Ye Banks And Braes waltz

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on January 5th 2007 by nicholas.
https://thesession.org/tunes/6599

The transcription here is based on a few different takes. We used to play it all on its own and just change keys, so I’ve given a sample of that here, from G Major to D Major, and we’d finish were we started, for example G… It is nice to play one tune on its own, without feeling obliged to set it up in a string of other things, to get familiar with it as this would allow, in more than one key… Waltzes work well that way, as the dancers get to also become familiar with the melody, and hearing someone humming it later is an extra prize for the musicians…it has sunk in and made a place for itself in someone else…

K: Dmaj
A2 | d4 d2 | e3 d e2 | f2 a2 f2 | e3 d e2 |
f3 e d2 | d2 B2 A2 | A2 B2 d2 | e4 fe |
d3 c d2 | e3 d e2 | f2 a2 f2 | e3 d e2 |
f2 e2 d2 | (3ded B2 A2 | (3ABA B2 c2 | d4 ||
f2 | a4 b2 | a2 f2 d2 | a4 b2 | a2 f2 d2 |
a2 f2 d2 | (3aba (3fgf (3ded | b2 ba gf | e4 fe |
d2 c2 d2 | e3 d e2 | f2 a2 f2 | e3 d e2 |
f3 e d2 | d2 B2 A2 | A2 B2 d2 | d4 ||

I hope this is ‘different’ enough, as a waltz and in treatment and optional variations, to survive, and good if that’s so. You will find a straight variation in 3/4 in the ‘comments’ for the 6/8 linked to above. There are some other 6/8 takes on this melody and I’ll try to add one or two to the ‘comments’ for the 6/8 version…

I’ve heard some great renditions of this air, and maybe, hoping, again if this survives, some of those other 3/4 versions will be transcribed and added here… Shmaltz, I know, but I love it ~ as a musician, dancer and raconteur (someone else’s accusation)… 😉

This is about ninety percent equal to a version of the song, “The Foggy Dew”. It’s usually done kinda freely, so I never thought of it as a waltz.

This basic melody has been taken a number of ways and adapted for different purposes, such as for a number of different sets of lyrics… IT isn’t alone in being adapted so, but it is one that has had more handling than most…

Key signature: G Major
Submitted on September 13th 2008 by Mix O’Lydian.
~ /tunes/8912

X: 3
T: Ye Banks And Braes
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Gmaj
D2 |\
G4 G2 | A2 G2 A2 | B2d2B2 |
A2 G2 A2 | B3 A G2 | E4 F2 | G6- |
G2 z2 D2 | G4 G2 | A2 G2 A2 | B2 d2 B2 |
A2 G2 A2 | B3 A G2 | E4 F2 | G6- |
G2 B2 c2 | d4 e2 | d2 B2 G2 | d4 e2 | d2 B2 G2 |
G2 B2 d2 | e2 d2 B2 | A6- | A4 D2 |
G4 G2 | A2 G2 A2 | B2 d2 B2 | A2 G2 A2 |
B3 A G2 | E4 F2 | G6- | G2 |]

The Foggy Dew (Waltz) ~ This tune appears to be related to “Ye Banks and Braes o’ Bonnie Doon” (also on the db).

# Posted on September 13th 2008 by Mix O’Lydian

NOTES:

Not only related, this IS “Ye Banks and Braes”. Is that really the tune used for “The Foggy Dew”?

# Posted on September 13th 2008 by nigelg

This tune can also be found in hymnals under the tune name “Candler”, as “Come, O thou Traveler Unknown”.

# Posted on September 13th 2008 by stonepiper

I copied the previous ABCs without checking them, bar count and that concluding measure, which should end ~ | G4 |] rather than G2…

X: 3
T: Ye Banks And Braes
M: 3/4
L: 1/8
R: waltz
K: Gmaj
D2 |\
G4 G2 | A2 G2 A2 | B2 d2 B2 | A2 G2 A2 | B3 A G2 | E4 F2 | G6- | G2 z2 D2 |
G4 G2 | A2 G2 A2 | B2 d2 B2 | A2 G2 A2 | B3 A G2 | E4 F2 | G6- | G2 B2 c2 |
d4 e2 | d2 B2 G2 | d4 e2 | d2 B2 G2 | G2 B2 d2 | e2 d2 B2 | A6- | A4 D2 |
G4 G2 | A2 G2 A2 | B2 d2 B2 | A2 G2 A2 | B3 A G2 | E4 F2 | G6- | G4 |]

Submitted on September 13th 2008 by Mix O’Lydian.

This setting is known as “The Foggy Dew”.

This is a very beautiful song and I love how The Cast arranged it.

The original version from The Cast seems to be in B major, but I tried to make it C major (A minor) for ease of playing…

Everyone probably already knows this, but this is the melody to Robert Burns’ song Ye Banks and Braes of Bonny Doon, which is more or less about the narrator being heartbroken, wondering why the birds are singing so happily when he is so sad. It’s a beautiful set of lyrics and I recommend reading them (or better yet, listening to them).

And a wee bit more history of the tune (aka The Caledonian Hunt’s Delight) here:
https://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/archive/94523628?mode=transcription and here:
https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Caledonian_Hunt%27s_Delight_(1)_(The)

And yes, the lyrics are beautiful: possibly the first Burns song that any Scottish schoolchild will learn.
My best key for singing it would be C or D: G far too high!

ALSO An English Country Dance called PASSAGES written by Kalia Kliban (California). The tune is included in the BARNES BOOK III in C Major with chords.