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Fiddler in Thomas Hardy Drama Festival, Dorchester
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Fiddler in Thomas Hardy Drama Festival, Dorchester
At the Thomas Hardy Drama Festival in Dorchester, Dorset, Henry Bailey, the old fiddler, played the College Hornpipe in the play The Three Wayfarers. He was 75 years of age and one of the last of the old fiddlers who used to travel from one village to another playing at fairs and merrymakings. The famous old Corn Exchange saw the fourth production of a Hardy play acted by Thomas Hardys fellow townsmen, dramatised by the novelist himself. It was reported at the time that the men who were to play in The Three Wayfarers and The Distracted Preacher stood at their shop doors all afternoon, with fitful glances every now and then at The Corn Exchange clock, as if impatient for it to point to the hour of the dress rehearsal. The old Kings Head Hotel, which features in The Mayor of Casterbridge, had for days been filling up with visitors.
circa 1911
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Media ID 7243625
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10573851
Bailey Barrel College Dorchester Dorset Drama Elderly Fairs Festival Fiddle Fiddler Hardy Hornpipe Instrument Smock Violin Violinist Wessex Fiddlers Musical Wayfarers
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EDITORS COMMENTS
In this evocative photograph from the Thomas Hardy Drama Festival in Dorchester, Dorset, taken around 1911, we see Henry Bailey, an elderly fiddler, deeply engrossed in playing the College Hornpipe on his violin during the production of The Three Wayfarers. The scene unfolds at the historic Corn Exchange, which had previously hosted four Hardy plays performed by the author's fellow townsmen, who were known for their strong connection to the Wessex region. Henry Bailey, at 75 years of age, was one of the last surviving old fiddlers who had once traveled from one village to another, playing at fairs and merrymakings. His weathered face, creased with the passage of time, exudes a sense of wisdom and experience as he sits in a worn, wooden chair, his violin nestled in his lap. The room is filled with the warm, rich tones of his music, transporting us back to a simpler time in rural England. The old Kings Head Hotel, a well-known landmark in Dorchester and a feature in Thomas Hardy's novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge, had been bustling with visitors for days, adding to the excitement and anticipation of the festival. The men who were to play in The Three Wayfarers and The Distracted Preacher stood eagerly at their shop doors, glancing frequently at the clock on the Corn Exchange, impatient for the hour of the dress rehearsal to arrive. This photograph captures a moment in time, a snapshot of a bygone era, and serves as a poignant reminder of the rich cultural heritage that continues to thrive in the heart of Dorset.
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