The term hornpipe refers to any of several dance forms played and danced in Britain and elsewhere from the late 17th century until the present day. The Highland Hornpipe is a musical instrument that can be played similarly to a chanter on a Highland Bagpipe, although it is usually tuned an octave lower than a bagpipe chanter. ...

Folk hornpipes

There are several traditional folk dance forms of the hornpipe: Folk dance is a term used to describe a large number of dances, mostly of European origin, that tend to share the following attributes: They were originally danced in about the 19th century or earlier (or are, in any case, not currently copyrighted); Their performance is dominated by an inherited...

• The most common use of the term nowadays refers to tunes in 4/4 time. It is danced wearing a hard shoe. This type of hornpipe is generally thought of as a sailors' dance, and perhaps the best known example is the Sailors' Hornpipe. There are two basic types of common-time hornpipe, ones like the Sailors' Hornpipe, moving in even notes, sometimes notated in 2/2, moving a little slower than a reel, and ones like The Harvest Home, moving in dotted notes. Some 19th century examples mix the two styles. The form dates back to the mid 18th century or earlier, but became much more popular in the early 19th century. Many fine hornpipes were written in this period, many with known composers. In Ireland, examples include The Groves Hornpipe and The Boys of Bluehill. In England, a noted composer of hornpipes on Tyneside was the influential fiddler-publican James Hill (c.1811-1853). The form also became very popular in the United States - President Garfield's Hornpipe is a fine example.

• A lively 3/2 time hornpipe, going back to the baroque form (see below) remained popular in northern English and lowland Scottish instrumental music until the 19th century, and many examples are still well known and widely played in Northumberland, such as the song Dance ti thy Daddy, and the variation set Lads of Alnwick. The form is very suitable for the playing of variations, which has probably accounted for its survival among players of the Northumbrian smallpipes. Lads of Alnwick, in particular, has survived in the oral and manuscript tradition without major change from its earliest known appearance in the 1730's in William Dixon's MS, until the modern era, when an almost identical 5-strain version was written down by Tom Clough.

• The term was also used formerly to refer to tunes in 9/4 or 9/8 time. These may have been thought of as differing only inessentially from the 3/2 hornpipes. Some early examples of these are also syncopated. The form survives in Northumberland and Ireland. One example, Mad Moll, or The Peacock Follows the Hen, has remained current since at least 1698 when it appeared in The Dancing Master. Such tunes are usually referred to nowadays by the Irish name slip jig.

Examples, current in Northumberland, of all thse kinds of hornpipe may be found, either recorded or notated, on the FARNE archive website, http://www.asaplive.com/archive/index.asp. This article is about maritime crew. ... The Sailors Hornpipe (also known as The College Hornpipe and Jacks the Lad[1]) is a traditional hornpipe melody. ... James J. Hill (September 16, 1838 – May 29, 1916), was a noted American railroad tycoon. ... Northumberland is a county in the North East of England. ... The Northumbrian smallpipes (also known as the Northumbrian pipes) are bellows-blown bagpipes from Northumbria in the north-east of England. ... Tom Clough (1881-1964), known as The Prince of Pipers, was an English player of the Northumbrian Smallpipes. ... In music, syncopation is the stressing of a normally unstressed beat in a bar or the failure to sound a tone on an accented beat. ... The Dancing Master was a dancing manual containing the music and instructions for English country dances. ... Slip jig refers to both a style of Irish music and of Irish dance; the dance is danced to music in slip-jig time. ...

Baroque hornpipe

The hornpipe is also an English baroque dance in a lively 3/2 or 3/4 time, often syncopated. Many country dance examples are found in The Dancing Master and there are also extant theatrical choreographies that use steps from French court ballet, but which characteristically have step-units going across the measure. Henry Purcell and George Frideric Handel composed hornpipes, and Handel occasionally gave "alla hornpipe" as a tempo indication (see Handel's Water Music). Today, the most well-known baroque hornpipe tune is probably Purcell's "Hornpipe Rondeau" from the incidental music to Abdelazer, (which was used by Benjamin Britten as the theme for his Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra) or the 'Alla Hornpipe' movement from the D major of Handel's Water Music suites. Baroque dance is dance of the Baroque era in Europe (roughly 1600–1750), closely linked with Baroque music, theater and opera. ... English Country Dance, sometimes abbreviated ECD, is a form of folk dance. ... The Dancing Master was a dancing manual containing the music and instructions for English country dances. ... Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (IPA: ;[1] September 10 (?),[2], 1659–November 21, 1695), was an English Baroque composer. ... “Handel” redirects here. ... The Water Music is a collection of orchestral movements, often considered as three suites, composed by George Frideric Handel. ... Britten redirects here. ... The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra, op. ...