Hornpipe

[1] Movements were those familiar to sailors of that time: "looking out to sea" with the right hand to the forehead, then the left, lurching as in heavy weather, and giving the occasional rhythmic tug to their breeches both fore and aft.

Examples, current in Northumberland, of all these kinds of hornpipe may be found, either recorded or notated, on the FARNE archive website [1][usurped].

The earliest musician's manuscript to contain hornpipes is the Henry Atkinson MS (a Facsimile of which may be found at FARNE).

This draws heavily on Thomas Marsden's Original Lancashire Hornpipes, Old and New, published by Henry Playford in 1705, as well as other sources.

Many country dance examples are found in The Dancing Master, such as "The Hole in the Wall" (Hornpipe No.8 from the incidental music to Abdelazer by Henry Purcell), and there are also extant notated theatrical and ball choreographies that use steps from French court ballet, but which characteristically have some step-units going across the measure.