I READ with interest the report on the celebrations at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Edinburgh (Hotel hosts 5th birthday bash, The National, September 22). I wondered if the fact was mentioned that on December 31, 1929, when Guy Lombardo and his orchestra, The Royal Canadians, were invited to play at a New Year’s Eve radio programme broadcast worldwide from New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel Auld Lang Syne was launched on to the world stage.

Just before the ringing out of the old year, the orchestra played Auld Lang Syne and immediately it became the New Year’s anthem. Lombardo had no idea he was starting a lasting tradition. He was at a low ebb and thought that the sentimental tune would be appropriate to play since America was in a depressed mood. The stock market had crashed, fortunes had been lost, people were unemployed, and no one seemed to be able to stop the country’s descent into depression.

Lombardo thought a song embracing the importance of friendships rather than worldly possessions would be an appropriate way to look back and find positives in a bad year – how right he was!
Thomas L Inglis
Fintry