Do You Know About the Sailor's Hornpipe ?

[protectionist]

Most people in America know this tune (which is also a 407 year old dance) as the lead-in music in the old Popeye the Sailor Man cartoons. That's where first heard it. In the UK and British dominion countries, however, the Sailor's Hornpipe has a much bigger and significant meaning than that. It is a bedrock of British culture with a history dating back to 1609 AD, when it was first known to be played on the fiddle on old, wooden clipper ships (the ones with the huge sails) as a way of providing the sailors exercise and recreation.

Since they didn't walk too much on a ship, and sometime were away at sea for months, they needed something to exercise their legs and relieve intense boredom (remember 17th, 18th, 19th century > no TV, radio, stereos, computers, etc) So, the Sailor's Hornpipe tune was composed on board ship, and it reflects the bouncy, rocking rhythm of the ocean groundswells, which transfer into the ship.

Over the centuries, dozens more hornpipe tunes were composed and played, all having that characteristic ocean rolling rhythm in their melodies. Generally they have the word "Hornpipe" in their title, preceded by some other word (ex. Fisher's Hornpipe, Durham's Hornpipe, Monroe's Hornpipe, etc)

This is one of the longest lasting facets of culture in the world, as UK sailors still dance the Sailor's Hornpipe dance as part of the Royal Navy procedure, as do sailors in the navies of British dominion countries (ex. India, New Zealand, Belize-formerly British Honduras). The dance is also done by sea cadets as part of their military training for the navy of their respective countries. It mimics the movements of sailors on board old clipper ships, in climbing rope ladders, pulling ropes, rowing , etc It is done without a partner, and usually in large groups of sailors.

British sea cadets dancing Sailor's Hornpipe, on board ship. (1928)

India Schoolgirls (Sea Cadets) Dancing the Sailor's Hornpipe on Navy Day (Dec. 4, 2015)

 

[protectionist]

 

[protectionist]

 

[protectionist]

In this video, the dancer does a really nice job on the Sailor's Hornpipe, but the music is terrible. It doesn't even sound like Sailor's Hornpipe. Instead, it's just some repetitous junk. Highly recommend to turn off the sound, and just watch the dancer.

 

[protectionist]

 

[protectionist]

This is another hornpipe tune > Fisher's Hornpipe. Like many hornpipes it starts off slowly and gets much faster as it goes along. If the beginning is a bit too slow for you, just scroll horizontally >> to about the middle of the time bar >> As in Sailor's Hornpipe, you'll notice a bouncing, rolling melody like the groundswells of the ocean, rolling the ship.

 

[protectionist]

 

[whitehall]

Wiki claims that the "hornpipe" was around for a hundred years before it became associated with sailors. Apparently an English actor played a sailor on stage while dancing to the hornpipe.

 

[protectionist]

Wiki claims that the "hornpipe" was around for a hundred years before it became associated with sailors. Apparently an English actor played a sailor on stage while dancing to the hornpipe.

"The dance does not seem to have become associated with sailors until after 1740 when the dancer Yates performed 'a hornpipe in the character of a Jack Tar' at Drury Lane Theatre, after which, in 1741 at Covent Garden we hear of 'a hornpipe by a gentleman in the character of a sailor.'.[3] Movements were those familiar to sailors of that time: "looking out to sea" with the right hand to the forehead, then the left, lurching as in heavy weather, and giving the occasional rhythmic tug to their breeches both fore and aft."

Hornpipe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[protectionist]

Another hornpipe tune I know is Off to California. It's an Irish hornpipe that was written during the Irish potato famine, which coincided with the gold rush in California (1849), and they went to California to seek their fortunes. By 1852, there were over 500 Irish, English, and Welsh clipper ships docked in San Francisco Bay. And they brought a lot of the centuries old fiddle tunes along with them, since every one of these ships had a fiddler on board (or 2). Some mandolin players too.