seeking the music of Sleepy Hollow

Subject: seeking the music of Sleepy Hollow
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 07 Dec 15 - 07:01 PM

Recently I re-read the Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. It's a more intelligent story than I remembered from my high-school years. Worth a read.

As you may recall, Ichabod Crane ("the flogger of urchins")dreams of marrying the lovely Katrina Van Tassel, the heiress of a fine farm. One evening, the Van Tassels have a dinner and dance, and we learn this about the music:

"And now the music of the common room or hall summoned to the dance.   The musician was an old, gray-headed negro, who had been the itinerant orchestra of the neighborhood for more than half a century. The greater part of the time he scraped away on two or three strings, accompanying every movement of the bow with a motion of the head; bowing almost to the ground, and stamping with his foot whenever a fresh couple were to start. "

I'm curious about what this Dutch-American-Negro music would have been like. (I am not interested in political correctness. I'm interested in music.) The reference to playing two or three strings at once means there was harmony. I've found a website with music of the Hudson River, but it seems to be vocal and later in age - almost music hall music.

Any ideas about this intriguing dance music?

Subject: RE: seeking the music of Sleepy Hollow
From: cnd
Date: 07 Dec 15 - 09:07 PM

Probably mostly what where the "standards" for early bluegrass bands, things like Durhams Reel, Virginia Reel, East Virginia Blues, just about anything ending in "reel," lots of highly Brit/Scots-influenced music, mostly stringbands in rural areas and classical music in high society. In America at least. Negro would probably be mostly working songs or spirituals.

Subject: RE: seeking the music of Sleepy Hollow
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 08 Dec 15 - 12:28 AM

I'm hoping somebody with New York state connections will know something about a college or historical society that has some information or a music collection.

Subject: RE: seeking the music of Sleepy Hollow
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 08 Dec 15 - 12:33 AM

Wikipedia says the story is set in 1790.    Dutch influence would still have been pretty strong.

Subject: RE: seeking the music of Sleepy Hollow
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Dec 15 - 08:54 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: seeking the music of Sleepy Hollow
From: LadyJean
Date: 09 Dec 15 - 11:32 PM

Sojourner Truth (Born Isabella Baumfre) was a slave in New York. Her first language was Dutch.

Subject: RE: seeking the music of Sleepy Hollow
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 10 Dec 15 - 01:33 AM

How interesting, Lady Jean! I had no idea.

Slavery was ended in New York in 1827.