I think that Ed Carnes may have been the first person I heard play General Longstreet’s Reel. When I see Ed at Fiddle contests, he is one of the few people that will surprise me with an obscure tune that I don’t know, and maybe haven’t even heard of.
General Longstreet’s is also one of the tunes in Cole’s 1000 Fiddle Tunes, so that’s where I went back to tonight to work up the melody. The first time through I basically played just the melody, and then the second and third times, I played around with it a bit.
Enjoy!
General Longstreet’s Reel according to TuneArch,org
GENERAL LONGSTREET’S. American, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Composed by Frank Livingston, who contributed several melodies to Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883). Although nothing is known about Livingston (whose name may be a pseudonym), he seemed to contribute a number of titles honouring the Southern side of the Civil War. The title undoubtedly refers to the famous Confederate general, originally from South Carolina. James Longstreet (1821-1904) was second only to Robert E. Lee in both battlefield prowess and in the hearts of soldiers. Paul Stewart Cranford (2000) notes this was a favorite dance tune of Cape Breton fiddler Bill Lamey. It has been recorded several time by fiddlers from the island.
Wonderful musical performance