Annotation:Red Petticoat Hornpipe (The)

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RED PETTICOAT HORNPIPE. AKA - "Red Pettycoat Hornpipe." English, Hornpipe. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The tune is said to have been published Wragg's Flute Preceptor (1806), but in a review of that publication it could not be found (however it was published repeatedly--eighteen editions or more--and may well be contained in an unreviewed edition). It also can be found in the Hardy Family Manuscripts in Geminiani's Violin Tutor (Francesco Geminiani's {1687-1762} The Entire New and Compleat Tutor for the Violin was the primary text for learning the instrument for much of the 18th century, however, the tune does not appear in the version published in 1778 by John Preston, which appears to be Geminiani's basic tutorial to which is appended a selection country dance tunes popular in that year). In addition to the early 19th century Hardy family manuscripts (Dorset), the tune can be found in the music manuscripts of John Clare (Helpstone, Northants, 1820) and William Brown (Romford, Essex, 1797).

Eighteenth century petticoats were meant to be seen as most gowns were open-fronted robes needing the addition of the petticoat to fill the gap. They were often elaborately embroidered.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Callaghan (Hardcore English), 2007; p. 23. Trim (The Musical Legacy of Thomas Hardy), 1990; No. 92.

Recorded sources:

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