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Billy Ballantine’s hornpipe

Also known as Gilsland, The Gilsland, Gilsland’s.

There are 7 recordings of this tune.

Billy Ballantine’s has been added to 2 tune sets.

Billy Ballantine's has been added to 24 tunebooks.

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Two settings

1
X: 1
T: Billy Ballantine's
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
f2af gfed|BcdB BAFA|~A2AF ABde|~f2e2 e2de|
f2af gfed|BcdB BAFA|~A2AF ABde|~f2ec d3e:|
f2f2 f2ef|g2g2 g2fg|a2ab afde|feed eede|
f2af gfed|BcdB BAFA|~A2AF ABde|~f2ec d3e:|
2
X: 2
T: Billy Ballantine's
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmin
Bc|:d2fd edcB|GABG GFDF|~F2FD FGBc|~d2c2 c2Bc|
d2fd edcB|GABG GFDF|~F2FD FGBc|~d2BA B3c:|
|:d2d2 d2cd|e2e2 e2de|f2fg fdBc|dccB ccBc|
d2fd edcB|GABG GFDF|~F2FD FGBc|~d2BA B3c:|

Thirteen comments

Billy Ballantine

someone asked for this on C&F and I wasn’t able to find it here on basic or advanced search. The transcription is loosely from John Skelton’s playing on a Bb whistle here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7-IbDBioxY


If it is by Billy Ballantine (I’m not sure) he was a well known piccolo payer from Simonburn, near Wark in Northumbria (shepherd or pigman, depending who talk to). His son is a player and can no doubt provide more info…

I don’t have a name for the tune other than John Skelton’s attribution

Gilsland Hornpipe

It’s one of the tunes called Gilsland Hornpipe, not quite as I know it but the same tune. There’s a lovely archive recording of Billy Ballantine playing it on one of the Topic anthologies. It has been attributed to Robert Whinham (I think).

"Gilsland’s Hornpipe" ~ Kerr’s take on it

X: 1
T: Gilsland’s Hornpipe
S: "Kerr’s Third Collection of Merry Melodies", 1880s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: DMaj
|: (FG) |\
A2 A2 A2 (FA) | BcdB A2 (FG) | AFAF AFAF | GABG E2 (FG) |
A2 A2 A2 (FA) | BcdB A2 d2 | cdef gedc |[1 dAFA DE :|[2 d2 d2 d2 |:
|: (de) |\
f2 f2 f2 (ef) | gfed cBAG | FAdf edcd | efgf e2 (de) |
fdfd fdfa |[1 gfed cBAG | FAdf gedc | d2 d2 d2 :|[2 bgec dcBA | FAdf gedc | dAFA DE |]

These two takes are made up from parts to a longer tune? ~ such as the six-parter collected by Graham Dixon?

S: "Kerr’s Third Collection of Merry Melodies", 1880s, page 35, tune #322

B: "Remember Me: The Fiddle Music of Robert Whinham"

Another fine work by Graham Dixon ~ sadly now seeming t obe out of print - 🙁 - Wallace Music, 1995, page 66

X: 1
T: Gilsland Hornpipe
C: attributed to Robert Whinham, no written proof
S: J. ‘Kielder Jock’ Davidson - manuscript, early 20th Century, a copy to be found in "The Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum"
C: attributed to Robert Whinham
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: DMaj
|: de |\
f2 fa gfed | Bedc BAGF | A2 AB ABde | f2 e2 e2 de |
f2 fa gfed | Bedc BAGF | A2 AB ABde | f2 d2 d2 :|
|: de |\
f2 f2 f2 df | g2 g2 g2 fg | a2 a2 abag | f2 e2 e2 de |
f2 fa gfed | Bedc BAGF | A2 AB ABde | f2 d2 d2 :|
|: de |\
fdge afdA | BGdc BAFA, | A2 AB ABde | f2 e2 e2 de |
fdge afdA | BGdc BAFA, | A2 AB ABda | f2 d2 d2 :|
|: de |\
edeg fdBG | gfga gecA | agab abag | fBgf e2 dc |
ecge afdA | BGdc BAFA, | A2 AB ABda | f2 d2 d2 :|
|: de |\
(3fef (3dfa (3gfe (3fed | (3Bed (3cBA (3dAG (3FED | (3FGA (3GAB (3ABd (3cde | (3fed (3Agf e2 de |
(3fef (3dfa (3gfe (3fed | (3Bed (3cBA (3dAG (3FED | (3FGA (3GAB (3ABd (3cde | f2 d2 d2 :|
|: de |\
(3fef (3dfa (3gfg (3efg | (3afa (3dfa (3bab (3efg | (3afa (3dfa (3gfg (3ABg | (3fed (3egf e2 ag |
(3fef (3dfa (3gfe (3fed | (3Bed (3cBA (3BAG (3FED | (3FGA (3GAB (3ABd (3eag | f2 d2 d2 :|

"Gilsland, famous for its Spa, is a town near the Northumberland/Cumberland border, on the banks of the River Irthing. ~ "

"one of"

The Kerr tune is NOT the same tune - ‘s why I said "one of the tunes called Gilsland Hornpipe". The Kielder Jock tune IS evidently another take on the same tune.

The Kerr tune is also found, unnamed, in the Bewick smallpipe mss, and is in my edition of these.

It is interesting the similarities though… Would that your hard work was still in print Matt.

A little ‘light’ comparison ~

X: 1
T: Gilsland’s Hornpipe
S: "Kerr’s Third Collection of Merry Melodies", 1880s
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: DMaj
P: B-parts for ‘light’ comparison
|: f2 f2 f2 ef | gfed cBAG | FAdf edcd | efgf e2 de |
fdfd fdfa | gfed cBAG | FAdf gedc | d2 d2 d2 de :|

T: Billy Ballantine’s
|: f2 f2 f2 ef | g2 g2 g2 fg | a2 ab afde | feed eede |
f2 af gfed | BcdB BAFA | A2 AF ABde | f2 ec d3 e :|

They could easily be parts of the same tune, or variations on a theme. I’m not starting to feel a bit like my old friend ‘slainte’. 😀

There is a similarity in feel between these tunes, though they are as they stand ‘different…

Gilsland is a little place mostly in Northumberland, partly in Cumbria, on the banks of the River Irthing which is there the county boundary. It is on the Roman Wall, of which various remains can be seen nearby, and the B6318 "Military Road".

A music tradition did exist / has existed in this Western edge of Northumberland and over into places like Bewcastle in Cumbria.

"Would that your hard work was still in print Matt."
Thanks ceolachan - the third edition of Bewick’s Pipe Tunes was published last year by NPS and is available from NPS, but strangely not on their website (tonight?).

Fiddler’s Companion gives more backgroud to this tune, lifted from graham Dixon’s book it seems. Which - in an email received tonight - is not ‘in print’ but NPS have a few copies from Graham’s loft.

I’ve always valued both your contributions, anything by ‘Matt Seattle’, and also true of Graham Dixon. Sadly, with some things I was foolish enough to lend - their absence is missed… 🙁 But I survive!

Re: Billy Ballantine’s

My setting is actually in B flat Major and the K: field of the ABC is only set as G Minor due to the limitations of the tune submission process of this site. The video above has John Skelton playing it on a Bb tweaked Jerry Freeman whistle.