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The Stage hornpipe

By James Hill

Also known as Coleman’s Hornpipe #1, Cumann .na .tSúgairí, Cumann Na Sugairead, Cumann Na Súgairí, Merrymaker’s Club, The Merrymaker’s Club, The Merrymakers Club, The Norfolk, The Omnibus, The Swaggerers’ Club.

There are 22 recordings of this tune.

This tune has been recorded together with

The Stage appears in 2 other tune collections.

The Stage has been added to 2 tune sets.

The Stage has been added to 84 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Six settings

1
X: 1
T: The Stage
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:BGFG (3EFG DB,|G,B,DG cBAG|AGAB cBcB|(3ABA (3GFE (3DED (3CB,A,|
G,B,DG cBcd|edef ga (3gfe|d<b c<a B<g A<f|1 ecAF G3A:|2 ecAF G2 (3def||
|:ga (3gfe dgbd|ceac Bdg2|dBG2 (3gfg ag|fgef defd|
ga (3gfe dgbd|ceac Bdg2|(3gag (3fgf egfg|1 ecAF G2 (3def:|2 ecAF G4||
2
X: 2
T: The Stage
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:(3def|gage dgbd|cfac Bdgd|BGdB cAag|(3fgf (3efe defd|
gage dgbd|cfac Bdgf|(3efg db caBg|ecAF G2:|
|:dc|BGFG EGDG|B,DGB cBAG|AEAB cBAG|AGFE DCB,A,|
G,B,DG BdcB|cdef gfge|dbca Bgfg|ecAF G2:|
3
X: 3
T: The Stage
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:(3def|g>ag>e d>gb>d|c>fa>c B>dg>d|B>Gd>B c>Aa>g|(3fgf (3efe d>ef>d|
g>ag>e d>gb>d|c>fa>c B>dg>d|B>gf>g e>cA>F|G2 G2 G2:|
|:d>c|B>GF>G E>GD>G|B,>DG>B c>BA>G|A>^GA>B c>BA>G|(3GBG (3FGE (3DEC (3B,CA,|
G,>B,D>G B>dc>B|c>de>f g>fg>e|d>bc>a e>cA>F|G2 G2 G2:|
4
X: 4
T: The Stage
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:G>A|B>GF>G (3EFG D>B|G>FG>B c>BA>E|A>^GA>B c2 c>B|A>G (3GFE D2 (3dcB|
A>^GA>B c2 (3Bcd|e>de>f g2 (3gfe|d>bA>a G>gf>g|e>cA>F G2:|
|:(3def|g>a (3gfe d>gb>d|^c>ea>=c B>dg>d|B>GD>B c>Aa>g|f>gf>e d>ef>a|
g>a (3gfe d>g b2|^c>e a2 B>d g2|(3gag f>g e2 (3gfg|e>cA>F G2:|
5
X: 5
T: The Stage
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
|:(3def|g2 g>e d>gb>d|c>ea>c b>dg>d|b>g (3ggg f>ga>g|f>gf>e d>e (3fed|
g>a (3gfe d2 b>d|c>ea>c (3bcd g>d|e>g (3ggg d>g (3ggg|e>c (3AGF G2:|
|:A2|B>G (3GGG D>GD>B,|G,2 (3GAB c>BA>^G|A2 A>B c2 (3BAG|(3ABA (3GFE D2 (3CB,A,|
G,>B,D>F B>dG>d|c>Bc>d e2 (3gfe|d>bc>a B>g (3ggg|e>cA>F G2:|
6
X: 6
T: The Stage
R: hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
A|:BGFG (3EFG (3DB,A,|G,B,DB cBAE|A^GAB cBcB|(3AGF (3GFE (3DCB, (3CB,A,|
G,B,DB cBcd|~e3f ga (3gfe|db ca Bg Af|1 ecAF G2zA:|2 ecAF G2 (3def||
|:ga (3gfe dgbc|Bcac Bdgd|"1"(3gag (3gfg egfg|fgfe defd|
ga (3gfe dgbd|ceac Bdgd|(3gag (3fgf egfg|1 ecAF G2 (3def:|2 ecAF G3||
P: Variation
"1"BGDz (3cBA ag|

Ten comments

Another version of The Stage Hornpipe is to be found in Norbeck’s collection, with a note that it is from a performance by Paddy Glackin. This posted version however is from an old collection which I am unable to identify. A feature of this version is the unusual succession of four Scottish snaps in the 7th bar of part A.

trevor

Stage Hornpipe

James Kelly has a great solo version of this on the LP/CD “Is It Yourself”, although he has a job getting it started! One of my favourite Irish albums of all time.

Posted by .

The Omnibus

Apparently this was written by James Hill and entitled “The Omnibus”. The original version is not much different, except that the parts are swapped:

X:1
T:The Omnibus
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:hornpipe
K:Gmaj
|:(3def|gage dgbd|cfac Bdgd|BGdB cAag|(3fgf (3efe defd|
gage dgbd|cfac Bdgf|(3efg db caBg|ecAF G2:|
|:dc|BGFG EGDG|B,DGB cBAG|AEAB cBAG|AGFE DCB,A,|
G,B,DG BdcB|cdef gfge|dbca Bgfg|ecAF G2:|

For another version, see “Kielder Jock’s” https://thesession.org/tunes/2019.

“The Omnibus” ~ by James Hill / “The Norfolk Hornpipe”

“The Norfolk Hornpipe” as played by Tommy Peoples

He takes it in the same order and not far from the transcription given by Dow just previously. A transcription and recording of him playing this can be found here:

“Fifty Irish Fiddle Tunes”
Arranged and Played by Tommy Peoples
Soodlum’s / Walton’s, Dublin, 1986

“The Merrymaker’s Club” ~ “O’Neill’s Music of Ireland”, 1903 #1775

Courtesy of “The Fiddlers Companion”

“Source for notated version: Chicago Police Sergeant James O’Neill, a fiddler originally from County Down and transcriber for many of Francis O’Neill’s tunes [O’Neill].”

X: 1
T: The Merrymaker’s Club
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: Hornpipe
K: G Major
|: (3def |
g>ag>e d>gb>d | c>fa>c B>dg>d | B>Gd>B c>Aa>g | (3fgf (3efe d>ef>d |
g>ag>e d>gb>d | c>fa>c B>dg>d | B>gf>g e>cA>F | G2 G2 G2 :|
|: d>c |
B>GF>G E>GD>G | B,>DG>B c>BA>G | A>^GA>B c>BA>G | (3GBG (3FGE (3DEC (3B,CA, |
G,>B,D>G B>dc>B | c>de>f g>fg>e | d>bc>a e>cA>F | G2 G2 G2 :|

X: 2
T: The Merrymaker’s Club
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: Hornpipe
K: G Major
|: (3def |
gage dgbd | cfac Bdgd | BGdB cAag | (3fgf (3efe defd |
gage dgbd | cfac Bdgd | Bgfg ecAF | G2 G2 G2 :|
|: dc |
BGFG EGG | B,DGB cBAG | A^GAB cBAG | (3GBG (3FGE (3DEC (3B,CA, |
G,B,DG BdcB | cdef gfge | dbca ecAF | G2 G2 G2 :|

“The Stage Hornpipe” ~ courtesy of “The Fiddlers Companion”

“The Fiddler’s Companion” ~ Andrew Kuntz
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/

STAGE HORNPIPE [1], THE. AKA and see “Kielder Jock’s,” “The Merrymaker’s Club,” “The Norfolk Hornpipe” [2],“ “The Omnibus.” Irish, Hornpipe. G Major. Standard. AABB.

The melody was composed as “The Omnibus” by the 19th century Tyneside fiddler-composer James Hill, famous for his hornpipe compositions. “The Stage” was published in the Newcastle Courant in 1882.

Stage hornpipes were danced on stage for some one hundred and fifty years, although their heydey was in the latter half of the 18th century when several performers made their reputations dancing various hornpipes. They were still regularly performed between acts in plays as late as 1840 or 1850 (Kidson). A distanced version of Hill’s “Stage Hornpipe” tune was recorded in New York 1927 by the renowned County Sligo fiddler Michael Coleman (1891-1945), paired with “The Western Hornpipe.” Coleman was an accomplished step dancer as well as a master fiddler and actually danced a stage hornpipe in the 1920’s while simultaneously playing the instrument, when he was hired as an entertainer on a tour of Keith’s Theaters.

“Music of Ireland, Volume Two” Bulmer & Sharpley

Compiled by D. Bulmer & N. Sharpley, 1974
ISBN 0-9503784-10
Page 14, #49 ~ the following is based on that transcription with a few changes to offer some variations…

X: 1134
T: “The Stage Hornpipe”
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: Hornpipe
K: G Major
|: G>A |
B>GF>G (3EFG D>B | G>FG>B c>BA>E | A>^GA>B c2 c>B | A>G (3GFE D2 (3dcB |
A>^GA>B c2 (3Bcd | e>de>f g2 (3gfe | d>bA>a G>gf>g | e>cA>F G2 :|
|: (3def |
g>a (3gfe d>gb>d | ^c>ea>=c B>dg>d | B>GD>B c>Aa>g | f>gf>e d>ef>a |
g>a (3gfe d>g b2 | ^c>e a2 B>d g2 | (3gag f>g e2 (3gfg | e>cA>F G2 :|

😏 ~ a few bits loosely influenced by the playing of Tommy Peoples

X: 1134
T: The Omnibus
T: The Stage
T: The Merrymaker’s Club
T: Cumann Na Sugairead
T: The Norfolk Hornpipe
C: James Hill
R: Hornpipe
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: G Major
|: (3def |
g2 g>e d>gb>d | c>ea>c b>dg>d | b>g (3ggg f>ga>g | f>gf>e d>e (3fed |
g>a (3gfe d2 b>d | c>ea>c (3bcd g>d | e>g (3ggg d>g (3ggg | e>c (3AGF G2 :|
|: A2 |
B>G (3GGG D>GD>B, | G,2 (3GAB c>BA>^G | A2 A>B c2 (3BAG | (3ABA (3GFE D2 (3CB,A, |
G,>B,D>F B>dG>d | c>Bc>d e2 (3gfe | d>bc>a B>g (3ggg | e>cA>F G2 :|

The Stage

X:6 from Michael Coleman, who popularized this tune.

Re: The Stage

Cumann na Súgairí or “The Club for Merrymakers” might have been location of “The Stage” in question. The word Súgaire pronounced “soogareh” is the origin of the Anglo Gaelic slang word “swagger.” In Irish, the word means “a droll person, merry and tipsy.” Cumann na tSúgairí might be more correct.