Saturday 4 January 2020
Tune of the Day: Astley's Hornpipe
Traditional English tune
This very popular hornpipe is found in a large number of English printed and manuscript collections. The earliest appearance seems to be in the 5th volume of Thompson's Compleat Collection of 200 Fashionable Country Dances, published in 1788.
The title probably refers to Sergeant-Major Philip Astley, credited with creating the first circus in London in the second half of the 18th century and regarded by many as the “father of the modern circus”.