The Sailor's Hornpipe (also known as The College Hornpipe and Jack's the Lad)is a traditional hornpipe melody and linked dance with origins in the Royal Navy.
The tune was first printed as the "College Hornpipe" in 1797 or 1798 by J. Dale of London. However, versions of the tune are found in earlier manuscript collections - for example, a syncopated version in the William Vickers manuscript, written on Tyneside, dated 1770.
The hornpipe dance imitates the life of sailors and their duties aboard ship. Due to the small space that the dance required, and no need for a partner, the dance was popular on-board ship.
Samuel Pepys referred to the dance in his diary as "The Jig of the Ship" and Captain Cook, who took a piper on at least one voyage, is noted to have ordered his men to dance the hornpipe in order to keep them in good health. The dance on-ship became less common when fiddlers ceased to be included in ships' crew members.
5 окт 2023
