Author: John Chivers via YouTube
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My arrangement and recording of a couple of traditional English hornpipes, Astley’s Hornpipe and Astley’s Flag – also known respectively as Ashley’s Hornpipe and Astley’s Flag.
The hornpipe is a folk tune and dance strongly associated with naval traditions and is often danced by naval display teams, though in this case, the Astley in question appears to be Sergeant Major Philip Astley.
Of course, this is inspired musically by Mike Oldfield’s treatment of similar music forms, taking similar traditional music and arranging it in a modern form, such as he did with the tunes The Sailor’s Hornpipe (at the end of Tubular Bells side 2), Portsmouth, and Barnacle Bill (the theme from Blue Peter). I use the same synth sound Oldfield frequently used for the first part of my arrangement – the Roland SH-2000.
Recorded in Cubase Artist 11 using a combination of virtual instruments, including the excellent Superior Drummer 3, triggered using the Alesis Crimson 2 electric drum kit, along with various bits of percussion.
My late paternal grandfather, Frederick Chivers (in the colourised video cover photo), served 25 years in the Royal Navy at the close of the 19th and start of the 20th century, through to the early 1920s, and then a further six years in the Royal Navy Reserve, and despite my being born about as far as possible in the England from the sea, I always feel a strong connection to the sea and appreciate the very crucial role those who have served in the "Senior Service" have played, including of course, my grandfather, whom I never met, so I’ll consider this a bit of a nod in acknowledgement to him.
Sea sounds: https://freesound.org/people/juskiddink/sounds/149488/