The One O'Clock Canon

A 64 bar Reel for a 4-couple longwise set, each couple starting after 32 bars.

Music: 5x32 Reel

Music: The One O'Clock Cannon. (abc version).

This has now been recorded by Roy Hendrie on the Highlander Music label - HRMCD011.

Note: each couple has 64 bars as dancing couple. However, the second couple starts after 32 bars, so there are two dancing couples at once. Hence the music is a 5x32 bar Reel.

	1-8:	1st couple cross over RH, cast off two places, cross over RH and cast up to 2nd place. 2nd couple step up on bars 3 & 4.
	9-16:	1st couple dance right hands across across with the couple at the end, then left hands across with the couple in the middle.
	17-24:	All dance reels of four on own sides.
	25-26:	1st couple turn the end person once round giving right hands (this is continuing the path of the reel, but nippy since you have to do a full turn in 2 bars).
	27-30:	1st couple dance left hands across with the couple below them (NB this is across the music).
	31-32:	1st couple cast off one place to 3rd place. (See Note)
At this point 2nd couple start the dance from the top _while_ 1st couple continue as follows:
	33-40:	1st couple dance rights and lefts with 4th couple. Note the new 1st couple (old 2nd couple) will be crossing over through the middle of the rights and lefts on bars 5 & 6 of the phrase.
	41-48:	1st couple dance right hands across with the couple at the end, then left hands across with the couple in the middle (now the new 1st couple).
	49-56:	All dance reels of four on own sides.
	57-58:	1st couple turn the end person once round giving right hands (this is continuing the path of the reel, but nippy since you have to do a full turn in 2 bars).
	59-62:	1st couple dance left hands across with the couple above them (NB this is across the music).
	63-64:	1st couple cast off one place to 4th place. (See Note)

Note: On bars 31-32, 3rd couple dance up to 2nd place giving nearer hands. On bars 63-64, 95-96 and 127-128 4th couple dance up to 2nd place giving nearer hands. On bars 159-160 4th couple dance up to 3rd place giving nearer hands.

Devised by Ian Brockbank and published in Dunedin Dances 4.

Caroline suggested writing a dance which was a canon, and this is what I came up with. The 'One O'Clock Gun' can be heard daily at 1pm in Edinburgh, when a gun is fired from the castle. The music is my first (and so far only) sojourn into the world of composition.

I didn't realise until the first time I danced it quite how crucial the reel of four is in allowing everyone 8 bars to find themselves again.

If you try this dance, please let me know how you get on.

---

Return to the index. | The Grand Chain homepage

Page last modified 31-03-04 .

---

Except where otherwise indicated, all content on this site (including text, images, dance descriptions and any other original work) is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

This page is maintained by Ian Brockbank
ian@scottishdance.net
Edinburgh, Scotland