Annotation:China Orange Hornpipe

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CHINA ORANGE HORNPIPE, THE. AKA and see "Fisher's Hornpipe." English, Hornpipe. England, Shropshire. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. According to British History Online [1], "The sweet ORANGE of commerce, Citrus sinensis, [was] originally brought from China. They were for sale in the eighteenth century, not only in London, but also in provincial towns like BIRMINGHAM, where competition was fierce to announce the earliest imports and the cheapest prices, for example [Newspapers (1743)]. A China orange was frequently taken as a typical object of trifling value, as they were sold in the streets individually for a penny or two, though they were also something offered as refreshment by the 'smart set'; for example, in 1666 Samuel Pepys made some guests 'welcome with wine and China oranges, now a great rarity since the war, none to be had' [Diaries (Pepys)]. The same quotation shows how the import of such products was affected by the international situation."

OED earliest date of use: 1665-6.

Source for notated version: a c. 1837-1840 MS by Shropshire musician John Moore [Ashman].

Printed source: Ashman (The Ironbridge Hornpipe), 1991; No. 18, p. 4.

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