The Fiddler’s Companion

© 1996-2007 Andrew Kuntz

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[COMMENT1] [COMMENT2] 

HUN - HY

 

 

Notation Note: The tunes below are recorded in what is called “abc notation.” They can easily be converted to standard musical notation via highlighting with your cursor starting at “X:1” through to the end of the abc’s, then “cutting-and-pasting” the highlighted notation into one of the many abc conversion programs available, or at concertina.net’s incredibly handy “ABC Convert-A-Matic” at

http://www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html 

 

**Please note that the abc’s in the Fiddler’s Companion work fine in most abc conversion programs. For example, I use abc2win and abcNavigator 2 with no problems whatsoever with direct cut-and-pasting. However, due to an anomaly of the html, pasting the abc’s into the concertina.net converter results in double-spacing. For concertina.net’s conversion program to work you must remove the spaces between all the lines of abc notation after pasting, so that they are single-spaced, with no intervening blank lines. This being done, the F/C abc’s will convert to standard notation nicely. Or, get a copy of abcNavigator 2 – its well worth it.   [AK]

 

 

 

HUN HAYDN. English, Dance Tune (2/4 time). C Major. Standard tuning. AABB. It refers no doubt to the German composer Franz Joseph Haydn, who was in residence in London for some years.  Huntington (William Litten’s), 1977; pg. 25.

                                   

HUNDRED AND ONE FAREWELLS TO HIM, A (Beannacht Agus Ceud Leis). Irish, Air (3/4 time). A Minor. Standard tuning. One part. Source for notated version: "William Elliott Hudson, a well‑known Irish patriot and scholar of the last century" (Joyce). Joyce (Old Irish Folk Music and Songs), 1909; No. 506, pg. 276.

 


HUNDRED PIPERS (An A', An 'A), THE/A. AKA - “One Hundred Pipers,” "Wi' a Hundred Pipers." AKA and see "Durham Reel," “The Hair Fell Off My Coconut.” Scottish (originally), English, Canadian, American; Jig or Waltz. USA, New England, Pennsylvania. A Major or A Mixolydian (most versions): G Major (Sweet). Standard. AABB (Kennedy, Kerr, Raven, Songer, Sweet): AA'BB (Miller & Perron): AABB’ (Cranford/Fitzgerald): AB (Karpeles). The title comes from words written to the tune and generally credited to Caroline Oliphant, Lady Nairne (1776-1845), and published in 1851, though it has been said to have been a Jacobite song and that the music was an old Scotttish 'catch'; the whole only adapted by Lady Nairne (whose family had been ‘out’ in the rising of 1745, and who had been raised steeped in Jacobite sympathies). Some writers also credit the soprano Elizabeth Rainforth (1814-1877) (who performed the song) solely or in conjunction with Lady Nairne. The Jacobite origins of the song are based on the tale of Bonnie Prince Charlie's entry into Carlisle on the march south after his victory at Prestonpans, preceded into the city by the famed 100 pipers and followed by an army of 2,000 Highlanders. They crossed the stream with water up to their shoulders and "the pipers struck up, and they danced reels until they were dry again" (quoted in Fuld). More than a tale, the van of pipers is documented in the Chronicles of the Atholl and Tullibardine Families (vol. 3, pg. 95), which contains the entry, “Monday, the 18th November 1745: His Royal Highness made his entry into Carlisle seated on a white charger and preceded by no less than a hundred pipers” (Collinson, 1975). Since then a mass of one hundred pipers playing the “Hundred Pipers” is a mark of distinction for an event, as, for example, when such a group played it at the 1955 opening of the Canso Causeway (joining Cape Breton Island with mainland Nova Scotia). David Murray, in his book Music of the Scottish Regiments (Edinburgh, 1994) also points out the song mentions crossing the River Esk, which for part of its course marks the boundary between Scotland and England. Tradition has it that Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Highlanders waded the flood, and, upon reaching the other side turned to face Scotland and raised their broadswords in farewell salute.

***

Musically, it is an example of the form Scotch Jig, or a jig in Scotch measure rhythm (see Emmerson, 1971, pg. 159), however Cape Breton and Irish fiddlers have employed it as a waltz. The 'A' part resembles the tune "The Mill Mill O," which Bayard (1981) says he cannot for sure say if it was an ancestral melody or not. Fuld (1966) believes the first part of the melody to be very similar to "The Lea Rig," published in Oswald's 1758 The Caledonian Pocket Companion (vol. VIII, pg. 20) and Johnson's 1787 The Scots Musical Museum (vol. I, pg. 50). In County Kerry the melody is sung as the ditty “The Hair Fell off My Coconut (So How Do You Like Me, Baldy?)”  The British army employed the tune as a march past for the 2nd Battalion Cheshire Regiment, raised in 1858, until 1881 when it was replaced by “Wha Wadnae Fecht for Charlie.” “Wi’ a Hundred Pipers” then became the regiments assembly march, “along with an old Cheshire folk song ‘The Miller of Dee’, both tunes being ‘good going’ 6/8 marches” (Murray, pg. 208). Similarly, it was introduced into the repertoire of the 50th (The Queen’s Own) Regiment in 1869 by their new Colonel, replacing the Irish “Garryowen.”

***

Source for notated verison: Hiram Horner (fifer from Westmoreland and Fayette Counties, Pa.) [Bayard]; Winston Fitzgerald (1914-1987, Cape Breton) [Cranford]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 546, pg. 488. Cranford (Winston Fitzgerald), 1997; No. 217, pg. 86. Jarman (Old Time Fiddlin' Tunes); No. or pg. 16. Karpeles & Schofield (A Selection of 100 English Folk Dance Airs), 1951; pg. 9 (appears as "Durham Reel"). Kennedy (Fiddlers Tune Book), vol. 2, 1954; pg. 36. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 1; No. 8, pg. 31. Miller & Perron (New England Fiddler’s Repertoire), 1983; No. 42. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 104. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; pg. 103. Spandaro (10 Cents a Dance), 1980; pg. 24. Sweet (Fifer’s Delight), 1964/1981; pg. 21. F&W Records 2, "F&W String Band 2." Folkways FW8827, Arbuckle, Mikkelson & Clifton - "Old Time Couple Dances" (1961). Kicking Mule KM216, Arm & Hammer String Band ‑ "New England Contra Dance Music." Wild Asparagus - “In Season” (1985).

X:1

T:Hundred Pipers, A

L:1/8

M:6/8

K:A

c2E EFE|F2A A2f|e2c cBA|BcB BAB|c2E EFE|F2A A2f|

e2c BcB|1 A3 A2B:|2 A3 c2d||: e2e ece|f2a agf|e2c cBA|

BcB Bcd|e2e ece|f2a agf|e2c BcB|A3 A2B:|

X: 2

T: Hundred Pipers

S: J. O'Brien: "Irish Folk Dance Music"

M: 6/8

L: 1/8

Q: 325

Z: Transcribed by Bill Black

R: jig

K: A

B | c2 E EDE | F2 A A2 f | e2 c cBA | BcB BAB |

c2 E EDE | F2 A A2 f | e2 c BAB | A3 A2 :|

B | c2 e ece | f2 a agf | e2 c cBA | BcB BAB |

c2 e ece | f2 a agf | e2 c BAB | A3 A2 :|

 

HUNDRED YEARS SINCE, A. Scottish, Reel. E Flat Major. Standard. AAB. Composed by James Porteons, son of the editor of the Skye Collection, Keith MacDonald. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 130.

X:1

T:Hundred Years Since, A

M:C|

L:1/8

R:Reel

S:MacDonald – Skye Collection  (1887)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:E_

C|B,G,B,C E2 (EG)|FEFG FECE|B,G,B,C EFGc|BGFG E2E:|

d|edcB c2 ce|BGFE FECB|(ed)cB (cd)ef|(gf)ed e2 ef|(gf)ed e2 ef|

(gf)ed (ed)cB|(AG)FE FECE|B,G,B,C EFGc|BGFG E2E||

 

HUNG MY JAWBONE ON THE FENCE. Old‑Time. The tune was recorded by the Library of Congress by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph from Ozark Mountain fiddlers in the early 1940's. ("Dance All Night"??)

 

HUNG-OVER CHURCH ORGANIST, THE. Canadian, Jig. Canada, Cape Breton. G Major. Standard tuning. AA’BB. Composed by editor, fiddler and lighthouse-keeper Paul Stewart Cranford (Little River, Cape Breton). Cranford (Jerry Holland’s), 1995; No. 273, pg. 78. Fiddlesticks cass., Jerry Holland - “Fathers and Sons” (1992).

 

HUNGARIAN HAT, THE. English, Set Dance (3/4 time). E Minor. Standard tuning. AAB. A modern composition by editor Michael Raven. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 204.

 

HUNGARIAN WALTZ. AKA and see "Drink Your Tea, Love," "Grand Duke Nicholas." English, Waltz (3/8 time). England; Shropshire, Lincolnshire, Dorset. G Major. Standard tuning. AABBCCDD. A highly popular tune which may or may not have been Hungarian in origin. The Hungarian Waltz title, however, speaks not to origins but to a specific type of dance developed in the mid-19th century from a dance form called the Rheinlander, or Schottische. Novelist Thomas Hardy, himself an accordion player and fiddler, mentions the tune in scene notes to his work The Dynasts:

***

The 'Hungarian Waltz' having also been danced,

the hostess calls up the Highland soldiers to

show the foreign guests what a Scotch reel is

like. The men put their hands on their hips

and tread it out briskly. While they stand aside

and rest 'The Hanovarian Dance' is called.

***

Source for notated versions: the Hardy MS [Trim]; a c. 1837-1840 MS by Shropshire musician John Moore [Ashman]; the 1823-26 music mss of papermaker and musician Joshua Gibbons (1778-1871, of Tealby, near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire Wolds) [Sumner]. Ashman (The Ironbridge Hornpipe), 1991; No. 36, pg. 12. Sumner (Lincolnshire Collections, vol. 1: The Joshua Gibbons Manuscript), 1997; No. 146, pg. 80 (appears as “Hungary Waltz”). Trim (Thomas Hardy), 1990; No. 53. Beautiful Jo Records BEJOCD-28, The Mellstock Band – “The Dance at Pheonix: Village Band Music from Hardy’s Wessex and Beyond” (1999).


 

HUNGRY ARMY, THE. English, Jig. G Major. Standard. AABB. A modern composition by editor Michael Raven. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 197.

 


HUNGRY ROCKS [1], THE. AKA and see “Lucy Farr’s Jig.” Irish, Jig. E Minor. Standard. ABC. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; pg. 104. Kerry Elkin - “Soir et Matin” (1990).

 

HUNGRY ROCK [2], THE. Irish, Jig. E Dorian. Standard. AABBCC. Composed by Liam Kelly.

X:1

T:The Hungry Rock

C:Liam Kelly

R:Jig

M:6/8

L:1/8

K:Edor

|: GEB GEB | ~F3 dAf | GEB GEG | EFD E2 D |

GEB GEB | ~F3 dAf | agf edB | ABd E2D :|

|: AFE A (3Bcd | efe dAB | AFE A (3Bcd | efg fed |

AFE A (3Bcd | efe dAB | agf edB | A (3Bcd edf :|

|: GEF GFG | EFE GFE | FEF GFG | BGE cEd |

GEF GFG | EFE GFE | ABG EcA | dAf gfe :|

           

HUNKY DORY. Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, Ky. A Major (Greene): D Major (Phillips). AEae or Standard. AABB. The late fiddler Alva Greene (of Sandy Hook, eastern Ky.) learned the melody from his uncle, Jimmy Greene. The word 'hunky‑dory' dates from the mid‑19th century and means 'satisfactory' or 'fine' (Mark Wilson). There appears to be no relation to Abe Holzman’s 1900 cakewalk called “Hunky Dory.” Source for notated version: Frankie McWhorter [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; pg. 116. Recorded Anthology of American Music (1978) ‑ "Traditional Southern Instrumental Styles." Rounder SS‑0145, Alva Greene ‑ "Traditional Music on Rounder: A Sampler" (1981). Rounder Heritage Series 1166-11592-2, Alva Greene (et al) – “The Art of Traditional Fiddle” (2001).

           

HUNNELL'S DOUBLE DRAG. AKA and see "Oho, Oho, I've Found You Out" (Pa.), "Asey's Piece" (Pa.), "Mason's Quickstep," "Ellis's Jig." American, March (6/8 time). USA, southwestern Pa. A Mixolydian. Standard tuning. AABB. Bayard (1981) states this was one of the best‑known tunes to southwestern Pa. and northern W.Va. fifers. He traces the tune to the Northumberland, England, small‑pipes tradition to a tune named "O I Hae Seen the Roses Blaw" (Stokoe, pg. 84). Source for notated version: Hoge MS, a fife manuscript from southwestern Pa. [Bayard]. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 610C, pgs. 540‑541.

 

HUNSDON HOUSE. English, Country Dance Tune (6/8 time). C Major (Barnes, Karpeles, Raven, Sharp): D Major (Fleming‑Williams). Standard tuning. ABB (Karpeles & Raven): AABBBB (Barnes, Fleming‑Williams, Sharp). The melody dates to 1665, although the Hertforshire house is much older, having begun as a brick tower in 1447 by Sir William Oldhall. King Henry VIII purchased Hunsdon House in 1525 and for the next decade greatly expanded the structure into a Tudor house of palatial proportions. Henry’s children largely resided in the home, Edward (whose portrait, with the house in the backgroud, appears below), and Princess Mary and Elizabeth. It is said that Mary taught her younger sister Elizabeth how to play cards at Hunsdon House. When Mary became Queen she presented the house and the Lordship of Hunsdon to her maternal cousin, Henry Carey, in 1559, but it went into decline into the next century. Rebuilt in the early 19th century it was, by Victorian times, again in a ruinous state, and was yet again rebuilt in 1860 by the Calverts, albeit with horrible Victorianisms. Resoration work was completed in modern times in 1983, which revealed as much of the 15th century brickwork as possible, yet it is but a quarter of the size of Henry VIII’s Tudor mansion and is probably based on one of its wings. Barnes (English Country Dance Tunes), 1986. Fleming‑Williams & Shaw (English Dance Airs; Popular Selection, Book 1), 1965; pg. 5. Karpeles & Schofield (A Selection of 100 English Folk Dance Airs), 1951; pg. 15. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 26. Sharp (Country Dance Tunes), 1909/1994; pg. 29.

***

Portrait of Prince Edward VI, 1546, with Hunsdon House in background at left. (Brittanica.com)

Detail of Hunsdon House from portrait at right. (Brittanica.com)

***

X:1

T:Hunsdon House

M:6/8

L:1/8

S:Sharp – Country Dance Tunes   (1909)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:C

C2G E2A | GE2 D2C | c2e dB2 | A3 G3 |

C2G E2A | GE2 D2C | c2e dB2 | A3 G2z ||

|: g2=f eB2 | c2B Ade | f2e d B2 | A3 G AB |

c2B AE2 | F2E DAB | cde f2e | d3 c2 z :|

                       

HUNT [1], THE ("An Seilg" or "An Fiadac"). AKA and see "Galtee Hunt [1]," “Mount Pheobus Hunt,” “The Mountfamous Hunt.” Irish, Set Dance (cut time). G Major/Mixolydian. Standard. AB (Stanford/Petrie): AABB (most versions). The 'B' part, at twelve measures, is longer than the eight-measure 'A' part. See also the related hornpipe “Prize for the Ladies.” Sources for notated versions: piper Willie Clancy (1918-1973, Miltown Malbay, west Clare) [Mitchell]; “From John Dolan--Glensheen--(via the Irish collector) Mr. Joyce” [Stanford/Petrie]. Jordan (Whistle & Sing), 1975; 42. Mallinson (Enduring), 1995; No. 99, pg. 42. Mitchell (Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1993; No. 84, pg. 77. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 224.  O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903/1979; No. 1799, pg. 337. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 976, pg. 168. Roche Collection, 1983, Vol. 2; No. 276, pg. 31. Stanford/Petrie (Complete Collection), 1905; No. 879, pg. 220. Eugene O'Donnel.

X:1

T:Hunt, The [1]

M:C|

L:1/8

R:Set Dance

S:O’NeillDance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems (1907), No. 976

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:G

D2|GABG AGEG|c2 ce dcBA|GABA GEDG|EAAG AcBA|

GABG AGEG|c2 ce dcBA|GABA GEDE|G2 GG G2:|

|:D2|GABc d2 de|=f2 f2 f2 ed|e2e2 efge|d2 de d2 cB|

cBcd edcB|A2 AB A2G2|g2 g2 gedB|A2 AB A2 GE|

GABG AGEG|c2 ce dcBA|GABA GEDE|G2 GG G2:|

 

HUNT [2], THE (An Seilg). Irish, Set Dance (cut time). G Mixolydian. Standard tuning. AABB. Very similar to version #1. Source for notated version: Cronin [O’Neill]. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903/1979; No. 1800, pg. 337.

X:1

T:Hunt, The [2]

M:C|

L:1/8

R:Set Dance

S:O’NeillMusic of Ireland (1903), No. 1800

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:G

D2 | GABG AGEG | c2 ce dcBA | GABA GEDE | EAAG AcBA |

GABG AGEG | c2 ce dcBA | GABA GEDE | G2 GG G2 :|

|: D2 | GABc d2 de | =f2 f2 f2 ed | e2 e2 efge | d2 de d2 cB |

cBcd edcB | A2 AB A2 G2 | g2 g2 gedB | A2 AB A2 GE |

GABG AGEG | c2 ce dcBA | GABA GEDE | G2 GG G2:|

 

HUNT, THE [3]. Irish. The tune is attributed by Goodman to the 18th century gentleman-piper Walker ‘Piper’ Jackson, of the townland of Lisdaun, parish of Ballingarry, Aughrim, County Limerick. Goodman, volume IV, pg. 11.

                       

HUNT IN THE BOG.  Irish, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning. AB. Treoir.

X: 1

T: Hut in the Bog

S: Treoir

M: 4/4

L: 1/8

Q: 350

Z: Transcribed by Bill Black

R: reel

K: D

A | dcdA BdAF | E2 eg fdec | dcdA BdAF | GBAG FD D2 |

dcdA BdAF | E2 eg fdec | defd cdec | dBAG FD D2 ||

fddc dfaf | gfga bgeg | fddc dfaf | gbeg fdde |

fddc dfaf | gfga bgef | gagf gbaf | (3gag fg egfe ||


                                   


HUNT IS UP (WHEN THE COCK HE CROWS), THE. English, Scottish; Air and Dance Tune (4/4, 6/4 and 6/8 times). G Major (Merryweather): C Major (Emmerson/Pickering, Kines, Chappell/Pickering). Standard. One part (Emmerson/Pickering, Kines, Chappell/Pickering): AABBCCDDEE (Merryweather). This old English tune, one of the most popular of the early ballads, a dance tune and reville, was mentioned by Shakespeare in "Romeo and Juliet" (act III, scene 5). Its age is attested to, not only through its appearence in old music manuscripts, but also by mention in literature. The English collector Chappell (1859) notes that one John Hugan was arrested in London in 1537 for singing with a "crowd" or fyddyl (fiddle) a political song to a tune with this title, while in 1565 William Pickering paid for a licence to print the ballad. Emmerson (1971) finds an even earlier reference to the melody in Scotland in Robert Henryson's fable 'The Wolf, the Foxe and the Cadzear' -- "The Cadzear sang Hunts up, up on hie." Chappell remarks that wide differences are found in the various variations of the tune that appear around 1600 and explains them as alterations brought on by the popularity of a tune where "the greater part of each section lies upon one harmony."  Chappell, Merryweather (1989) and Kines (1964) explain that "The Hunt is Up" is actually a genre of tunes, the earliest of which stem from the early 16th century, around 1534; they say that any song intended to arouse in the morning, even a love song, was at one time called a 'hunt's-up'. These tunes originated with the town waites, or musicians, whose duties included playing for church rites, processionals, banquets, Royal visits, etc., but whom could also be hired by individuals to play early morning wake-up calls. "These musical aubades became known as 'Huntsups' and a ground bass 'ye Hunte Yis Uppe' a popular inspiration for descants and ballad tunes for many years" (Merryweather, pg. 20). These calls have entered English folk tradition, and Merryweather says fragments have even been identified in Cumbrian folk music in the 20th century. Emmerson finds another trace tradition from the 19th century in Cumberland where there existed a custom called 'hun-sopping' (i.e. 'hunt's up-ing') in which revelers traversed the town on Chrismas morning playing on instruments and shouting greetings. The tune Merryweather gives is actually a suite of such pieces from several sources. The air appears in Jane Pickering's Lute Book (1615), a lute MS of the Cambridge University Library, The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book (where a "fantasia" based on the tune appears rather than the air itself), Lady Neville's Virginal Book, Musick's Delight on the Cithern (1666 or 1667), Anthony Holborne's Cithern Schoole (1597), Sir John Hawkin's transcripts (as "Pescod Time"), and the Leyden Lute MS (as "Soet Olivier"). Kines gives the version as given by Hullah from Musick's Delight on the Cithern (1667), which resembles closely Chappell's example from Jane Pickering's Lute Book (1615). Emmerson, suggesting Scottish origins for the air, finds it in the Scottish Gude and Godlie Ballates (Pickering's version resembles this, he says). He notes was frequently recorded as a dance tune in the 1600's and that it was in the repertoire of Habbie Simpson, the piper of Kilbarchan in the early part of that century (which Emmerson {1972} gives in the poem by Robert Sempill of Belgrees, Rendrewshire {1595-1668} called “The Elegy of Habbie Simpson Piper of Kilbarcan,” said to be a favorite of Robert Ferguson and Robert Burns)—

***

Now who shall play 'The day it daws',

Or 'Hunt's up when the cock he craws'?

Or who can for our kirk-town cause

Stand us in stead?

On bagpipes now nobody blaws

Sin’ Habbie’s dead.

***

By the end of the 16th century, says Chappell, the tune became known as "Peascod Time" after a ballad sung to it, and under this title "it was appropriated for two very important and popular ballads--'The Lady's Fall' and 'Chevy Chase.'" One melody by the title "Huntsuppe" was by John Whitfield (1588-1616). Chappell (Popular Music of the Olden Time), vol. 1, 1859; pg. 86 (Jane Pickering's version, 1615). Emmerson (Rantin’ Pipe and Tremblin’ String), 1971; No. 5, pg. 17 (Jane Pickering). Kines (Songs From Shakespeare's Plays and Popular Songs of Shakespeare's Time), 1964; pg. 49. Merryweather (Merryweather’s Tunes for the English Bagpipe), 1989; pg. 20. Harmonia Mundi 907101, The King's Noyse - "The King's Delight: 17c Ballads for Voice and Violin Band" (1992).

X:1

T:Hunt is Up, The

M:6/4

L:1/8

N:Lyrics begin: The hunt is up, the hunt is up, and it is well nigh day;

N:And Harry our King is gone hunting to bring his deer to bay.

S:Chappell - Popular Music of the Olden Times

Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion

K:C

C2|C4 D2 E3F G2|c4 G2 E3F G2|A4 G2 F4 E2|(D6 D4) E2|

F4 G2 A3G F2|c4 _B2 A3G F2|G3F E2 D3C B,2|C6||

                       

HUNT OF THE HOUND AND THE HARE, THE. Irish, Set Piece. Ireland, County Donegal. D Major. Standard. AA’BB’C. The jig portion of the piece is the tune “The Hare in the Corn [3]." Source for notated version: fiddler John Doherty (1895-1980, County Donegal) [Feldman & O’Doherty]. Feldman & O’Doherty (The Northern Fiddler), 1979; pg. 95.

                       

HUNT THE BUFFALO. See “Hunting the Buffalo.”

 

HUNT THE CAT. Irish, Single Jig. D Dorian. Standard. AABB. O'Sullivan (1983) points out this tune is a variant of Bunting's "Whish, Cat from Under the Table." Roche Collection, 1983, Vol. 3; No. 114, pg. 35.

 

HUNT THE FOX. AKA and see "Hey My Nancy/Nanny." American (?), Slip Jig. D Mixolydian. Standard. AABB. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 68. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 98.

 

HUNT THE HARE [1]. English, Country Dance Tune (cut time). England, Northumberland. D Major. Standard. AABB. See also the similarly titled, melodically and rhythmcally different, "Hunting the Hare." Seattle (William Vickers), 1987, Part 2; No. 282.

 

HUNT THE HARE [2]. English, Jig. See "Hunting the Hare."

 


HUNT THE SQUIRREL [1]. AKA and see "The Geud Man of Ballangigh." English, Scottish, Irish, American; Country Dance Tune (6/8 time). USA, New England. A Major (Fleming‑Williams, Johnson, Karpeles, Raven, Sharp): G Major (Barnes): F Major (Stanford/Petrie). Standard. AB (Stanford/Petrie): AABB (most versions). Both dance instructions and melody of this English piece appear earliest in Walsh's Country Dancing Master of 1718 (pg. 16), and in Playford’s The Dancing Master, volume I, 17th edition (London, after 1721). Directions for the dance to this tune have also been recovered from the Holmain MS. (c. 1710‑1750) from Dumfries‑shire, Scotland. The dance involves a gentleman following or ‘chasing’ his partner for a phrase of music, after which she turns and ‘hunts’ him; the whole being a coy stylization of pursuing love. Indeed, this was stated in a mock letter to the satirical newspater The Spectator (1711-1712), purportedly sent by a country squire concerned over the spectacle of his sixteen-year-old daughter dancing in public:

***

Among the rest (of the dances), I observed one, which I think, they call

Hunt the Squirrel, in which while the Woman flies the Man pursues

her; but as soon as she turns, he runs away, and she is obliged to follow.

The Moral of this Dance does, I think, very aptly recommend Modesty

and Discretion to the Female Sex. But as the best Institutions are

Liable to Corruptions, so, Sir, I must acquaint you, that very great

Abuses are crept into this Entertainment. I was amazed to see my

Girl handed by, and handing young fellows with so much Familiarity;

and I could not have thought it had been in the Child.

***

The sense of the dance Hunt the Squirrel and its mimicking of pursuing a quarry is probably why the name was used euphemistically to describe the rather odious amusements of some 18th century London coachmen. When the mood struck they would follow a “one horse chaise…passing so close to it as to brush the wheel, and by other means terrifying any person that may be in it” (cited in Francis Grose’s A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, London, 1785). This was, in effect, a game of what we in modern times might call ‘chicken’, only with carriages and not automobiles.

***

The author of English Folk-Song and Dance found the melody in the repertoire of fiddler William Tilbury (who lived at Pitch Place, midway between Churt and Thursley in Surrey), who, in his young days, used to play the fiddle at village dances. He derived his repertoire from an uncle, Fiddler Hammond, who had been the village fiddler before him and who died around 1870. The conclusion was that this and similar country dance tunes survived in the tradition (at least in southwest Surry) well into the second half of the 19th century. American sources are nearly the same in both tune and dance figure as English sources, report Van Cleef and Keller (1980); it appears in Cushing Wells' German flute MS (Norwich, Connecticut, 1789) and in Clement Weeks' dance MS (Greenland, New Hampshire, 1783). The tune is not to be confused with other popular melodies of the period, "Hunt the Hare" and "Hunting the Hare." Barnes (English Country Dance Tunes), 1986. Fleming‑Williams & Shaw (English Dance Airs; Popular Selection, Book 1), 1965; pg. 10. Johnson (Twenty‑Eight Country Dances as Done at the New Boston Fair), vol. 8, 1988; pg. 5. Karpeles & Schofield (A Selection of 100 English Folk Dance Airs), 1951; pg. 23 (appears as "The Geud Man of Ballangigh"). Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 24. Sharp (Country Dance Tunes), 1909/1994; pg. 78. Stanford/Petrie (Complete Collection), 1905; No. 487, pg. 123.

X:1

T:Hunt the Squirrel [1]

M:6/8

L:1/8

S:Sharp – Country Dance Tunes  (1909)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:A

Ae2 e2f | e3 c3 | ABc B2A | ABc B2 A | Ae2 e2f| e3 c3 | ABc B2A | (A3 A2) z :|

|: d2e fed | d2e fed | d2e f2g | (a3 a2) g/f/ | e c2 e c2 | e c2 e3 | ABc B2A | (A3 A2) z :|

X:2

T:Hunt the Squirrel [1]

M:6/8

L:1/8

S:Stanford/Petrie (1905), No. 487

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:F

F2c c2d | c3A3 | FGA G2F | FGA G2F | F (c2c2)d | c3A3 | FGA G2F F2F F2z ||

B2c dcB | B2c dcB | Bc d2e | f3 f2 e/d/ | cA2 cA2 | cA2 c3 | FTGA G2F | F F2 F2z ||

 

HUNT THE SQUIRREL [2]. AKA ‑ "Hunting the Squirrel." English, Morris Dance Tune (4/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning. AABB (x4), AA. The tune was collected in the village of Headington, Oxfordshire, in England's Cotswolds. Bacon (The Morris Ring), 1974; pg. 179. Versions #2, 3 and 4 are similar in some respects, different in others, but all retain the flavor of the original melody. Version #1 is perhaps the most distinct. Mallinson (Mally’s Cotswold Morris Book), Vol. 1, 1988; No. 5, pg. 9.

 

HUNT THE SQUIRREL [3]. English, Jig. D Major. Standard tuning. AA'BB'. Carlin (Master Collection), 1984; No. 21, pg. 25.

 

HUNT THE SQUIRREL [4]. English, Country Dance Tune (2/2 time). G Major. Standard tuning. AB. Sharp (Country Dance Tunes), 1909/1994; pg. 11.

X:1

T:Hunt the Squirrel [4]

M:2/2

L:1/8

S:Sharp – Country Dance Tunes  (1909)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:G

(3DEF| G>BA>F G2D2 | G>Bd>e d2 B2 | G>Bd>e d2 B>A | G>BA>F G2 (3DEF |

G>BA>F G2 D2 | G>Bd>e d2 B2 | G>Bd>e d2 B>A | G>BA>F G2 ||  z2 |

e>f g2 e>f g2 | e>fg>a g2 e2 | d>ed>c d2 B>A | G>BA>F G4 |

e>f g2 e>f g2 | e>fg>a g2 e2 | d>ed>c d2 B>A | G>BA>F G2 ||

 

HUNT THE SQUIRREL [5]. English, Country Dance Tune (4/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning. AB. This tune was played by English musician John Locke, Leominster, Hereford, described as a “gipsy fiddler” who was recorded by Cecil Sharp in 1909 on a cylinder machine.

X:1

T:Hunt the Squirrel [5]

M:2/2

L:1/8

S:John Locke (1909)

K:G

d2 B<d c>BA>F | G2 g>f e>dB>c | d2 F>G A>Bc>d | e>dB>c A2 Bc |

d2 B>d c>BA>F | G2 g>f e>dB>c | d2 F>G A>Bc>d | e2G2G2 || B>c |

d2g2d2g2 | dgbg dgbg | d2g2 d2 g>a | b>ag>e d>cB>c | d2 B>d c>BA>F |

G2 g>f e>dB>c | d2 F>G A>Bc>d | e2F2 G4 ||

 

HUNT THE WEASEL. English, Slip Jig. England, Northumberland. C Major. Standard tuning. AABB. Seattle (William Vickers), 1987, Part 3; No. 466.

 

HUNTER IN HIS CAREER, THE. AKA and see "Basse's Career," "Mr. Basse, His Career," "The Falconer's Hunting." English, Country Dance Tune (4/4 time). F Major. Standard tuning. AAB. The air appears in the Gordon Lute Book (Straloch MS) of 1627. As with many popular airs, several songs to it were written in the 17th century. The tune is alluded to in Walton's "Angler," according to Chappell (1859), where Piscator says:

***

I'll promise you I'll sing a song that was lately made at

my request by Mr. William Basse, one that made the

choice songs of 'The Hunter in his Career', and 'Tom

of Bedlam', and many others of note.

***

Chappell (Popular Music of the Olden Time), vol. 1, 1859; pg. 198. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 11.

X:1

T:Hunter in his Career, The

T:Basse’s Career

M:C|

L:1/8

S:Chappell – Popular Music of the Olden Times  (1859)

Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion

K:F

f4 c2B2 A4G2F2 | E2D2E2F2 G4 A2B2 | c4F2G2 A4G3F | F8 :|

|| A4G2F2 E6F2 | G4 F2E2 D4 E2F2 | G4 C2D2 E4 D3C | C8 |

A4G2F2 B4A2G2 | c4 B2c2 d4 A2B2 | c4 F2G2 A4 G3F | F8 ||

           

HUNTER’S CABIN. See “Road to Cashel.”

                       

HUNTER'S CHORUS. AKA and see "Huntsman's Chorus."

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