Friday 9 November 2018
Tune of the Day: Leap Over the Garter
Traditional country dance tune
This country dance tune was first published in John Watlen's Celebrated Circus Tunes (Edinburgh, 1791), a volume that references Edinburgh's Royal Circus, an extension of Phillip Astley's London-based Royal Circus. It is one of several tunes in the volume that Watlen associates with the performances of John Bill Ricketts, an equestrian performer.
The title “Leap Over the Garter” probably refers to an equestrian circus trick where a rider standing on a horse leaps over a string or garter, while the horse passes under it, to then land back atop of the horse.