Robert Archibald Smith (1780–1829) was a Scottish musical Romantic composer, known for his collection ''Scotish Minstrel'', which began to appear in 1821.

Life

He was born on 16 November 1780.Monuments and monumental inscriptions in Scotland: The Grampian Society, 1871 He was the son of Robert Smith, a silk-weaver from

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; ), sometimes referred to as EK, is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. Historically a small village, it was designated Scotland's first "new town" on 6 Ma ...

who had moved to England, and was born at

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...

on 16 November 1780; his mother was Ann Whitcher. He was apprenticed in silk-weaving, joined a church choir in Reading, and played in the band of a volunteer regiment. In 1800 the family moved to Paisley in

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...

where father and son became

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It is commonly believed that it gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq. Muslin was produced in different regions o ...

weavers. Here he also became acquainted with Robert Tannahill with whom he began composing tunes to match his words. Smith joined a volunteer company, played in its band, and composed its marches and quick-steps. Becoming a teacher of music, he was in 1807 appointed leader of psalmody in

Paisley Abbey Paisley Abbey is a parish church of the Church of Scotland on the east bank of the River Cart, White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, about west of Glasgow, in Scotland. Its origins date from the 12th century, base ...

. Robert Boog, the incumbent of the parish, introduced him to Walter Young, minister of Erskine, Renfrewshire, who helped him on harmony. In 1817 he conducted his first public performance of sacred music in the Abbey. In August 1823 Smith was appointed musical conductor (pre-cantor) in St. George's Church, Edinburgh, where the minister was Andrew Mitchell Thomson. Employed in teaching, composing, and editing, his health failed, and he died at home, a flat at 11 Melville Place, near

Dean Bridge The Dean Bridge spans the Water of Leith in the city of Edinburgh on the A90 road to South Queensferry, Queensferry on the Firth of Forth. It carries the roadway, long and broad, on four arches rising above the river.H Coghill, ''Discover ...

in Edinburgh on 3 January 1829. He is buried in St Cuthbert's churchyard at the west end of

Princes Street Princes Street () is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three quar ...

. The grave is marked by a small obelisk.

Works

In ''Devotional Music, original and selected'' (1810), 24 of the numbers are Smith's. His setting of his friend Robert Tannahill's songs, especially ''Jessie, the Flow'r o' Dumblane'' (1816), made his reputation. His ''Scotish Minstrel, a selection from the vocal melodies of Scotland ancient and modern'', was published in six volumes, 1821–4, and reached a third edition, 1838–43; many of the anonymous melodies in it have been attributed to him. Songs by Tannahill, and others set by Smith, first appeared in this work. Other contributors included Robert Allan, Alexander Laing and John Ross. The ''Irish Minstrel'', with similar scope, appeared in one volume in 1825. In 1826 Smith published a practical manual, ''Introduction to Singing''. A first volume of Smith's uncompleted ''Select Melodies, with appropriate Words, chiefly original, selected and arranged, with Symphonies and Accompaniments for the Pianoforte'', appeared in 1827. Pieces by contemporary lyrists were anonymously set by Smith, including William Motherwell's ''Midnight Wind''. His other works were: * ''Sacred Music for the Use of St. George's, Edinburgh''. * ''The Sacred Harmony of the Church of Scotland'' (1820). * ''Sacred Music, consisting of Tunes, Sanctuses, etc., sung in St. George's Church'' (1825; other editions, 1830?, 1856, and 1867). * ''Anthems for George Heriot's Day''. His setting of the anthem ''How beautiful upon the mountains'' was often reprinted.

Family

Smith married, in 1802, Mary MacNicol, of Arran, who survived him with five children.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Robert Archibald 1780 births 1829 deaths Scottish composers Musicians from Reading, Berkshire People from Paisley, Renfrewshire 19th-century Scottish musicians