It's New Year's Eve and the bells have just struck midnight. From Bombay to Baltimore, Moscow to Madrid and Sydney to Swindon, what is everyone singing? No question about it, with thepossible exception of 'Happy Birthday', 'Auld Lang Syne' is the most popular song in the world!

While most country's national songsare unique to their own cultures, and are specifically patriotic, 'AuldLang Syne' is unique in that, although it is universally recognised andmany know it as Scottish, it embraces the whole of humanity; people inevery corner of the earth almost know it better than the Scotsthemselves! However, the words and the music of the song as we know ittoday, have developed over the years and the story of its evolution is fascinating.

The earliest known version of 'Auld Lang Syne' was a 15th century poem called 'Auld kindnes Foryett' – the story of a man inimpoverished circumstances, who is reflecting on the ingratitude ofthose who claimed to be his friends in better days. Then in 1711, inWatson's collection of Scottish verse, a poem appeared called 'OldLongsyne' Attributed to an unknown writer, it consists of twelvestanzas of eight lines, and is written throughout in English, ratherthan Scots. It begins — "Should old acquaintance be forgot, and neverthought upon?" There was also a song published by an Allan Ramsay in1724, entitled "Auld Lang Syne," which began, "Should auld acquaintancebe forgot, tho' they return with scars?"

The first record of thesong in the version that we know it today is mentioned in Robert Burns'letter to his friend Mrs Dunlop, dated December 17, 1788. Burnsenclosed a copy of the verse; saying, 'Here is an old song and tunewhich has often thrilled through my soul' Burns claimed to have takenit down 'from an old man's singing' Five years later he sent a copy ofthe song, with new verses composed by himself, to George Thomson, whowas compiling a collection of Scottish songs with music. A few yearsafter Burns' death, in 1799, his version of Auld Lang Syne waspublished in Thomson's 'Songs of Scotland' – appearing for the firsttime with the melody to which it is sung today.

The huge appealof Auld Lang Syne continues today, indeed Burns' song has spread toalmost every corner of the globe and is used for very differentpurposes. In Taiwan and Hong Kong, for instance, it is a well-knownfuneral song whereas, in the Philippines, it is played at universitygraduation ceremonies. In Japan and Hungary, Auld Lang Syne is oftenplayed at the end of the business day to tell customers that a store orrestaurant is closing, while in Italy and Holland it is used – withdifferent words of course – as a football supporter's anthem. Thesong's huge popularity in America is often ascribed to bandleader GuyLombardo's use of Auld Lang Syne to end his New Year's Eve radiobroadcasts in the 1920's. However, there are newspaper reports from thelikes of the New York Times which report people singing the song on NewYear's Eve and which date back to the 1890's!

India and Pakistanreserve use of the song for their military passing out parades. Indeed,recently, it was to the strains of Auld Lang Syne that the PakistaniPresident, finally resigned as army chief in a ceremony in Rawalpindi.It's probably safe to say that a military resignation was probably notone of the uses Burns imagined when he wrote the immortal words overtwo hundred years ago!

But Scotland's music is not confined toAuld Lang Syne, although in terms of sentiment and musicality the songfits firmly into a Celtic tradition. This, and Scotland's other musicalhistory, is analysed by Scottish musicologist John Purser in his recentbook 'Scotland's Music'. This traces the country's entire musicalhistory, from the discovery of bone flutes on Orkney dating from2300BC, to contemporary artists like Franz Ferdinand and the Delgados.

Purseralso sheds light on lesser-known Scottish musical talents, like thepianist Helen Hopekirk and Edinburgh-born composer Cecil Coles, whowrote his music in the trenches of France and who was tragically killedin the final weeks of the First World War. His music only recently cameto light when it was discovered by his daughter who was living inKirkintilloch, completely unaware of her father's work.

Anothergreat Scottish musical legend was recently inducted into the Hall ofFame at the Scots Trad Music Awards 2007, held in Fort William, anhonour only awarded to musicians who have been in the industry for over30 years and who have 'altered Scotland's musical landscape for thebetter'.

Sheila Stewart's citation described her as "a nationaltreasure, the last in a long line of a rich oral tradition and a singerof unsurpassed character, passion and power".

Seventy-two-year-oldSheila grew up in a family of travelling people whose roots in Scotlandhave been traced back to the 11th century and whose music and songgained worldwide renown during the folk music revival. While otherchildren were out playing, Sheila would be sat on her uncle's kneelearning another song. This paid off handsomely when, at regular familyceilidhs, Uncle Donald would ask Sheila to sing song after song inreturn for a ten-shilling note – quite a sum in the 1940s!

Sheilalater sang with the family concert party, eventually becoming a folkclub, festival and concert attraction on both sides of the Atlantic andshe went on to sing in the White House for then-President Gerald Fordduring America's bicentennial celebrations in 1976. Her undoubtedcareer-highlight arrived in 1982, when she appeared before her biggestaudience ever: singing in front of 300,000 in Bellahouston Park as partof Pope John Paul II's visit to Scotland. Last year, Sheila was awardedan MBE for services to the oral tradition of Scotland's folk music andfor travelling people.

And a quick look at the pop charts tellsyou that today Scottish music has never been healthier: Amy Macdonald,Sandie Thom, KT Tunstall, Travis, Franz Ferdinand . . . the list ofScottish artists who are filling stadiums and selling records in theirmillions is long and distinguished. (And it's not just Scottish rockgroups either – American cult band The White Stripes recently used thebagpipes on "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn", a joyous Hibernian rompon their best-selling album 'Icky Thump'.)

What the music ofnearly all those artists has in common with Auld Lang Syne – a tunedating back over half a millennium – is warmth and humanity, an embraceof life and people that is distinctively Scottish. It's really nosurprise then that when the whole world wants to celebrate the passingof the old and the coming of the new, it's the Scot's who provide thesoundtrack. (Just click on the first link below to make sure you getthe words right this year!)

Further information:

www.worldburnsclub.com

www.wikipedia.org

en.wikipedia.org - Robert Burns

www.guardian.co.uk

www.npr.org

living.scotsman.com

perthshire advertiser

www.bbc.co.uk

Courtesy of Scotland.org