Roxburgh Castle

hornpipe

Key signature: Amajor

Submitted on June 25th 2005 by Dow.

This tune has been added to 29 tunebooks.

Also known as Blanchard's, McCarthy's, Roxborough Castle.

Recordings of a tune by this name:

• A North Country Barn Dance by The Morpeth Ranters
• Another Measure: Scottish Country Dance Music From The 1950's, Volume 2 by Adam Rennie And His Scottish Country Dance Quartet
• Celtic Enchantment by Greg Joy
• English Fiddle Tunes by Pete Cooper
• For As Many As Will by Haste To The Wedding
• Irish Accordion Masters by Joe Derrane And Jerry O'Brien
• Le Violon by Graham Townsend
• Lonesome Blues And Dancing Shoes by Boys Of The Lough
• Macalla Na HÓige by Hugh Healy And Colm Healy
• Souvenir Of Scotland by Hamish MacGregor And The Blue Bonnets
• The First Month Of Summer by Buttons And Bows
• The Northumbrian Small Pipes by Various Artists

X: 1
T: Roxburgh Castle
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: hornpipe
K: Amaj
(3EFG|AGAc ecAc|dcdf ecAc|d2fd c2ec|BABc BdcB|
AGAc ecAc|dcdf ecAc|eagf edcB|c2A2 A2:|
|:(3efg|aece fece|aece fece|d2bd c2ac|BABc BdcB|
AGAc ecAc|dcdf ecAc|eagf edcB|c2A2 A2:|

Roxburgh Castle

This is an old tune from the Scottish Borders. In its original form it would have been a sailor's hornpipe, which is like a cross between a hornpipe and a reel (played fast and straight like a reel, but with bouncy hornpipe part endings). Nowadays I'm guessing it would only really played this way in Scotland and England, although it could also be used as a rant. It is slowed down a bit and played as a normal hornpipe by morris musicians, often in Gmaj. It appears in O'Neill's as "McCarthy's Hornpipe", and in Ryan's Mammoth Collection as "Blanchard's Hornpipe" (both in Amaj).

In most collections, the 2nd couple of bars of each part go |agaf edcB|c2A2 A2:|, or less frequently |agbg afed|c2A2 A2:|.
The part endings are slightly different in the setting submitted here, which is my own take on a version that was taught to me by my teacher when I was at school.

For info on Roxburgh Castle, go here: http://www.kelso.bordernet.co.uk/history/roxburgh-castle.html and here: http://www.discovertheborders.co.uk/places/6.html.

# Posted on June 25th 2005 by Dow

Roxburgh Castle

I agree with what Dow says here. Its a popular tune amongst Northumbrian musicians but they tend to play it flat out as a session tune. its actually quite hard to make it work as a rant if one is used to playing it fast.

Of course, as the name suggests, it is really from the scotish side of the border and probably wasn't conceived as a rant when it was composed..
Noel
Angels of the North

# Posted on June 26th 2005 by noelbats

"Roxburgh Castle Hornpipe" / "Fool's Jig" (any wonder?)

http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display.php/792

~ a couple of other ways with this melody... Foolish and otherwise...

# Posted on November 28th 2005 by ceolachan