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 melody is thought to have been composed by, and is associated with, 19th century Tyneside fiddler and composer James Hill (c. 1811-1854), renowned for his hornpipe compositions. The tune was entered into the mid-19th century music copybook of William Hall Lister, a musician from East Bolden, Northunberland, as "South Shore Hornpipe," albeit with no attribution, however, 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.
