Annotation:South Shore (2) (The)
X:1 T:South Shore Hornpipe [2] M:C| L:1/8 R:Hornpipe C:James Hill N:The title refers to the south shore of the Tyne. B:Lister MS (East Bolden, Northumberland, mid-19th century, p. 45) F: http://www.farnearchive.com/show_images.asp?id=B0604501&image=1 Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:D A|dfaf gfeg|fdAG FGAd|BGBG FAdf|gfed dcBA| dfaf gfeg|fdAG FGAd|BGBG FAdf|gedc d2:| |:fg|a2 fa dafa|dafa bagf|g2 eg cgeg|cgeg agfe| a2 fa dafa|dafa bagf|gfga gbag|fedc d2||
SOUTH SHORE (2) (THE). English, Hornpipe. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The tune, as “The South Shore,” appears in The Lads Like Beer, a collection of melodies composed by and associated with 19th century Tyneside fiddler and composer wikipedia:James_Hill_(folk_musician) (c. 1811-1854), renowned for his hornpipe compositions. It is thought, but not proven, to be a Hill composition, based on stylistic evidence. 'South Shore' refers to the south shore of the River Tyne, which was, in the early 19th century, shallow, with islands, sand banks, tight bends and generally not conducive to navigation. There was a constantly shifting bank of sand and shingle over a rocky base tha formed a bar across the river mouth.
A close variant is a familiar Irish session tune known as “Scholar (The)” (AKA "Well-learned Scholar (The)") played as a reel as well as a hornpipe.
