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Fiddle Tune a Day

May 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Last October, I was inspired to make a go at the National Fiddle Contest in Weiser, ID. I haven’t been to Weiser since 2002, and if I’m going to make the trek, I want to make it worth my while.

So, I started thinking about what can I do to make sure that I am prepared for the contest when I go. I could prepare my rounds ahead of time. I can get my body in good condition. I really need to practice daily, and, I can have some top notch fiddlers coach me along the way.

From my need to practice daily, and my habit of not practicing daily came my inspiration for fiddle tune a day. I thought it would be a great way to force me to get my fiddle out every day to play. It would stretch my fiddling ability and get me out of my comfort zone by making me learn a few new tunes, AND, it would push me outside of my comfort zone with the public, putting me out in front of the public every day – whether I feel good or not, whether I want to or not, and whether I was happy with my playing or not.

In December I committed to take on the Fiddle Tune a Day project, and January 1 seemed like a great day to start. So, for the year of 2012, I will be posting a new fiddle tune online on youtube, and on my website right here. You can also signup to get fiddle tune a day in your email. (In the right hand sidebar.)

There you have it, the story of Fiddle Tune a Day has just begun. Tune in daily and join me in the journey!

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Twinkle Twinkle Little Star – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 131

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Why would I pick Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for Fiddle Tune a Day? It’s simple. What is the first tune that most people learn on Fiddle or Violin? I guess it could be Mary Had a Little Lamb, or Hot Cross Buns, maybe even Boil Them Cabbage Down. But, Twinkle Twinkle is THE tune of choice when you think of beginning fiddle or violin.

When I was about 5 years old, my dad asked me what instrument I was going to play and I picked the violin. (The question wasn’t “Do you want to play an instrument?”) My parents started me in Suzuki lessons and I lasted about one month. I couldn’t stand the repetition. I had no interest in playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with 1,673 different rhythm patterns. It just wasn’t a good fit for my personality, and my parents could see that so I quit playing for a couple of years.

When I was 7, they added a violin program at the school I went to, and once a week, the violin teacher would come to the school, and we would get to spend an hour with her. It was a great experience for me. I vividly remember when I first met her, and she asked me if I would like to play songs like this, and she played Lightly Row, and I remember thinking, “She’s so good. It would be impossible for me to play like that.” I’m glad I didn’t let that thought keep me from trying.

Playing fiddle has truly opened a world of opportunity for me, and I am so thankful to all of the teachers that have helped me along the way. I am so grateful that I teach myself, and it is my mission to inspire people in and through music.

 

 

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star according to Wikipedia

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” is a popular English lullaby. The lyrics are from an early nineteenth-century English poem, “The Star” by Jane Taylor. The poem, which is in couplet form, was first published in 1806 in Rhymes for the Nursery, a collection of poems by Taylor and her sister Ann. It is sung to the tune of the French melody “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman“, which was published in 1761 and later arranged by Mozart for a famous set of variations.[1] The English lyrics have five stanzas, although only the first is widely known. It has a Roud Folk Song Indexnumber of 7666.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Lyrics

The English lyrics were first published as a poem with the title “The Star” by sisters Ann and Jane Taylor (1783–1824) in Rhymes for the Nursery in London in 1806.[2] The poem was written by Jane.[3]

The Germanian Christmas carol ”Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann”, with words by Hoffmann von Fallersleben, also uses the melody, as does the Hungarian Christmas carol”Hull a pelyhes fehér hó”, the Dutch “Altijd is Kortjakje ziek”, and the Spanish “Campanita del Lugar”.Many songs in various languages have been based on the “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman” melody. In English, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, the “Alphabet Song”, and a variant of it is used for “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep”. It is also the basis of the Scots song Coulter’s Candy.[4]     Appearances of the melody
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveller in the dark.
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.
How I wonder what you are.

Several classical compositions have been inspired by the tune:

  • Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, Variations on “Ah vous dirai-je Maman” in G major (Wf XII: 2) (BR A 45) (1st publ. ca. 1880)
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Variations on “Ah vous dirai-je, Maman” (K. 265 / K. 300e) (1781 or 1782)
  • Franz Joseph Haydn, The Surprise Symphony[5] (1791)
  • Camille Saint-Saëns, Carnival of the Animals (1886), 12th movement (Fossiles) quotes the tune
  • Ernő Dohnányi, Variations on a Nursery Tune, op.25 (1914)
  • Erwin Schulhoff, Ten Variations on ‘Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman’ and Fugue
  • John Corigliano, The Mannheim Rocket
  • Franz Liszt, Album Leaf: “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman” (1833) (S.163b)
  • Theodor von Schacht, 3rd movement (Allegretto con variazioni) of his clarinet concerto in B flat major
  • Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck, Variations and finale for organ on “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman”, op. 90 (pub. 1828)
  • Jean-Baptiste Cardon (1760–1803), Variations for harp on “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman”

First appearances of the melody and the original French text version

The original French rhyme Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman, was far from a children’s rhyme. Apparently it originated in the first half of the 18th century. As there was no published version of the text before 1774, several slightly differing versions of what could have been the “original” version exist:

  • Ah! vous dirai-je Maman?, as published in the early 20th century in a collection of French songs by Jean Gilleguin.
  • Comparing two versions of “La Confidence” with the nursery rhyme version

In these versions a girl confides a secret to her mother: that she has been seduced by “Silvandre”. Only in one version cited above did the girl apparently make a narrow escape (“Je m’échappai par bonheur”),[6] in the other versions the girl appears to have been “beaten” by L’Amour (“Love”).

As for the history of the melody and the non-nursery rhyme version(s) of the French text:[7][8]

  • 1761: first publication of the music (without lyrics) of Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman in “Les Amusements d’une Heure et Demy” by Mr. Bouin (Paris), p. 1.
  • Around 1765, the words and music appear in a manuscript entitled “Recueil de Chansons” under the title “Le Faux Pas”, p. 43.
  • 1774: earliest known printed publication of the lyrics together with the music in volume two of “Recueil de Romances” by M.D.L. (De Lusse) published in Brussels, under the title “La Confidence – Naive” (p. 75).
  • Around 1780 (Paris): the words and music appear in sheet music under the title “Les Amours de Silvandre”.
  • 1785: First publication of Mozart’s Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman variations.

As for the composition date of Mozart’s Variations, for a time the variations were thought to have been composed in 1778, while Mozart stayed in Paris from April to September in that year, the assumption being that the melody of a French song could only have been picked up by Mozart while residing in France. For this presumed composition date, in the chronological catalogue of Mozart’s compositions the composition was renumbered from K. 265 to K. 300e.[8]Later analysis of Mozart’s manuscript of the composition by Wolfgang Plath rather indicated 1781-1782 as the probable composition date.[9]

French “nursery rhyme” version

Origin unknown.

 

French lyrics English translation
A variation
Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman,
Ce qui cause mon tourment.
Papa veut que je demande
De la soupe et de la viande…
Moi, je dis que les bonbons
Valent mieux que les mignons.[10]		 Ah! I will tell you, Mother,
What causes my torment.
Father wants me to ask
For soup and for meat
I say that candy
Is better than (filets) mignons.[10]
Another variation
Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman,
Ce qui cause mon tourment
Papa veut que je retienne
Des verbes la longue antienne[11]…
Moi, je dis que les bonbons
valent mieux que les leçons.		 Ah! I shall tell you, Mother,
What causes my torment.
Father wants me to remember
This catalogue of verbs conjugations[11]
I say that candy
is better than lessons.
A third version
Quand trois poules vont aux champs,
La première va devant.
La deuxième suit la première,
La troisième vient la dernière.
Quand trois poules vont aux champs,
La première va devant.		 When three hens go to the fields,
The first one goes in front.
The second one follows the first one,
The third one comes last.
When three hens go to the fields,
The first one goes in front.

The French “nursery rhyme” version also appears with slight variations:

The lyrics from “The Star” were first published with the tune in The Singing Master: First Class Tune Book in 1838.[3]

Other text versions

Twinkle Twinkle little star (English) Lullaby from the Lullabies of Europe education project

The song is a popular target for parodies. “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat”, is a parody of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” recited by the Hatter during the mad tea-party, in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It reads:

Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you’re at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle—[3]

The Hatter is interrupted in his recitation. “The Bat” was the nickname of Professor Bartholomew Price, one of the Dons at Oxford, a former teacher of Carroll’s and well known to the Liddell family. It is one of the few parodies in the Alice books of which the original is still widely known.

A Latin translation appeared in Mary Mapes Dodge’s When life is young (1894):

Mica, mica, parva stella,
Miror quaenam sis tam bella.
Super terra in caelo,
Alba gemma splendido.
Mica, mica, parva stella,
Miror quaenam sis tam bella.

The Elegants released a single adapted from this song called “Little Star”, which made #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958.

A version using synonyms from Roget’s Thesaurus exists.[12] An anonymous astronomy parody, quoted in Violent Universe by Nigel Calder (BBC, 1969), refers to pulsars and quasars. A different version of this parody attributed toGeorge Gamow and Nigel Calder was published in Galaxies in the Universe: An Introduction by Linda Sparke and John Gallagher (Cambridge University Press, 2000 - ISBN 0-521-59740-4).

The Girl Scouts of the USA placed a full page ad in the March 19th 2006 New York Times containing a version of the rhyme that was “resung by science” as part of their “Girls Go Tech” campaign.

Vashti Bunyan, an English singer-songwriter, composed “Lily Pond” based on this tune. It can be found on her 1970 album Just Another Diamond Day. American singer Elizabeth Mitchell covers the song on her 2006 album You Are My Little Bird.

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Red Haired Boy – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 130

May 10, 2012 By 1 Comment

Tonight, I went to the Fort Collins String Teachers’ Association meeting, and when I got there I found out that we were supposed to bring our instruments because it was a workshop where we were going to sight read some music. Michael Schaefer was leading the program, and he had a lot of cools stuff to teach us about working with middle school orchestras. And, he was willing to lend me his violin for the evening, a nice old violin with a soft warm tone.

As we were reading through a bunch of middle school orchestra pieces, I was thinking about what I could do for fiddle tune a day, and since Eric Levine was also at the meeting, asking him to join me was a no-brainer. Eric taught me fiddling when I was in Junior High, and Red Haired Boy was one of the tunes he taught me.

 

 

Red Haired Boy according to the Fiddler’s Companion

RED HAIRED BOY, THE (An Giolla Ruad). AKA and see “The Duck Chewed/Chews Tobacco,” “The First of May [3],” “Gilderoy [2]” (Ire.), “Giolla Rua” (Ire.), “Johnny Dhu,” “The Little Beggarman” (Ire.), “The Little Beggar Boy,” “An Maidrin Rua(dh)” (The Little Red Fox),” “The Old Soldier (with a Wooden Leg) [2]” (W.Va.), “Old Soldier,” “The Red Haired Lad,” “The Red Headed/Haired Irishman” (Ky.), “Wooden Leg” (W.Va.). Irish (originally), Scottish, English; Air or Hornpipe: American, Canadian; Reel or  Breakdown. A Mixolydian. Standard. AABB (most versions): AA’BB’ (Moylan). ‘Red Haired Boy’ is the English translation of the Gaelic title “Giolla Rua” (or, Englished, “Gilderoy”), and is generally thought to commemorate a real-life rogue and bandit, however, Baring-Gould remarks that in Scotland the “Beggar” of the title is also identified with King James V. The song was quite common under the Gaelic and the alternate title “The Little Beggarman” (or “The Beggarman,” “The Beggar”) throughout the British Isles. For example, it appears in Baring-Gould’s 1895 London publication Garland of Country Song and in The Forsaken Lover’s Garland, and in the original Scots in The Scots Musical Museum. A similarly titled song, “Beggar’s Meal Poke’s,” was composed by James VI of Scotland (who in course became James the I of England), an ascription confused often with his ancestor James I, who was the reputed author of the verses of a song called “The Jolly Beggar.” The tune is printed in Bunting’s 1840A Collection of the Ancient Music of Ireland as “An Maidrin Ruadh” (The Little Red Fox).  The melody is one of the relatively few common to fiddlers throughout Scotland and Ireland, and was transferred nearly intact to the American fiddle tradition (both North and South) where it has been a favorite of bluegrass fiddlers in recent times.

***

Bandits, fairies and the tune all come together in an Irish tale, representing the capricious results of humans coming in contact with fairy-induced music. In the tale “The Red Haired Boy” was played somewhat under duress by uilleann piper Donnchadh Ó Sé from Lóthar, one of the best pipers in the parish of Priory.  Donnchadh came by some of his music from contact with the supernatural, a not uncommon claim, but this time with a twist.  It seems that he and his brother were gathering seaweed at Faill an Mhada Rua when they heard beautiful ethereal music nearby; Dónall stood by, afraid, but Donnchadh followed the sounds up the cliff and was able to commit them to memory. Returning home he strapped himself into his pipes and played the melody he heard, but afterwards was stuck down ill, becoming bedridden for three months before recuperating.  Each time he played the tune the same would happen—he would suffer, for illness always followed. One day Donnchadh had the ill fortune to meet with a ruffian, who evidently knew of the circumstance and demanded at the point of a pistol that the piper play the fairy tune.  Donnchadh obligingly reached for his pipes, and soon found that the brute was ignorant of the music and so was able to placate him with “An Giolla Rua” (Breathnach,The Man and His Music, 1997, pg. 38.

***

Sources for notated versions: J.P. Fraley (Rush, Ky.) [Phillips]; learned from fiddler Padraig O’Keeffe by accordion player Johnny O’Leary (Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border) [Moylan]; fiddler Dawson Girdwood (Perth, Ottawa Valley, Ontario) [Begin]. Begin (Fiddle Music in the Ottawa Valley: Dawson Girdwood), 1985; No. 27, pg. 40. Krassen (Appalachian Fiddle), 1973; pg. 81. Messer (Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes), 1980; No. 69, pg. 44. Miller & Perron (New England Fiddlers Repertoire), 1983; No. 132. Mitchell (Dance Music of Willie Clancy), 1983; 115. Moylan (Johnny O’Leary), 1994; No. 300, pg. 173. O’Neill (O’Neill’s Irish Music), 1915/1987; No. 356, pg. 173 (appears as “The Redhaired Lad”). O’Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 209. O’Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903/1979; No. 1748, pg. 325. O’Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 921, pg. 157. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994. pg. 196. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 127. Spandaro (10 Cents a Dance), 1980; pg. 34. Sweet (Fifer’s Delight), 1965/1981; pg. 77. Columbia C 33397, Dave Bromberg Band ‑ “Midnight on the Water” (1975). Sparton Records SP 210, “Ward Allen Presents Maple Leaf Hoedown, Vol. 2.” Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40126, Northern Spy – “Choose Your Partners!: Contra Dance & Square Dance Music of New Hampshire” (1999).

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Heart and Soul – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 129

May 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

OK, before you start picking on me because Heart and Soul isn’t really a fiddle tune, know this: Fiddle Tune a Day is my game and I get to make up the rules. :) And, for the purposes of this game, Heart and Soul counts.

Moving on. I had a great time down at the Avaiya Studios in Boulder, CO working on a couple of soon to be released films, The Gratitude Effect, and Power of the Portrait. While I was there, I got to meet the lovely Jean Trebek, wife of Alex Trebek. As you probably know, I like to have other people join me on Fiddle Tune a Day from time to time, and when you get an opportunity to have Jean Trebek on Fiddle Tune a Day, you don’t pass it up, and Heart and Soul was one of the only tunes she knows on piano.

We had a great time goofing off. I think you will enjoy it too.

 

 

Heart and Soul (1938 song) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Heart and Soul” is a popular song, with music by Hoagy Carmichael and lyrics by Frank Loesser, published in 1938. The original 1938 version was performed by Larry Clinton & his Orchestra featuring Bea Wain. The song’s A-section is often simplified as a repeating I-vi-IV-V progression and taught to beginning piano students as an easy two-hand duet ( example (help·info)). Much like the song “Chopsticks,” this (somewhat inaccurate) version became widely-known, even to those who have never studied piano. The chord progression, often referred to as the “’50s progression,” later became very common in the doo-wop hits of the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1939, three versions charted: Larry Clinton (reaching #1 on the chart), Eddy Duchin (reaching #12), and Al Donahue (reaching #16). The song later charted as #11 in 1952 by The Four Aces, as #57 in 1956 by Larry Maddox, as #18 in 1961 by The Cleftones, and as #25 in 1961 by Jan and Dean. Many other versions have been recorded.

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Kentucky Waltz – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 128

May 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Wow! I REALLY must have been tired last night when I recorded my fiddle tune a day. The first tune I recorded was one I had already recorded – just 24 days previously. DOH!!!

So, when I sat down at my computer to import the video, I had this feeling like I may have made a mistake, so I searched my blog for Little Bit, and BAM, I saw that I recorded Little Bit of Swing on day 104! Back to the drawing board. I went back to my computer, looking for inspiration, and listened to a little bit of the Fiddler’s Frolics on Bubba Hopkins‘ channel, and heard Bubba play Kentucky waltz – really nice playing by the way – in the key of A.

I never really worked up Kentucky Waltz, so I figured now is as good of a time as any. I played it in A kind of like Bubba, and then in Bb, and ended up settling for Eb as a really nice key to get some open double stops with the G string. Sadly, I did not manage to record a good take on the first try, but I did manage to get a decent take after a few yawn fraught attempts. ;)

 

 

Kentucky Waltz From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Kentucky Waltz” is a 1946 song written and performed by Bill Monroe. The song became Bill Monroe’s most successful release on the Country & Western charts peaking at number three [1].

Kentucky Waltz Lyrics (with Chords)

Written and recorded by Bill Monroe G We were waltzing that night in Kentucky D7 'Neath the beautiful harvest moon And I was the boy who was lucky G But it all ended too soon As I sit here alone in the moonlight G7 C I can see your smiling face G E7 And I long once more for your embrace A7 D7 G In that beautiful Kentucky waltz We were waltzing that night in Kentucky D7 'Neath the beautiful harvest moon And I was the boy who was lucky G But it all ended too soon As I sit here alone in the moonlight G7 C I can see your smiling face G E7 And I long once more for your embrace A7 D7 G In that beautiful Kentucky waltz
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Back 40 Ripoff – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 127

May 7, 2012 By 5 Comments

I learned this tune while staying at the Ludiker house when I was a teenager. The Ludiker family had a gig and this was one of the tunes they played. I thought it was so cool that I had Tony teach it to me the next day.

I have done quite a bit of looking into the history of this tune and haven’t found much other than a few recordings of it, and people who have recorded it. It looks like it might be of Canadian origin. Fiddler’s Companion has no record for it. If you know any information, please enlighten me!

* UPDATE from Calving Vollrath – Canadian Fiddler *

Graham was definitely a favorite of many of the Canadian fiddlers, me included. He was a master fiddler to say the least.

I can tell you that a fiddler by the name of Roy Warhurst wrote Back 40 Rip Off. Roy wrote many wonderful tunes including Blackfoot Jam and Pat’s Country as well. Roy is a Western Canadian boy, I believe.

Back 40 Rip Off and Blackfoot Jam were recorded by Al Cherny of the Tommy Hunter TV Show and were made popular by Al.

Graham recorded these tunes many years later on a recording called “Country Licks and all that Jazz”, I believe. I think the album might have been released after he passed away. I’m not totally certain on that.

Roy was and maybe still is a great fiddler. Living in southern Alberta or BC now. In 1994-1997 he played fiddle with the Sons of the Pioneers. I’m not sure he still plays but he was a good one for sure in his day. Probably still is. I haven’t heard of him playing in the last bunch of years.

Thanks to Maureen Nolan for this additional information!

Maureen Nolan, Elgin, Ontario, Canada
http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/PrintArticle.aspx?e=841065According to this newspaper article, Back 40 Ripoff was written by our own fiddle champ (the late) Graham Townsend.
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Durham’s Bull – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 126

May 6, 2012 By 1 Comment

I don’t remember where I first heard this tune, but I remember that I didn’t think it was all that cool at first. I didn’t bother learning it at that time. What changed my mind was hearing Dale Morris play it on New for ’78. Dale really played it cool. So, just hearing a song a different way, changed my opinion of the tune.

 

 

Durham’s Bull according to Fiddler’s Companion

with a side story about Durham’s Reel

 

DURHAM’S BULL. AKA ‑ “Durham’s Reel.” Old‑Time, Bluegrass.  USA, Mo. A Major. Standard tuning. AB (Silberberg): AAB (Brody): AABAAB’ (Phillips). Named for (or perhaps composed by) Buddy Durham, a radio fiddler (WWVA) in the 1930’s. Craig Duncan says the tune was often played by fiddler Paul Warren to open Flatt and Scruggs live performances. Sources for notated versions: Lymon Enloe (Brody, Phillips); Buddy Durham & Stuart Williams [Phillips]. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 95‑96. Duncan (Top Fiddle Solos). Phillips (Fiddlecase Tunebook), 1989; pg. 16 (appears as “Durham’s Reel”). Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; pg. 77. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 39. CMH 6237, Paul Warren‑ “America’s Greatest Breakdown Fiddle Player.” Caney Mountain Records CLP 228, Lonnie Robertson (Mo.) ‑ “Fiddle Favorites.” County 762, Lyman Enloe‑ “Fiddle Tunes I Recall” (1973). Folkways DW-90705, New Lost City Ramblers – “Rural Delivery No. 1.” Rounder 0002, Spark Gap Wonder Boys‑ “Cluck Old Hen” (1970). Rounder 0326, Benton Flippen – “Old Times, New Times.” Rounder 7010, Tom Doucet – “Tommy Doucet” (1979). Vetco 506, Fiddlin’ Van Kidwell‑ “Midnight Ride” (1975). Mag, Hubert and Ted Powers‑ “Two Generations of Old Time Fiddle.”

 

DURHAM’S REEL. See “Durham’s Bull.” Joel Shimberg has a 45 RPM record of Buddy Durham playing “Durham’s Bull” on one side and “Durham’s Reel” on the other. Due to the pairing of the tunes on the record, the association with Durham, and the similarity in names, there is obvious confusion regarding the two.

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Happy Cinco de Mayo!

May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I had a little fun with this one. It’s not technically a regular installment of Fiddle Tune a Day, but you are getting a Cinco de Mayo Greeting from me anyway!

You are receiving this video because someone wants you to have a happy Cinco De Mayo!

 

 

Cinco de Mayo From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day, which occurs on September 16.
Cinco de Mayo

Battle of Puebla
Observed by
US Americans, mixed nationality;
citizens of Puebla, Puebla
Type Multinational
Date May 5, 1862

Observances

Celebration in the United States of Mexican-American culture and experiences. Only somewhat celebrated in Mexico.

Food, music, folkloric dancing

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “fifth of May”) is a celebration held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla).[5][6][7] The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride,[8] and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War.[9] In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.[2][10] Contrary to widespread popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day—the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico—which is actually celebrated on September 16.

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Peekaboo Waltz – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 125

May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This morning, I had the opportunity to support KRFC – Fort Collins Public Radio by playing on the Air with Steve Eulberg (together we are known as Fiddle Whamdiddle). Since I had someone else to play with, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to play my fiddle tune a day. Steve suggested we play Peekaboo Waltz, and then we decided that we should do something more upbeat to finish on, but… the DJ, Joann Hedelston, insisted that we play Peekaboo Waltz, so we did. :)

 

 

Peekaboo Waltz according to Fiddler’s Companion

PEEK-A-BOO WALTZ. American, Canadian; Waltz. USA; Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, Tenn., Virginia, New York. Canada, Prince Edward Island. D Major (most versions): G Major (Howard Marshall). Standard tuning. AB (Silberberg): AABB (Phillips): AA’BB’(Perlman). Some have ascribed Swedish origins for this waltz which became popular in the United States in the early part of the 20th century, though Paul Gifford thinks this is unlikely and suspects it was in fact a 19th‑century American composition. He believes that the similarity of “Peek-a-Boo” to a genuine Scandinavian tune, “Life in the Finnish Woods” (well-known to the Scandinavian population of the mid-west), is the reason for the confusion, but maintains this is a coincidence and that the tunes are not derivative or cognate. The waltz has been attributed to William J. Scanlon (1856-1898), who published it in 1881.  Scanlon was a singer who began his career as a child, and by his early teens was accompanying lectures at temperance meetings to sing hymns and provide a musical interlude between sermons.  He toured the New England temperance circuit for seven years, until, at the age of 20, the bright lights and big city called him.  Forming a team with an Irish comedian by the name of William Cronin, he performed on the early vaudeville stage, until finally he made it to Broadway. Scanlon was performing in the show Mavourneen (which opened Sept. 28, 1891 in New York’s 14th Street Theater) when he began to show signs of mental instability, a condition which worsened through the autumn of that year, even though he continued to perform. His final break came on Christmas Day of that year, and on January 7th, 1892, he was institutionalized for reasons of insanity at the Bloomingdale Asylum in White Plains, New York, where he remained until his death six years later. Seattle fiddler Vivian Williams believes the title “Peek-a-boo Waltz” may have derived from the popular song “Peekaboo, I See You,” written in the mid-19th century.

***

The melody was recorded by Uncle Dave Macon, and by fiddler J.C. Glasscock of Steppvile, Alabama, for Gennett Records in 1927, though the side was not issued. The title appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954. The waltz was in the repertoire of Galax, Virginia, old time fiddler Luther Davis. The song appears in Ira Ford’s Traditional Music in America (1940). See also the closely related “Svensk Anna’s Waltz.” Sources for notated versions: Attwood O’Connor (b. 1923, Milltown Cross, South Kings County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman]; Glenn Berry [Silberberg]. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; pg. 173. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 2, 1995; pg. 294. Ruth (Pioneer Western Folk Tunes), 1948; No. 136, pg. 48. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 116. Front Hall FHR‑021, John McCutcheon ‑ “Barefoot Boy with Boots On” (1981. Learned from hammered dulcimer player Paul Van Arsdale, Tonawanda, N.Y., who had it from his grandfather). GRT Records 9230-1031, “The Best of Ward Allen” (1973). Sparton Records, SP210, “Ward Allen Presents Maple Leaf Hoedown, Vol. 2.” Voyager VRCD 344, Howard Marshall & John Williams – “Fiddling Missouri” (1999. Appears as “Art Galbraith’s Peekaboo Waltz,” learned from Art Galbraith in kitchen sessions in the 1960’s). CD, Alan Jabbour, James Reed, Bertram Levy – “A Henry Reed Reunion” (2002).

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Liverpool Hornpipe – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 124

May 4, 2012 By 2 Comments

Today’s post proves that Fiddle Tune a Day is a useful tool for my teaching studio, not just stretching myself as a fiddle. It proved to be an excellent incentive to keep the fingers down on the repeated string crossings in Liverpool Hornpipe. I told Colley last week that if she nailed it last week that she could play with me on Fiddle Tune a Day this week. She nailed it. :)

 

 

Liverpool Hornpipe according to Fiddler’s Companion

LIVERPOOL HORNPIPE [1], THE (Crannciuil Liberpuil). AKA and see “London Hornpipe [5],” “Lousiville Hornpipe,” “Brilliancy” (Christeson), “Processional Morris [1]” (Mellor), “The Grove [1].” English, Scottish, Irish, American; Hornpipe. USA; Maine, New York, southwestern Pa., Texas, Arkansas, Missouri. Ireland; Sliabh Luachra region of the Cork-Kerry border. England; Shropshire, Lincolnshire. D Major. Standard tuning. AB (Hardie): AABB (most versions): AA’BB’ (Moylan): AABBCC (O’Neill/1915, 1001 & 1850). The Irish musicologist Father Henebry criticized this piece for its “purposeless vapidity,” though it has been printed endlessly in collections since the mid-19th century and evidently has been quite popular with fiddlers and fifers. Caoimhin Mac Aoidh also says it is generally considered a fiddler’s tune in Ireland and points to the many versions recorded by both Sligo and Donegal masters. The title appears in a list of tunes in his repertoire brought by Philip Goodman, the last professional and traditional piper in Farney, Louth, to the Feis Ceoil in Belfast in 1898 (Breathnach, 1997). A minor-key variant collected in Wales appears as “Processional Morris [1].” The earliest version I have yet to find is in the 1823-26 music manuscript collection of Joshua Gibbons, a papermaker and musician from the village of Tealby, near Market Rasen, in the Lincolnshire Wolds, where it appears under the title “London Hornpipe.” Scottish dancers perform a step-dance to the melody, also called the Liverpool Hornpipe. In America the piece was cited as having been commonly played at Orange County, New York, country dances in the 1930′s (Lettie Osborn, New York Folklore Quarterly). The title also appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954, and in a list of the repertoire of elderly Maine musician Mellie Dunham, Henry Ford’s champion fiddler in the mid-1920′s. For more on this tune in the Missouri tradition (in which it was popular) see note for “Thunder Hornpipe.”  See also the south west Pennsylvania collected “Tiddle Took Tidfish,” whose first part is a variant of “Liverpool Hornpipe’s” second part. Sources for notated versions: Wilbur Neal (elderly fiddler from Jefferson County, Pa., 1948) and Hogg (Pa., 1948) [Bayard]; Jake Hockemeyer (Mokane, Missouri) via Charlie Walden (Columbia, Missouri) [Christeson]; Hamilton County, New York fiddler Vic Kibler learned the tune from Harding’s Collection [Bohrer]; Bill Hardie (Scotland) [Hardie]; a c. 1837-1840 MS by Shropshire musician John Moore [Ashman]; Texas fiddler Benny Thomasson [Phillips]; accordion player Johnny O’Leary (Sliabh Luachra region, Kerry), recorded at a recital at Na Píobairí Uilleann, February, 1981 [Moylan]; a tape of set-dance music recorded live at Na Píobairí Uilleann in the 1980’s [Taylor]. Allan’s Irish Fiddler, No. 87, pg. 22. American Veteran Fifer, 1927; No. 54. Ashman (The Ironbridge Hornpipe), 1991; No. 20, pg. 4.  Bain (50 Fiddle Solos), 1989; pg. 26. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 280A‑B, pg. 234. Bohrer (Vic Kibler), 1992; No. 31, pg. 31. Christeson (Old Time Fiddler’s Repertory, vol. 2), 1984; No. 76, pg. 51. Cole (1000 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; pg. 89.Craig (The Empire Collection of Hornpipes), c. 1890’s; pg. 2. DeVille, 1905; No. 12. Hardie (Caledonian Companion), 1992; pg. 34. Harding Collection (1915) and Harding Original Collection (1928), No. 35. Honeyman, 1898; pg. 44. Howe (Diamond School for the Violin), 1861; pg. 43. Jarman (Old Time Fiddlin’ Tunes), 1951; No. or pg. 23. Jigs and Reels, vol. 1, 1908; pg. 31. Kennedy (Fiddlers Tune Book), vol. 1, 1951; No. 11, pg. 6. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 1; No. 5, pg. 42. MacDonald (The Skye Collection), 1887; pg. 172. Moylan (Johnny O’Leary), 1994; No. 29, pg. 18. O’Malley, 1919; pg. 18. O’Neill (O’Neill’s Irish Music), 1915/1987; No. 333, pg. 164. O’Neill (Krassen), 1976; pg. 166. O’Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903/1979; No. 1565. O’Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907/1986; No. 816, pg. 141. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 2, 1995; pg. 205. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 173. Robbins, 1933; No. 79. Ryan’s Mammoth Collection, 1883; pg. 123. Stewart-Robertson (The Athole Collection), 1884; pg. 297. Taylor (Music for the Sets: Yellow Book), 1995; pg. 38. Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, Book Two), 1999; pg. 12. White’s Unique Collection, 1896; No. 127, pg. 23. IRC Records, Michael Coleman – “The Musical Glory of Old Sligo” (1967). Voyager 309, Benny & Jerry Thomasson – “The Weiser Reunion” (1993). Fife Strathspey and Reel Society – “The Fiddle Sounds of Fife” (1980). Rounder CD 1087, Peter Guinan – “From Galway to Dublin” (1992. Reissue of 1937 original). Shanachie 79093, Paddy Glackin and Robbie Hannon – “Whirlwind” (1995. Learned from piper Séamus Ennis).

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