Flowers of the Forest (Oboe & Piano or Bagpipe Solo) - Folk Song and Lament

"Flowers of the Forest" is a tradition Scottish Folk Song which first appeared in an early 17th century collection called the Skene Manuscripts (see the original version), though it probably pre-dates its publication by many years. This particular arrangement is similar to our arrangement for Piano Solo but here the piano plays a simple supporting role while the Oboe plays the melody and indeed it can be played as a solo on Oboe or on a variety of different instruments. Since this version is in the key of D with the correct range from G to A, it can also be played on Bagpipes and we include a special Bagpipe MP3 file, Bagpipe Midi file and Bagpipe Video to show roughly how this should sound. The score, parts and audio files can also be downloaded from the left-hand menu.

As an instrumental Lament on Bagpipes this melody is frequently played at Military Funerals and Remembrance Day services, where the piece is often referred to simply as "The Lament". You can hear it played on the bagpipes twice in the Bond film "The World Is Not Enough" after the main titles - at a funeral service and then at Q-branch when the pipes become a flame-thrower. Below is a video illustrating the arrangements as a "piano roll" animation, and below that you can play the "oboe and piano" version mp3 file and see the sheet music before downloading.