![]() ![]() It was sung by British and German soldiers during the Christmas Truce of 1914 as they swapped food and gifts during the early stages of World War I. Micawber’s spirits becoming elevated, too, we sang ‘Auld Lang Syne.’ When we came to ‘Here’s a hand, my trusty frere,’ we all joined hands round the table and when we declared we would ‘take a right gude Willie Waught,’ and hadn’t the least idea what it meant, we were really affected.” Micawber became still more friendly and convivial. ![]() ![]() Life Magazine went as far as to predict dire consequences if that tradition is ever broken: “Should Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians fail to play ‘Auld Lang Syne’ at midnight, New Year’s Eve, a deep uneasiness would run through a large segment of the American populace, a conviction that despite the evidence on every calendar, the new year has not really arrived.”Īnd on New Year’s Eve 2020, FYI Music News asks: How does a song that is more than two centuries old, with lyrics that few people understand or get right in performance, remain one of the most popular and widely performed songs even today?Įnglish writer and social critic Charles Dickens, who “knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge,” references Auld Lang Syne in his novel David Copperfield: “As the punch disappeared, Mr. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |