internal evidence to suggest their position in Aird’s publication chronology. None includes a business address or advertise other items for sale. However, some refer to stage works whose date of first performance may help to slot them into the chronology. Some of these first performances pre-date the earliest reference to Aird’s business, namely Arne’s Eliza (1758), Thomas and Sally (1760), and Love in a Village (1762); Dibdin’s The Deserter (1773), The Quaker (1775), and The Seraglio (1776); and Linley’s The Duenna, first performed in 1775. Others fall within the period when Aird was printing music in his own shop, for example ‘Amo amas’ from Arnold’s The Agreeable Surprise (1781) and ‘The Medium Way’ from Inkle and Yarico (1787); ‘A New Song’ from Which Is the Man, with lyrics by Hannah Cowley (1782); ‘Dans votre lit’ from O’Keeffe’s Love in a Camp, first performed in 1786, although the lyrics in Aird’s publication differ from those in the stage work; and ‘Sweet Poll of Plymouth’ from The Positive Man, first performed in 1784.

Six songs include the designation ‘junior’ in the imprint: ‘A Scotch Medley’, which can already be dated by other means to 1782, ‘The Broom on Cowdenknows’ and ‘When Sable Night’, both from The Duenna by Linley, and ‘The Highland Laddie’, ‘How Imperfect Is Expression’, and ‘Johnny Cope’. Aird could legitimately refer to himself as ‘junior’ until the death of his father in February 1790. If he used ‘junior’ in his imprint only during his father’s lifetime, this suggests that the plates for these works were produced between summer 1782 and late 1789 or early 1790. Additionally, if he used a standard music typeface during this phase of his business and changed to engraved scores from about 1790, that dates the majority of his catalogue to pre-1790, although he may have continued to reissue works from the music typeface plates after that date.

A more precarious approach involves aligning performers named in the heading of songs with recorded appearances in Glasgow. Aird may have included these names as a marketing ploy to encourage purchases of works associated with specific performers whom customers may have read about in the press or even heard at concerts in Glasgow or while visiting other musical centres. Most of the performers named are simply those listed in the wordbooks for London performances. For example, Mrs Wrighten is named in the heading of ‘Some How My Spindle I Mislaid’ from Dibdin’s The Deserter but is not recorded as having performed in Glasgow. Others do refer to performances in Glasgow that can be corroborated through newspaper advertisements, as seen above for ‘The Lass of Glasgow Green’.