Ball and Pin

BALL AND PIN HORNPIPE. AKA and see "Ariel Hornpipe," "McCuskers' Delight." American?, Hornpipe. A Major. Standard tuning. AABB (Cole, Miller, Ryan): AABB' (Cranford/Holland). There is some speculation the title may have been the name of a pub in London, although both pub and tune may simply have their names inspired by the activity of bowling. The hornpipe has some interesting international connections, although its dissemination seems too recent to call it an "international melody" at present. Still, it has been rendered by old-time, bluegrass, Irish, and Cape Breton fiddlers. R.P. Christeson's (1973, p. 30) notation of a Bob Walter's (Burt County, Nebraska) tune, entered as "Breakdown #40," is a modification of this tune with an added third part. The "Ariel Hornpipe," also published in Ryan's Mammoth Collection (1883), is the same tune with different endings. Perhaps the earliest recording is from 1904 by violinist Charles D'Alamaine, born in 1871 in England, who died in 1943. D'Alamaine emmigrated to the United States in 1888, and by 1890 had established himself as "instructor on violin" in Evanston, Illinois; by 1910 he had removed to Yonkers, and in 1920 was a chiropractor in New York City (info. from Paul Gifford). See also Kenny Baker's bluegrass version, which he called "Ball and Chain Hornpipe." See also the version from the McCusker Brothers Ceili Band, "McCuskers' Delight."

Source for notated version: Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland (1955-2009), who learned the tune in Boston, from his father [Cranford].

Printed sources: Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 98. Cranford (Jerry Holland: The Second Collection), 2000; No. 20, pg. 9. Miller (Fiddler's Throne), 2004; No. 274, pg. 165. Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 133.

Recorded sources: Green Linnet SIF 3046, Skylark - "All of It" (1989), learned from Rose and Pat McKenna.

See also listings at:
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index [1]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [2]

X:1
T:Ball and Pin
M:2/4
L:1/8
R:Hornpipe
S:Ryan's Mammoth Collection (1883)
Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion
K:A
A,/C/E/A/ c(B/A/) | B/E/G/B/ d(c/B/) | c/A/e/A/ a/e/c/A/|B/c/d/B/ A/G/F/E/| 
A,/C/E/A/ c(B/A/) | B/E/G/B/ d(c/B/) | c/e/A/c/ B/A/G/B/|AaA:| 
|:(3e/f/g/|a/e/c/e/ a(g/a/)|f/d/B/d/ f(e/d/)|c/A/e/A/ a/e/c/A/|B/c/d/B/ A/G/F/E/|
a/e/c/e/ a(g/a/)|f/d/B/d/ f(e/d/)|c/A/e/c/ d/B/G/B/|AaA :||

X:2
T:Untitled Breakdown
M:2/4
L:1/8
S:Bob Walter (Nebraska)
S:Christeson - Old Time Fiddler's Repertory, vol. 1, No. 40  (1973)
Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion
K:A
E/F/|AA/B/ c/B/c/d/|ea/f/ e/d/c/A/|B/c/d/B/ G/A/B/G/|A/B/c/d/ ea/a/|
AA/B/ c/B/c/d/|ea/f/ e/d/c/A/|B/c/d/B/ G/A/B/G/|A/c/B/G/ A||
f/g/|a/e/c/e/ aa|f/e/c/e/ f/e/c/A/|d/e/f/e/ d/c/B/A/|G/A/B/c/ Be|
a/e/c/e/ aa/e/|f/e/c/e/ f/e/c/A/|d/e/f/e/ d/c/B/A/|G/A/B/G/ A||
A,|A,/C/E/A/ cB/A/|G/A/B/c/ dc/B/|c/e/c/A/ B/A/G/B/|A/G/A/c/ B/A/E/C/|
A,/C/E/A/ cB/A/|G/A/B/c/ dc/B/|c/e/c/A/ B/A/G/B/|AaA:||