Annotation:Wasp's Frolick (The)

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WASP'S FROLICK, THE. American, Jig. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABC. A composition of Charles P.F. O'Hara, who published a collection of tunes in New York in 1813. America was then at war with Great Britain, and several of O'Hara's compositions honor naval victories and American politicians. The bulk of his collection, however, contains traditional Irish melodies.

The American victory of the sloop-of-war Wasp [1] over the brig-sloop HMS Frolick in October, 1812, was heralded as a triumph in America. This despite the fact that both ships were badly damaged after the engagement and barely seaworthy. A British frigate soon came along and recaptured both vessels, but American gunnery had proved decisive in the original engagement.

The boarding of the Frolick

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: O'Hara (The Gentleman's Musical Repository), 1813.

Recorded sources:

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