Granville Bantock: Two Scottish Pieces for piano (1917)

I recently came across Granville Bantock’s (1868-1946) Two Scottish Pieces for piano. They were written in 1917 and were published the following year. The pieces are not descriptive and do not attempt to evoke the Scottish landscape. They are settings of two traditional tunes.

The first is The Hills of Glenorchy.  It is difficult to pin down exactly which version of this delightful “quickstep” that Bantock uses, as there are several old forms. It is interesting that Glen Orchy is the Scottish spelling. Instead, Bantock has used “Glenorchy” which is a small settlement at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu in the South Island region of Otago, New Zealand.  Glen Orchy in Scotland is a lonely valley running northeast from Dalmally to the Bridge of Orchy. It passes through the remnants of the once extensive Caledonian Forest.  The Hills of Glenorchy begins in a relaxed manner, with the “found” melody which is then decorated with some subtle variation. The middle section is a little more dramatic, before the piece concludes with a big finish.

The second tune that Bantock arranged is The Bobers of Brechin. This reel is also a drinking song. Brechin is an attractive town in County Angus. It sports a beautiful cathedral which incorporates a Round Tower, built in 1000 AD. It is also home to the remarkable Caledonian Railway, which runs a heritage service from the town to Coupar Angus. Bantock’s take on this tune bounces along with a variety of variation, before a powerful coda leads into a modal allargando.

John C. Dressler in his magisterial Granville Bantock: A Guide to Research (Clemson University Press, 2020) only locates one historical performance, and that was only of the second piece. It was heard at the Wigmore Hall on 15 October 1919, and was performed by the Sheffield pianist, Helen Guest.

The Sheffield Independent (16 October 1919) considered that The Bobers of Brechin “was a little common place.” Other music heard at the recital included John Ireland’s The Island Spell, Percy Grainger’s Sussex Mummers’ Carol and his March Jig, Josef Holbrooke’s Etude la Fantastique, and Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata.  There was a powerful version of Ravel’s Jeux d’Eau. The critic remarked that this piece “should represent a fountain shimmering under a Southern summer haze,” however, she presented “a strongly outlined picture of a fountain playing in a Yorkshire North-Easter, with spray dashed hither and thither and stinging our face.” It wish that I could have heard this.

The Two Scottish Pieces for piano were included in Bantock Rediscovered performed by Maria Marchant, on Somm Recordings: SOMMCD 0183. Other works included Chanson de Mai, Memories of Sapphire, Saul: A Symphonic Overture and Twelve Piano Pieces. The CD was issued in 2018.

Nick Barnard, writing in MusicWeb International (June 2018) reminds listeners about Bantock’s “abiding fascination for all things Scots.” He considers that these Scottish Pieces are “two minor, but delightful, examples of this obsession. Each is a traditional tune that Bantock expands and treats beyond the confines of the original melody: think Grainger without the excess.”  Ian Lace, (MusicWeb International, July 2018) notes that “the challenging Two Scottish Pieces allows Maria Marchant to show off her considerable virtuosity.”