Hindringham

Part 6 in the Evergreen Band series of copyable band and piano parts: 10 old Norfolk tunes from the playing of Ina Howard & Lotte Thompson of Hindringham

Lotte Thompson

Lotte's mother Angelina Howell (1867-1948) and grandmother Elizabeth Long, néé Allison (1844-1923) were stepdancers and many members of her family were musicians, so she and her sisters were steeped in the old dances of the area, even though Lotte was not born until 1904. These dances were done at Harvest Frolics, Quoits matches, Socials and family get togethers.
Quoits matches were held on summer Saturdays and it was customary for dancing to follow the match, visiting teams often bringing their own musicians. They finished in the 1930's.
Lotte said of the Step Dance: 'In this dance two people would start by stepping to each other, then they would link arms and change places making taps as they went, and start again. The music told you when to change.'
After the harvest was gathered in there was a village celebration in a barn involving bread and cheese for all, beer for the men and ginger beer or lime juice for the women and children. The dances such as the Hindringham Long Dance, Sir Roger de Coverley and various Polkas and Schottisches followed with music provided by fiddle and melodeon. This went on until shortly before the First World War. Women were not generally seen in public houses and it may be that Angelina Howell and her daughter, in ignoring accepted behaviour, prolonged the life of these dances in Hindringham.

Ina Howard

Ina, born in 1914, was related to Lotte through their grandmothers. Her father Dick Temple played melodeon for all the dancing at the Red Lion and the Duke's Head (both pubs in Hindringham). He knew the favourite tunes of the stepdancers too as they all wanted their 'own' tunes played. She succeeded her father in playing melodeon for dancing in the local pubs, but later discarded the melodeon and took up the piano accordion. She played occasionally in a band which included violin, trumpet, drums and piano and eventually had a band of her own.
In 1968 the vicar tried to revive the old dances at an Easter Social and Ina played for that. It was not a success as the younger people did not know the dances and would not listen to the older generation who did.

Download Music Files

Click on either member of the pairs of tunes below and choose to save the zip file from the menu that will appear.
Since each file consists of this pair of tunes, it doesn't matter which member of the pair you pick, as they both link to the same file.