Echoing Horn, The

DESCRIPTION: At the dawn of day the echoing horn calls to the foxhunt; the fox breaks, the dogs chase, the horses leap fences and stiles. When the fox is killed, the hunters take his brush, then go home and drink while their wives give great delight
AUTHOR: unknown, possibly Thomas Arne
EARLIEST DATE: 1798 (The American Musical Miscellany) (Source; Lawrence-MusicForPatriotsPoliticiansAndPresidents)
KEYWORDS: sex death hunting sports nonballad animal dog wife
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames, p. 60, "When Morning Stands on Tiptoe" (1 text) (also Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Gl 67)
Kennedy-FolksongsOfBritainAndIreland 246, "The E-choin' Horn" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lawrence-MusicForPatriotsPoliticiansAndPresidents, p. 55, "The Echoing Horn" (a copy of the 1798 American Musical Miscellany text)
Roud #878
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Bold Reynard ('A Good Many Gentlemen')" (theme)
cf. "Bold Reynard the Fox (Tallyho! Hark! Away!)" (theme)
cf. "Joe Bowman" (theme)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Glittering Dewdrops
When Morning Stands on Tiptoe
NOTES [150 words]: In some versions, including "Glittering Dewdrops," the animal being hunted is a hare. Kennedy-FolksongsOfBritainAndIreland notes a song "with the same title" being sung in Thomas Arne's operetta "Thomas and Sally," 1761, but without seeing the text I'm not willing to cite this as earliest date, although this song certainly has a composed air about it. - PJS
Kennedy, p. 579, says the Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames text of "The Morning Was Charming" is the same song as his "The E-choin' Horn." I don't see any similarity. The other text that Kennedy groups here is "The Glittering Dewdrops." Judging by the CD George Townshend, "Come Hand to Me the Glass" Musical Traditions MT CD 304 text for "The Echoing Horn"("The Glittering Dewdrops"), that could be considered the same song as Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames. The texts share lines and both seem to be about hare rather than fox. - BS
Last updated in version 3.5
File: K246

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