ABSTRACT
A history of Scottish music has to deal with one more problems: Most surveys are devoted to the traditional or folk music, leaving little room for the discussion of 'art music'. Johann Rupprecht Durrner's claim to a life purely in and for his art, although typical for his generation, was nowhere reconcilable to the demands of everyday life – neither in Germany nor in Scotland. Not even greater creative powers than his would have sufficed to ensure an existence independent of economic pressure. Dunner relied on George Farquhar Graham's edition The Songs of Scotland, and on his personal contacts with this expert of Scottish music, the blue bells of Scotland. For the German public, he supplied the arrangements with extensive dynamic indications and exact metronome markings to ensure an authentic performance, crucial in rendering Scottish songs. Despite the ample notes accompanying each song, reception in Germany sometimes differed significantly from the Scottish understanding of a song.
