Annotation:Jarnovich's Hornpipe
Tune properties and standard notation
JARNOVICH'S HORNPIPE. Scottish, Hornpipe. E Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Composed "by Himself" (Gow). The title refers to Italian violinist Giovanni Giornovichi [1] (1745-1804), known as Jarnovick, who visited Edinburgh in the early 19th century. Giornovichi was born in a ship off the coast of Raguso, Sicily (according to a contemporary account). He was a contemporary of Haydn and Mozart (both of whom he performed with), and was considered one of the finest violin virtuosos of his era touring nearly every European capital and large city (where he often changed the spelling of his name to suit local audiences-thus, he was Ivan Jarnovick in the Russian and Slavic countries). In addition to performing, Jarnovich composed pieces featuring the violin, which he then performed (thus showcasing his lyrical strengths), and some seventeen of his concertos survive, along with quartets. He is said to have written seven symphonies. In the 1790's he toured Britain, performing in London for the Prince of Wales to great acclaim. Unfortunately, Jarnovich could be difficult, enigmatic, arrogant, erratic and tempestuous in his behavior, exasperating colleagues with his rudeness. Worse, he was often quick tempered and rough in his habits, and often had to flee an area he was performing in when he became involved in various scandals. When on occasion performing could not sustain him, Jarnovich made a living by playing billiards, and it was at such a table in St. Petersburg that he died of a stroke in 1804.
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 578. Gow (Fourth Collection of Niel Gow's Reels), 2nd ed., originally 1800; p. 25.
Recorded sources: