Annotation:Devil on two Sticks (The)
X:1 T:Devil on two Sticks, The M:6/8 L:1/8 B:Thompson's Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 1 (London, 1757) Z:Transcribed and edited by Fynn Titford-Mock, 2007 Z:abc's:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:G D2D B2B|ABc B2A|BdD G2G|ABc B2A|B2c ded|c2B A2D| G2G F2F|E2E D2d|BdD G2G|ABc B2A|BdD G2B|cBA G3:||
DEVIL ON TWO STICKS, THE. English, Jig (6/8 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). One part. The melody is unique to London publishers Charles and Samuel Thompson's 1757 country dance collection. The title invokes the comic novel Le Diable Boiteux by [Wilipedia:Alain-René_Lesage] (1668–1747) originally published in 1707, translated to English as The Devil on Two Sticks and published in London in 1708. The 'devil on two sticks' (the diabolo) is a juggling prop that involves a spool and string tossed by two sticks. It was derived from the Chinese yo-yo.
See also Straight & Skillern's "Devil upon Two Sticks (The)," a different jig.