Boys Of School Hill

hornpipe

Key signature: Dmajor

Submitted on February 3rd 2006 by lazyhound.

This tune has been added to 16 tunebooks.

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

Boys of School Hill

A Sussex version of The Boys of Blue Hill. Frequently played in an English session I go to in Bristol and also occasionally in Irish sessions by players who also go to English sessions.
The composer is unknown. There is a very similar version on http://members.aol.com/lewesarmsfolk/LFTunes.html

# Posted on February 3rd 2006 by lazyhound

It's very similiar to the Boys of Bluehill alright.

# Posted on February 4th 2006 by PaddyCmusic

Boys of Blue Hill

But sufficiently different to enjoy its own slot.

# Posted on February 5th 2006 by lazyhound

Where did this version come from ? The second part is very similar to the Boys of Blue hill & the name almost identical. Could it be that somebody picked both the name and the first part up incorrectly at a noisy session ???!!!

# Posted on February 7th 2006 by Eamonn Croke

Or is this the original English version of the tune?

# Posted on February 7th 2006 by slainte

Boys of School Hill

Slainte, I'll put your question to one of my English folk music friends who is far more knowledgeable on the subject than I am, but I don't expect to see him until next week.

# Posted on February 8th 2006 by lazyhound

Boys of School Hill

I've been digging around in Andrew Kuntz's "the Fiddler's Companion" website http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/index.html, and there is quite a history of The Boys of Bluehill on page
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/BOY_BOZ.htm.
In summary, it looks like the latter tune had North American antecedents dating back to the early 19c before it appeared in the British Isles. I could find no reference to The Boys of School Hill, though.
BTW, The Fiddler's Companion website is well worth bookmarking on your browser.

# Posted on February 8th 2006 by lazyhound

Boys of School Hill

My sources tell me that the name "Boys of School Hill" is somewhat spurious, as is the alleged Sussex origin of the tune. What appears to be nearer the truth is that someone who played the tune at a big session in Sussex got it from an Irish fiddler, but didn't know the name.
Further investigations are afoot ...

# Posted on February 15th 2006 by lazyhound

Dish Buoys of Schuykill hernpipe goesh reeely well wif anudder toon called Kilty's Welding...I herd it once that way, played over in Ballygonefishin by a man maimed...named...Peter O...O'Rower, nah, Peter O'Roar, um, Peter O'Roark...urp, ROARK, ooo, sorry bout that. Seltzer gets the stains out, but not much you ken do for the shtink of it....

Anyway, the maim, um, *name* comes from the Schuykill Ribber near Necrophilia, no, Phillipdelleria, er, Philadelphia over in the States. Dey put buoys in the river to keep the bargers from banging into oil tanks, tanked--I'm tanked--tankers, so this french horn piping two nnnn is about the Schuykill buoys, an no relayshun atall to the other Boys of Blew Mill song....

# Posted on February 15th 2006 by Will CPT

Or maybe this is the Guardian setting....

# Posted on February 15th 2006 by Will CPT

Boys of School Hill

Heh, heh, Will. Wonder what Slainte is going to make of that :-)

# Posted on February 15th 2006 by lazyhound

Unfortunately I don't have much wit....

# Posted on February 15th 2006 by slainte