Annotation:Devil on two Sticks (The)
Tune properties and standard notation
DEVIL ON TWO STICKS, THE. English, Jig. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). One part. The melody is unique to London publishers Charles and Samuel Thompson's 1757 country dance collection. The title invokes the play The Devil on Two Sticks by dramatist Samuel Foote, which premiered at the Haymarket in 1768, albeit later than the title appeared in the Thompsons' colleciton. The 'devil on two sticks' (the diabolo) is a juggling prop that involves a spool and string tossed by two sticks. It was derived from the Chinese yo-yo.
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Thompson (Compleat Collection of 200 Favourite Country Dances, vol. 1), 1757; No. 164.
Recorded sources: