Annotation:Waterman's Hornpipe (The)
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WATERMAN'S HORNPIPE, THE. Shetland (5/2, 2/2, 3/2 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). The rhythm was transcribed by the collector Pat Shuldham-Shaw beginning in 5/2 time, collected in 1947 from the playing of Shetland fiddler John Stickle (1875-1957). Interestingly, "waterboy" and "waterman" are names for fairy spirits in Germany, the country of origin of John's fiddling grandfather Fredemann Stickle who was shipwrecked in the Shetlands and decided to settle there; of course, the Shetland Islands have numerous associations with the sea and seafaring apart from this. It was thought the tune was of Norse and/or Scottish origins, but Pat Shuldham-Shaw writes:
Norwegian experts say it does not have any strikingly Norse characteristics; nor does it seem Scottish. John Stickle knew little about its origin. To him it was simply an old tune (and one he was not particularly fond of) that "Uncle Freddie" used to play. He always played it as given here and stopped. (Most tunes he would play over and over again without a break.) No-one seems to know on what occasion it was played, whether there was a dance to it or not, so failing further evidence its origin must remain a mystery.
See also Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (1963 p. 133, No. 24, and p. 142, No. 30), and see Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (1947, p. 80, No. 34).
Source for notated version: John Stickle (1875-1957) [Shuldham-Shaw].
Printed sources:
Pat Shuldham-Shaw, "A Shetland Fiddler and His Repertoire: John Stickle, 1875–1957", Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, vol. 9, no. 3, Dec. 1962; p. 133.
Recorded sources: Folktrax FTX-068, John Stickle - "Da Mirrie Boys: Shetland Fiddle Music" (Various artists. From Pat Shaw's 1947 field recording). Topic 12TS431, "Brass Monkey" (1983). Topic TSCD467, "The Complete Brass Monkey."