Fiddle Tunes with History?

[PhilGE]

Thank goodness for Wikipedia! Please support them if you're able to.

And thank goodness for Norman Blake!

[Bob Buckingham]

I reckon all fiddle tunes have history if they don't commemorate history. I've always thought that fiddle tunes were heirloom seeds, a treasure passed down from one generation to the next. If you know history, love fiddle tunes and eat out of your own garden, well it just doesn't get richer than that.

[Ranald]

Here are a few Canadian tunes titled after historical events. There's also a whole group of tunes with prime ministers' names.

Centennial Breakdown by Graham Townsend, Quebec and Ontario -- released in 1966, celebrating Canada's "100th year," 1967.

Constitution Breakdown by Lee Cremo, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia -- celebrating Canada's Constitution, established in 1983.

Meech Lake Breakdown by Emile Benoit, Newfoundland -- a pun here. In 1987, federal and provincial politicians conferred at Meech Lake in Quebec, near Ottawa, and hammered out the "Meech Lake Accord," without which, prime minister Brian Mulroney assured us, Quebec would separate from Canada. The agreement was lengthy and hard to understand, but provincial politicians had to take it back to their legislatures for approval. Public views on the accord were mixed, but a great many people were distrustful of the agreement for myriad reasons. Indigenous folks were angered that the accord completely ignored their issues. In 1988, Elijah Harper, an Ojibway-Cree politician cast a decisive vote in the Manitoba Legislature that stopped the Meech Lake Accord from going any farther. Benoit wrote the "Meech Lake Breakdown" to celebrate the breakdown of the accord, and to provide a good breakdown to dance to. (Quebec hasn't gone anywhere, but I can't guarantee that there isn't a packed suitcase in its closet.)

[tmsweeney]

Most pickers are acquainted with "President Garfield's Hornpipe", I have seen the "Lincoln Hornpipe" in Coles 1001 Fiddle tunes.

"Lincoln's Farewell train" is another that comes to mind.

Norman and Nancy did cover "Mr Garfield" about that somewhat obscure assassination..

Lets not forget that critical 2001 recording of Peter Ostroushko's "President Richard Milhous Nixon's Hornpipe"

[Dave Hicks]

British Field March

This and the following tune ("Santa Anna's Retreat," AFS 13035a33) are both marches that Henry Reed learned from Quince Dillion, an elderly fiddler and fife player from whom Henry Reed acquired many tunes as a boy. These two were specifically identified as fife tunes, and a trill at one juncture--not a normal feature of Henry Reed's fiddling--must be an echo of the fife original. In calling this piece "British Field March," he said that it was the march used by the British to retreat in the Battle of New Orleans, where Andrew Jackson and his American forces routed the British contingent. The tune is in fact an old British air that crops up in various forms, particularly from Irish sources; for instrumental sets, see for example Petrie, The Complete Collection of Irish Music, #397 "Take Her Out and Air Her"; O'Neill's Music of Ireland #1388 "Touch Me If You Dare--2nd Setting" and #1593 "Kit O'Mahony's Hornpipe"; Joyce, Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (1909) #42 "Miss Redmond's Hornpipe"; "Manuscript Collection of Dance Tunes [ca. 1775-1800]" (Newberry Library, Chicago), p. 63 "Lovely Molly"; Ford, Traditional Music of America p. 43 "Gilderoy." - from https://www.loc.gov/item/afcreed000113/

[pops1]

As I read this I am reminded of others such as- Booth Shot Lincoln.

[Simon DS]

Great rhythm on this one.
Here’s a nice memorable tune for a not-so-nice memorable time in our history.

https://thesession.org/tunes/19187

[PhilGE]

Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of John Brown. I knew I'd recorded a version of Norman Blake's John Brown's March, but could not locate it in my library. Amazingly, I did find a copy of it through Mandozine. It was uploaded 7 years ago, but I believe was recorded in the early 2000's. Life moves on!

https://soundcloud.com/mandozine/joh...social_sharing

I found the original and loaded it to SoundCloud. No difference in recording, just placing it there as my file, not simply on Mandozine. Thanks.

https://on.soundcloud.com/5pJ1r

[EdHanrahan]

FYI: John Brown was the subject of the James McBride novel and its Netflix mini-series, "The Good Lord Bird".