Annotation:New Market Jig

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NEW MARKET JIG. AKA and see "Black and the Grey (The)," "John Patterson's Mare," "John Patterson's Mare Goes Foremost," "John Paterson's Mare Goes Foremost," "John Paterson's Mare Goes Forewort." Scottish, English; Jig. England, Northumberland. F Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABCD. Howe (c. 1867) directs: "Performed in the time of Horse Gallop." The alternate title "John Paterson's Mare Goes Foremost" is from a song written to the melody.

New Market [1] was famous in the 17th and 18th centuries for the exhibition of horse-races that catered to the British aristocracy and royalty since James I (who built a residence there in 1605). It was also a home to Charles II and numerous other monarchs. The town itself is in Suffolk, approx. 65 miles northeast of London. A song called the "New Market Horse Race" was printed in the periodical The Weekly amusement: or, The universal magazine in 1735:

Newmarket Race

To horse, brave boys of New-market, to horse,
You'll loose the match by longer delaying;
The gelding just now was led over the course,
I think the devil's in you for staying.
Run, and endeavour all to bubble the sporters,
Bets may recover all lost at the groom-porter's;
Follow, follow, follow, follow, come down to the ditch,
Take the odds, and then you'll be rich.

For I'll have the brown bay, if the blew bonnet ride,
And hold a thousand pounds of his side, sir;
Dragon would scour it, but Dragon grows old,
He cannot endure it, he cannot, he wonnot now run it,
Age, age does hinder the speed, sir.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Carlin (The Gow Collection), 1986; No. 364. Gow (Complete Repository, Book 2), 1802; pp. 8-9. Howe (1000 Jigs and Reels), c. 1867), p. 141 (appears as "John Paterson's Mare Goes Forewort").

Recorded sources:

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