Annotation:Mrs. Hill's Dance

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MRS. HILL'S DANCE. English, Country Dance Tune (6/8 time). G Minor. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. The melody dates to 1710 when it was published by John Walsh in the 2nd Book of his New Country Dancing Master (London). Barnes (English Country Dance Tunes), 1986. Walsh also included it in his 1719 edition, called Second Book of the Compleat Country Dancing-Master. The melody was picked up by John Young, heir to the Playford music publishing concerns, and was printed in all four editions of the Second Volume of The Dancing Master, or Directions for Dancing Country Dances [1] (1710-1728).

According to Highfill, Burnin and Langhans' A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Volume 7, Habgood to Houbert (1982) there were two singers, actresses and dancers on the London stage by the name of Mrs. Hill in the early 18th century (one a former "Miss Anderson", known as Hill after her marriage), although both of them appear to have started their careers (at least as recorded in the periodicals of the time) in the 1720's. Since both Walsh and Young published the tune as "Mrs. Hill" at least a decade previous, it is not known if either of these 'Mrs. Hill' performers is the one referenced by the title.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Barnes (English Country Dance Tunes), 1986. Young (Second Volume of the Dancing Master), c. 1710; No. 185.

Recorded sources:

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