Annotation:Newcastle Hornpipe (1) (The)

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X:1 T:Newcastle [1], The M:C L:1/8 R:Hornpipe B:Kerr's Merry Melodies vol. 1 (c. 1880, No. 30, p. 46) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:Bb |:(3cBA|B2B,2 (3dcB (3AGF|E2g4 f>e|d>fB>d c>eA>c|B>ba>g f>ed>c| B2B,2 (3dcB (3AGF|E2g4 f>e|d>fB>d c>eA>c|B2b2B,2:| |:(3CB,G,|B,>DF>B B>db>a|(ag){a}(g^f) g2B,2|A>CF>A c>fa>g|(gf){g}(f=e)f2(3CB,G,| B,>DF>B B>db>a|(ag){a}(g^f) g2b2|a>gf>e d>cB>A|c2B2B2:|]

NEWCASTLE HORNPIPE [1], THE. AKA - "New Castle," "Newcastle Clog." AKA and see "McCormack's," "Newcastle Hill Clog," "Prince Albert's Hornpipe (1)." Scottish, English, Irish, Canadian; Hornpipe. England, Northumberland. Canada, Cape Breton. C Major (Hunter): B Flat Major (Cranford, Hardie, Kerr, O'Malley). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Hardie, Hunter): AABB (Cranford): AA'BB' (Kerr, O'Malley). Composed by fiddler and renowned hornpipe composer biography:James Hill (c. 1815-1853), a native of Dundee who spent most of his life at Gateshead, northeast England, near Newcastle, Northumberland. Regarding the alternate title, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert officiated at the opening in 1950 of the High Level Bridge and the Central Station in Newcastle, and Hill may have been honoring both the monarchy and the new structures that graced his city.

Famed Irish fiddler Michael Coleman recorded the tune in 1936 in New York under the title "McCormacks", paired with another Hill composition ("High Level Hornpipe (1)"). The guitar backup on the recording is atrocious. Cape Breton fiddler Angus Chisholm recorded the tune at the time he had a radio program in Sydney, Cape Breton, which lasted several years. Coleman and Chisholm are both considered the best fiddlers of the 20th century in their respective genres. Canadian radio and TV fiddler and entertainer Don Messer recorded it as "Newcastle Hill."

Additional notes
Source for notated version : - New York fiddler Larry Redican (d. 1975), born in Dublin [O'Malley].

Printed sources : - Cranford (Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes), 1995; No. 44, p. 13. Hardie (Caledonian Companion), 1992; p. 62. Hunter (Fiddle Music of Scotland), 1988; No. 325. Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 1), c. 1875; No. 30, p. 46. O'Malley (Luke O'Malley's Collection of Irish Music), 1976; No. 125, p. 63.

Recorded sources : - Decca 12076 (78 RPM), Michael Coleman (1936, as "McCormacks"). Rounder Records, "Jerry Holland" (1976). Shanachie 14001, "The Early Recordings of Angus Chisholm" (Cape Breton). Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40481, Brian Conway - "First Through the Gate" (2002).

See also listing at :
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [1]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [3]
Hear Michael Coleman's 1936 recording at the Internet Archive [4] (2nd tune in medley, preceded by "High Level Hornpipe (1)").
Hear Angus Chisholm's recording at the Internet Archive [5] (paired with "President Grant's Hornpipe").

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