Library and Information Services, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Sunday 10 February 2013

David Rizzio - NOT the inventor of Scottish music!

James Oswald attributed some Scottish tunes to David Rizzio, secretary and possibly lover of Mary Queen of Scots.  It didn't take long before people realised how unlikely it was  that one private secretary, not even Scottish, could single-handedly have invented Scotland's traditional music repertoire.  

Matthew Ward, who tweets as HistoryNeedsYou, found this fabulous seventeenth century portrait in the Royal Collection.  It may be the hapless David Rizzio.  Rizzio was ultimately assinated at Holyrood, which is what you get for messing around with the Queen of Scotland!

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