The words of the song “Auld Lang Syne” are attributed to Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland. Burns first wrote down “Auld Lang Syne” in 1788, but the poem did not appear in print until shortly after his death in 1796. The melody derives from a similar tune by English composer William Shield in his comic opera Rosina (first performed in 1782). In 1799 Burns’s words and Shield’s tune appeared together for the first time in a Scottish song compilation published by George Thomson.
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