My Heart's in the Highlands

MY HEART’S IN THE HIGHLANDS for three-part upper voices and piano is an original setting in folk song style of the Robert Burns poem of the same name. It reveals the composer’s fondness for Scotland, where he lived for eight years, and its Celtic character is derived from the prevailing mixolydian (flattened 7th) modality.

The piece received its premiere at a youngchoirs.net massed singing day on 4th July 2007 at Dunfermline City Hall, conducted by Malcolm Goldring (1949-2021).

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;
Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go. 

Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North,
The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth;
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands forever I'll love. 

Farewell to the mountains, high-cover'd with snow,
Farewell to the straths and green valleys below;
Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods,
Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods.

 My heart's in the Highlands my heart is not here,
My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;
Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go
My heart's in the Highlands.

Robert Burns (1759-1796)