Beeswing, 1842, by John Frederick Herring Snr.BEE'S WING HORNPIPE, THE. AKA - "Beeswing Hornpipe." English, Hornpipe (whole time). England, Northumberland. B Flat Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). "Bee's Wing Hornpipe" was composed by Tyneside fiddler-composer James Hill in honor of a famous race horse. Beeswing (1833–1854), a thoroughbred mare from the north of England, had her hey-day in the 1830's and 1840's, winning 51 races and 25 Gold Cups including the coveted in the Ascot Gold Cup of 1842.
Belfast fiddler Seán McGuire added famous variations to Hill's hornpipe. See also other tunes Hill, a sports enthusiast, composed for famous horses: "Flying Dutchman" and "Underhand Hornpipe (The)."
Additional notes
Printed sources : - Laybourn (Koehler's Violin Repository), 1881-1885; William Bradbury Ryan (Ryan's Mammoth Collection), 1883; p. 126.
Recorded sources : - Viva W103, Sean Maguire - "Irish Jigs and Reels" (c. 1960's). YCP-1987, Yvon Cullerier - "Musique Folklorique" (1987).
