The Banks hornpipe

A Scott Skinner Hornpipe, often paired with the “Newcastle” (in fact I’ve never heard them played apart from each other) not for the faint of heart. This tune was the yardstick of a good fiddler in past decades. If you’ve got nothing to do for the next two months start working on this one, have fun.

There’s an interesting version of this tune on the CD of tunes from Co.Leitrim by the Rooney family - quite different from the more common version.

Nice tune but tricky.I think the key is in Eb major,not F Dorian.

I’m well aware that it’s not in F Dorian, thats the only way I could enter it into this database as there is no Eb option when submitting a tune. It doesn’t really matter to me - as long as three flats show up on the sheetmusic.

Not the Rooney family - the McNamaras, and the CD is entitled “Leitrim’s Hidden Treasure”. There is a 4-part version called “Morgan’s”, from the Grier manuscripts. The sleeve notes say that Scott Skinner attributed the tune to the Italian violinist Parazotti.

Andy McGann pairs this with the Galway Hornpipe on his ‘It’s a Hard Road to Travel’ album and it’s an ear-catching change (E flat - G minor)

Here’s a fairly close transcription from Brian Conway and Andy McGann’s playing on the Boston College Fiddle Festival recording, My Love is in America, from 1990. It varies slightly from Brad’s posting, mostly in a few ornaments and a note here and there.

X: 1
T: Banks, The
C: Scott Skinner
D: The Boston College Fiddle Festival: My Love is in America, track #6, Andy McGann and Brian Conway
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Eb
B,/C/D | E2 G2 G3 E | D2 F2 ~F3 D | [A,2E2] c2 c2 de | =ABcB _AGFE |
| G,2 B2 B2 cd | A,2 c2 c2 de | DEFG AFDF | E{F}E G2 E2 B,/C/D|
| E2 G2 G3 E | D2 F2 ~F3 D | [A,2E2] c2 c2 de | =ABcB _AGFE |
| G,2 B2 B2 cd | A,2 c2 c2 de | DEFG AFDF | E{F}E D2 E2 ~g2 ||
| g2 e2 e3 g | f2 d2 d3 f | e2 c2 c2 fe | dcB=A B2 fB |
| DBfB DBfB | EBgB EBgB | =ABcd ecAc | B=ABc B_AGF |
| EGBG eBFE | DFBF dFED | CEAE cBAG | (3FGF (3EFE DCB,A, |
| G,EBE G,EBE | A,EcE A,EcE | DEFG AFDF | E{F}E D2 E2 {a}g^f|
| g2 e2 e3 g | f2 d2 d3 f | e2 c2 c2 fe | dcB=A B2 fB |
| DBfB DBfB | EBgB EBgB | =ABcd ecAc | B2 dc B_AGF |
| EGBG eBFE | DFBF dFED | CEAE cBAG | (3FGF (3EFE DCB,A, |
| G,EBE G,EBE | A,EcE A,EcE | DEFG AFDF | E{F}E G2 E2 B,/C/D ||

K: G
|: (3DEF |
G2 B2 B2 (3dBG | F2 A2 A2 (3BAG | E2 e2 e2 f>g | c>de>d c>BA>G |
D2 d2 d2 e2 | E2 e2 e2 f>g | F>GA>B (3cBA (3FGA | (3GAG (3FGA G2 :|
|: (3bc’b |
b2 B2 B3 b | a2 A2 A3 a | (3gag e2 e2 a>g | f>ed>c d2 A>d |
F>dA>d F>dA>d | G>dB>d G>dB>d | ^c>de>f (3gfe c>e | (3ded ^c>e d>=cB>A |
G>Bd>B g>BA>G | F>Ad>A f>AG>F | E>Gc>G e>dc>B | c>BA>G F>ED>(Cc) |
(3Bcd G>d B>dg>d | (3cde G>e c>Ge>G | F>GA>B (3cBA F>A | (3GAG F>A G2 :|

Leahy (actually Donnell Leahy) plays an absolutely amazing rendition of this tune on the Live album… never knew it was possible to bow like that.

There’s also a great rendition by Tom Anderson and Aly Bain on ‘The Slver Bow’. Not Irish, but mighty stuff.

Joe Burke did it on his black album -surely not Eb there?! Must check it out….

There’s a lovely version of this tune played on fiddle by young Clare musician, Tara Breen at http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltaslive_207_3_tara_breen/

The Fiddler’s Companion ~ Andrew Kuntz
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/BAN_BARM.htm#BANKS_HORNPIPE

“Composed by Parazotti” is an ascription often found attached to this tune, sometimes called a ‘descriptive hornpipe’, or (by Skinner) a ‘Classical hornpipe’. ~ The composer’s origins were somewhat obscure, although he appears to have been a Scotsman of Italian heritage, his grandfather having immigrated to Glasgow. ~ Alastair Hardie (1992) ~ reports that Parazotti did exist and was actually the grandson of an Italian violinist who settled in Glasgow. The tune was inspired by the sights and sounds of a river in spate. The melody appears first in print in 1881 in Kohlers’ Violin Repository (Bk. 1) under the title “Mrs. Taff” (whom Hardie explains was a person who resided on the West coast of Scotland and was Parazotti’s patron for a time. It is said she was the owner of the house in which Parazotti composed his tune). The piece is similar to the tune “Souvinir De Venice Hornpipe” in the 1883 Ryan’s Mammoth Collection. “ “Souvinir” is credited to L. Ostinelli, an Italian who arrived in Boston in the year 1818.

A nice version here by Maeve Donnelly and Tony McManus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuRpM_K9TgI&feature=related

play video

The Music of James Scott Skinner The ‘Strathspey King’ ~ University of Aberdeen
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/scottskinner/index.shtml
& for a recording ~
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/scottskinner/audio.php
& for his transcription of this in Eb and 2/4 ~ ascribing it to Parazotti
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/scottskinner/display.php?ID=JSS0200

I’ll add an ABC of this, with minor adjustments, such as into 4/4, later…

X: 4
T: Souvenir de Venice
T: Banks
S: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/scottskinner/display.php?ID=JSS0200
C: Parazzotti ~ transcription by James Scott Skinner
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: EbMaj
R: hornpipe
|: (3B,CD |\
E2 G2- G2 (3BGE | D2 F2- F2 (3AFD | A,2 c2- c2 d>e | (=A>B).c>.B ._A>.G.F>.E |
G,2 B2- B2 c2 | A,2 c2- c2 d>e | (D>E).F>.G .A>.F.D>.F | [.G,2.E2] [.B,2.G2] [.G,2.E2] :|
|: {a/}g>^f |\
g2 [G,2E2] [G,2E2] (3gbg | f2 [B,2D2] [B,2D2] (3fgf | e2 c2- c2 f>e | (d>c).B>.=A {A/}B2 {e/}f2 |
D>Bf>B (3DBf (3.f.B.D | E>Bg>B (3EBg (3.g.B.E | (=A>B).c>.d .e>.c.A>.c | {B/c/} (B>A).B>.c .B>._A.G>.F |
([G,E]>G).B>.G (e>G).F>.E | (D>F).B>.F (d>F).E>.D | (C>E).A>.E (c>B).A>.G | (F>G).F>.E .D>.C.B,>.A, |
G,>EB>E G,>EB>E | A,>Ec>E A,>Ec>E | (D>E).F>.G .A>.F.D>.F | [G,2E2] [B,2G2] [G,2E2] :|

Options, B-part, bars 5 & 6, can be twice through the arpeggio of the first half, or repeat twice the pair of triples of the second half.
D>Bf>B D>Bf>B | E>Bg>B E>Bg>B | ~ or ~
(3DBf (3.f.B.D (3DBf (3.f.B.D | (3EBg (3.g.B.E (3EBg (3.g.B.E |

X: 5
T: Souvenir de Venice
T: Banks
C: Parazzotti ~ transcription by James Scott Skinner - transposed from Eb to G by me
K: GMaj
|: (3DEF |\
G2 B2- B2 (3dBG | F2 A2- A2 (3cAF | [C2E2] e2- e2 f>g | (^c>d).e>.d .=c>.B.A>.G |
[B,2D2] d2- d2 e2 | [C2E2] e2- e2 f>g | (F>G).A>.B .c>.A.F>.A | [.B,2.G2] [.D2.B2] [.B,.G2] :|
|: {c’/}b>a |\
b2 [B,2G2] [B,2G2] (3bd’b | a2 [D2F2] [D2F2] (3aba | g2 e2- e2 a>g | (f>e).d>.^c {c/}d2 {g/}a2 |
F>da>d (3Fda (3.a.d.F | G>db>d (3Gdb (3.b.d.G | (^c>d).e>.f .g>.e.c>.e | {d/e/}(d>^c).d>.e .d>.=c.B>.A |
([B,G]>B).d>.B (g>B).A>.G | (F>A).d>.A (f>A).G>.F | (E>G).c>.G (e>d).c>.B | (A>B).A>.G .F>.E.D>.[Cc] |
[B,B]>Gd>G [B,B]>Gd>G | [Cc]>Ge>G [Cc]>Ge>G | (F>G).A>.B .c>.A.F>.A | [B,2G2] [D2B2] [B,G2] :|

Options, B-part, bars 5 & 6, can be twice through the arpeggio of the first half, or repeat twice the pair of triples of the second half.
F>da>d F>da>d | G>db>d G>db>d | ~ or ~
(3Fda (3.a.d.F (3Fda (3.a.d.F | (3Gdb (3.b.d.G (3Gdb (3.b.d.G |

Note: I had to submit this in bits because, for some reason, some digital gremlin wouldn’t let them be submitted together, especially with the G transcription… 😏

Here’s a link to the late Graham Townsend doing his version of The Banks, preceded by Eugene Stratton and Arthur Seat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4SdiWAXy7E

play video

Of all preposterous hornpipes Skinner (re)wrote, this is certainly the most likable; if only because it does not take itself seriously!
Or does it?!!

This hornpipe appears in Ryan’s Mammoth Collection under a title somewhat like Souvenir de Venice by Ostenelli - an Italian violinist. (There also contains a reel called Ostenelli’s - but it is always played as a hornpipe.) The version is very different from the modern rendition.

I first came across this in the seventies. There’s a sampler LP called Rave on, with music from Steeleye Span, Shirley Collins etc., which includes a wonderful version of the tune played by Dave Swarbrick and Martin Carthy, with Swarbrick on mandolin. Good stuff.

I recently learned something new to me: that The Banks was composed not by J. Scott Skinner, but by an Italian composer living in Scotland by the name of Parazotti. Who knew?

Here’s a short but brilliant version of The Banks by Jean Carignan. Unlike many who play the tune too fast, ’Ti Jean actually pulls it off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79gJuwT5qTE

play video

“Who knew ?” Quite a lot of us, if you read the comments above. I pointed it out 14 years ago.
Not a tune which has been recorded much by flute players, but possibly my favourite version ends “The Pleasures Of Hope” CD by Harry Bradley and Michael Clarkson. Worth buying the CD for that 1 track alone, if you can find it anywhere.
https://thesession.org/recordings/3424

Andrew Kuntz, Fiddlers Companion: “…The melody appears first in print in 1881 in Kohlers’ Violin Repository…” (quoted above).

Not quite. The tune, under the name “Banks’ Hornpipe” appeared in James Davie’s Caledonian Repository Book 2, dated 1840.

This feels very barndancey to me. Am I wrong? Why is it a hornpipe? Is a barndance just not a thing in Scotland? I know it’s not much use being pedantic about time types, but I am curious.

*Tune types

This is one of my favorite tunes (that I never play in public). Here’s a great version from Hector McAndrew
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKR0ZvT8TnU

play video

CD: “The Very Best of Sean McGuire”
https://thesession.org/recordings/2084
Track # 13 on “Youtube” : “The Banks Hornpipe”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nUg1j8kuD4

play video