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"Derby Hornpipe" is an American hornpipe in G Major. The parts are played AABB.
The name Derby is Danish in origin, stemming from the Anglo-Saxon invasions of the Dark Ages, and means 'deer village', perhaps for the herds of deer found there. The title probably refers to the ‘derby hat’, the American name for the bowler hat (from hat makers Thomas and William Bowler) or coke hat, first produced in England in 1849. It was ubiquitous in the Victorian era, particularly with the working classes. The melody appears in Ryan's Mammoth Collection under the title "Belle of the Ball". It was also printed in Cole's 1000 Fiddle Tunes (1940). |