Annotation:Alexander's Hornpipe
X:1 T:Alexander's Hornpipe M:C L:1/8 R:Hornpipe S:O'Neill - Music of Ireland (1903), No. 1683 Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:D Major (3ABc|:dAFA DFAd|fdcd A2ef|gfed edcd|(3efe(3dcB A2(3ABc| dAFA DFAd|fdcd A2ef|gfed cABc|1(3dddf2 d2(3ABc:|2(3dddf2 d2AG|| |:FAdA FAdA|GBdB GBdB|Acec Acec|dfaf (3dfd(3BAG| FAdA FAdA|GBdB GBdB|Aceg fdec|1(3dddf2 d2AG:|2(3dddf2 d2(3ABc||
ALEXANDER'S HORNPIPE. AKA – "Alexander's Favourite." AKA and see "Byrne's Hornpipe (2)," "Goswick Kirn," "Grimaldi's Hornpipe," "Kelly's Hornpipe (5)," "Prunoble's Hornpipe," "Sandlark (The)," "Tom Cat's Hornpipe." Irish, English; Hornpipe. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The tune appears as "Byrne's Hornpipe (2)" in the Feis Ceoil Collection of Traditional Irish Music (1914). Curiously, O'Neill printed it in 1903 in his Music of Ireland, but omitted it from his 1907 Dance Music of Ireland, possibly as he may have discovered an English provenance for the tune. The tune is known as a piping tune, dating back to 78 RPM recordings of "Alexanders" by uilleann pipers Tommy Reck (1922-1991, recorded in Dublin in 1950) and Liam Walsh (recorded in 1933).
Early versions of the hornpipe can be found in mid-19th century music manuscript copybooks of fiddlers from the north of England: John Burks under the title "Prunoble's Hornpipe," "Grimaldi's Hornpipe" from, and "Goswick Kirn" and "Tom Cat's Hornpipe."