The Thames hornpipe

I was given this hornpipe by the late box-player Simon Knight (R.I.P.), an old friend, greatly missed. He got it from an ancient mono cassette tape recorded by his father (an avid trad field collector) in Doolin, Co. Clare in the 50s. He also passed it on to Jackie Daly who has since recorded it. I’m not sure of the album - probably a "Buttons & Bows" album with the Maguire bros. I still have the slip of manuscript with Simon’s immaculate hand-written notation. I usually play it in a set with the Acrobat, and the City of Savannah (all of them have nice key changes).

This hornpipe was also recorded by Paddy OBrien on on e of the 78s. If you look at Reaveys Reel ‘The Highest Hill in Sligo’ you will see a striking resemblance in the body of the tune.

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on February 1st 2008 by ceolachan.
~ /tunes/8202

X: 1
T: Ypsilanti, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: G Major
|: d>c |\
B>gd>B A>ec>A | G>dB>G F>cA>F | G>DE>F G>AB>c | ^c>d^d>e f>e=d>=c |
B>gd>B A>ec>A | G>d (3BAG F>cA>F | G>gd>B A>e (3cBA | G2 F2 G2 :|
K: Dmaj
|: F>G |\
A>dc>d e>dc>d | B>e^d>e f>ed>e | g>fe>d c>BA>^G | A>^GA>^A (3BcB A>=G |
F>dc>d e2 (3dcd | B>e^d>e f2 (3ede | g>ec>A ^G>AB>c | d>A (3FGA d2 :|

X: 2
T: Ypsilanti, The
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: G Major
|: dc |\
BgdB AecA | GdBG FcAF | GDEF GABc | ^cd^de fe=d=c |
BgdB AecA | GdBG FcAF | GgdB AGFA | G2 B2 G2 :|
K: D Major
|: FG |\
Adcd edcd | Be^de fede | gfed cBA^G | A^GA^A cBA=G |
Fdcd edcd | Be^de fede | gecA ^GABc | d2 f2 d2 :|

I missed a triplet I usually play, and here are also some other ways with the penultimate and final bars of both parts…
A part, bar 4 ~ | ^c>d^d>e f>e (3e=d>=c |
A part:
~ | G2 d>B A>ec>A | G>DB>A G2 :|
~ | G2 dB AecA | GDBA G2 :|
B part:
~ | g2 e>c ^G>AG>E | D>AF>A d2 :|
~ | g2 ec ^GAGE | DAFA d2 :|

This is another one of those carnival tunes, and button’s recent trip to 12/8 land for some reason reminded me of this, or was it certain discussions that dragged it back into memory. It is also played in Bb and F, where it’s given in collections like Cole’s and Ryan’s, as "The Ypsilanti Hornpipe". I’ll add another transcript on that line later, for the ‘history’ bit…

You might want to pull out your old clown costumes and makeup and knock the dust off and and give your bones a good shake and try playing this and juggling at the same time? Nah! ~ tight rope walking? No, not that, I know, unicycling!!! ;-)

Key signature: D Major
Submitted on December 11th 2005 by Unseen122.
https://thesession.org/tunes/5295

C: Ed Reavy

X:5 from Kerr’s Vol 3. 2nd part differs from those posted here, and also it’s in Bb/F.

My teacher Brian Conway taught it to us as O’Kelly’s Hornpipe!

Sorry to disagree Conor, and with the greatest of respect, but Reavey’s Reel "The Highest Hill in Sligo" is NOTHING at all like "The Thames Hornpipe" in any way, shape or form