New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-21

In the episode Will Dc the radsto"
Hobby Horse, which Is not only liters,-
IL q horse Of another color, but Great
ure intimately, IL mysteriously, ssso-
ciated with the ancient religious rites
symbolized In the games which typify
tho naturalization Of the earth. Mr..
Sharp recovered this horse from the
Padstow games. The framework, which
(, large hoop, conceals all OF dancer
except his head, and this Is hidden in a
grotesque parti-colored mask which
would do credit to South Sea Island
er. The photograph reproduced on this
pags makes further description IN
necessary. The horse Is accompanied
by the "club-man," who also wears a
grotesqus mask and carries . club
painted with the colors Of the mask
Around these two dancers the crowd
gathers and sings. After the May song
the horse sinks down with his head on
the ground, the club-man drops on his
knee, puts mis- club on the horses nose
and the crowd chants lugubriously "Oh,
where i, st. George?" Long ago there
used to be q dragon also among the
May Day mummers.
Characters In the Morris.
The Norris dancers, sixteen men,
como into the arena accompanied by
the characters which have been asso-
ciated with the dance for moro than
three centuries. They are the King
and Queen, the Witch and the Fool.
Robin Hood, Maid Marian and Friar
Tuck have no part in the Padstow cere-
mony. The King and Queen are Dig
nified in bearing and department, the
former being in military dress and car
rying a sword, the latter represented
by q man wearing the garb of court
lady OF the period, with some extrava-
CANT touches. The Fool has a pork
pie hat covered with flowers and festh-
crs, a tunic Of gaudy stuff, buckskin
breeches, stockings OF odd colors and
bells bound around the ankles. His
wand, instead of the head Of the court
fools bauble, has bladder fastened
TO II at one end and fox's tail to the
other. The Witch Is a man with a
blsckened face; wears bedraggled
woman's garments and carries . short
broom. The music Of the episode Is
the Derbyshire Cor Winster) Process
sional Dance and the Derbyshire win
ster) Morris Reel. Country dances
will follow the Morris
The Music of the Interlude.
Through the courtesy of Mr.. Sharp
and the H. W. Gray Company, the
melodies Of the Tideswell Professional,
May-pole Dance and the Morris Dance
are printed on this page. Also "Sellen-
gers Round" in the setting made for
the virginia. (the pisnoforte Of the
period, In tho latter part Of the six
teenth century by William Byrd. Sir
John Hawkins, the musical historian,
thought it the oldest country-dsnce
tune extant" in his day. Chappell says:
at is difficult TO say from whence 1t
derived its name. IL might be from
/ sir Thomas Sellynger,' who was buried
in St. Georges Chapel, Windsor. before
the year 1745, as appears from a brass
/ plate there; or from Sir Antony St
Leger, whom Henry VIII appointed
Lord Deputy Of Ireland In 1910. In
'Bacchus' Bountie' 1899 We find this
passage; while thus they tippled the
( fiddler he fddled, and the pots danced
/ for JOY the old hop-sbout commonly
called Sellengar's Round" In Mid
dleton's Father Hubbsrd's Tales"
| 5000 IL is associated with may-pole
dances: "Do but imagine now what q
sad Christmas we all kept in the coun-
try, without either carols, wsssail
bowls, dancing Of Sellenger's Round in
moonshine nights about May-poles
shoeing the mare, hoodman blind, hot
cookies or any of our Christmas gam
bols." It was also called "Ths Begin
ming Of the World" for a reason not
vet discovered. Byrd's arrangement OF
the tune was found in the Fitzwilliam
manuscript, long supposed to have be-
longed to the Virgin Queen, and there
fore called Queen Elizabeth's Virginia.
Book" Chappell, who transcribed and
printed it, observes: at is curious to
see how he Byrd has filled up the
harmony by an inner part that seems
intended 10 initiate the prsncing Of the
hobby-horse."
Gathering Pesscods" Is an old tune,
Of which the original words have not
been discovered, neither It's origin. It
i, contained in all editions Of "The
Dancing Master" from 1850 to 1890.
The Tideswell Professional Morris, the
Derbyshire Morris and Derbyshire Reel
were noted by Mr.. Sharp at Tideswell
and Winster, and are published as
pianoforte solos by NoveIlo Co.,
London, and the H. W. Gray Company,
New York.
In olden days music for the dane.
was played upon the pipe and tabor,
but these instruments and the art OF
plaving upon them have fallen into
decay. Though they fell into disuse
less than a generation ago, Mr. Sharp,
who has a fine old specimen OF eacn'
says that he saw and heard them