Hull's Victory

Commemorates a naval victory in the War of 1812--the defeat of the H.M.S. Guerriere by the U.S.S. Constitution under the command of Isaac Hull on August 19, 1812.
Usually danced to the tune of the the same name

Duple and proper

Tune (abc with embedded MIDI)
MIDI file
Quicktime file (Quicktime MIDI audio; MoviePlayer)
About dance sources and tune formats on the Web.

Hetzler's Fakebook has a description of the historical background, and a nice MIDI version of the tune.


Alternate versions

The version above represents the dance as now commonly danced. However, the quick four-count allemandes and the partner swing in the A section are presumably recent developments. See Road to Californy for a similar evolution of a modern version from an older version. Page (1984) mentions a (presumably earlier) version with 8-beat allemandes and no swing. The use of the halfway allemande in A2 makes an interesting variation in the balancing line. Page reports that it was danced this way in New Hampshire until the early 1900's and at the time of his writing was still danced that way in Washington Country, VT. "I sort of like that version and wish it had lasted," Page says.

Elmwell (1892) gives the following version, which corresponds to Page's Washington County version (1 bar = 2 beats):

The description of Hull's Victory from Elias Howe's American Dancing Master (1862) also appears to be this version:
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