New England Fiddle Music

Subject: New England Fiddle Music
From: GUEST,JR
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 11:25 AM

I am trying to learn some New England Fiddle tunes to add to me repetoire of English, Irish etc. Cana anyone suggests some names of tunes? Thanks.

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: Jacob B
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 12:14 PM

Chorus Jig, Petronella, Rory O'Moore, Hull's Victory, Crooked Stovepipe, Road To Boston, for a start.

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: Nancy-Jean
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 01:17 PM

The Flanders Ballad Collection at Middlebury College in Vermont has many fiddle tunes amongst the thousands of field recordings. Steve Green did a major study of the fiddle tunes. An abrieviated version of his monograph appeared as a paper entitled, "Fiddle Music in the Helen Hartness Flanders Ballad Collection" in the 11/12 Journal of the Country Dance and Song Society of America (New York, 1981). If you contact the Maine Folklife Center (where he was until last year), you can get his new address. He has moved to another folklife center in the West.

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: DADGBE
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 04:50 PM

One of the finest New England fiddlers around is Donna Hebert. She has produced a book with a companion cassette called, "The Grumbling Old Woman". Send $25 plus $3.50 for shipping, handling, folding, stapling and spindling to: Chanterelle, P. O. Box 2235, Amherst, MA 01004. You won't regret it.

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: Jeri
Date: 17 Apr 00 - 04:56 PM

There's a book called "New England Fiddlers' Repertoire" that's outstanding. (I can't find my copy, or I'd provide more info.)

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: georgeward
Date: 18 Apr 00 - 01:08 AM

That would be: New England Fiddler's Repertoire Compiled and copyright 1983 by Randy Miller and Jack Perron, Fiddlecase Books - distributed by Front Hall Enterprises, Inc., PO Box 307 , Wormer Rd., Voorheesville,NY 12186 , (518) 765 - 4193

Won't teach you style, but it will give you plenty of the right tunes. Front Hall has plenty of NE recordings as well. Ask for a catalogue.

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: Hollowfox
Date: 20 Apr 00 - 02:17 PM

For recently written (less than 30 years old) tunes that will probably someday be traditional (if I wasn't such a snob, I'd say they were rapidly becoming part of the tradition)...anyway, I'd recommend getting recordings of Bob McQuillen's tunes. He's been in on the New England contra scene longer than most, and his tunes fit right in. In fact, I've heard them played as "traditional" pieces here in the midwest. He's been in several bands, but Andy's Front Hall can let you know what's available. They'll have his tune books, too.

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: GUEST,Pete Peterson
Date: 21 Apr 00 - 09:06 AM

I saw McQuillen at NEFFA last week; it was wonderful to see him walking around again after successful bypass surgery. He has written about five tunebooks in New England fiddle style. For the more traditional tunes I would get (oddly enough) the Portland Collection or the Fiddlers Fake Book and select the New England tunes. I also second DADGBE (do you like that tuning? SO DO I!) 's recommendation of Donna Hinds Hebert's tape and recording. I can't play the fiddle but I've given that book & teaching tape as a BD present to a Southern fiddler who can now play many New England tunes.

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton
Date: 21 Apr 00 - 11:02 AM

Two names to bear in mind would be Nick Hawes and Lisa Ornstein. I believe they are in the New Hampshire area.

Frank

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: DADGBE
Date: 21 Apr 00 - 12:19 PM

Yup Pete, I love the tuning. I'm in the process of writing a teaching guide to DADGBE for a class to be held at Puget Sound Guitar Workshop this summer. It's made to order for playing or backing New England fiddle music.

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: Gypsy
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 10:37 PM

What is the difference twixt "New England" and "Old time"? And for that matter, "New" versus "Old" England? Petronella and Gallopede both sound pretty old English to me......

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 11:11 PM

Gypsy has an interesting point . New Englanders came from other places . Many of New Englands favorite tunes came from sommewhere else ..The cd we did last year of early dance tunes from the collection of the Litchfield Historical So were all tunes that came from other places and documented in Litchfield Ct in 1803 1818 and 1823. The attivity of playing them forevor in a town slightly changing them and make them thier own is what makes then new England or Engliish or Scotish or whatevor.
             .I would add Staton Island to this list and Ive been told its Scotish . Soldgiers Joy (Scottish), Sailors Joy ,The Wood Cutter .( Fisher's Hornpipe is on my top ten list ).
             Lots of French Canadian tunes were popular as were Cape breton tunes into the early part of the 20th century . I know french cannadian roofers who brought tunes to town in my lifetime.. We got "Old french" in that way .
               Great thread I will keep a close watch on this one thanks JR for starting it .. All the best , Guy

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 01:24 AM

Gypy: There's a huge difference between "New England" and "old-time", since "old-time" generally refers to southern Appalachian. Now how to detail the differences...? There are different tunes, but the same tunes might also be played somewhat differently (Soldier's Joy being one of those ubiquitous ones) -- for that you'd probably have to talk to a fiddler, which I'm not, I'm a dancer. I'd assume there are differences in bowing style. Nowadays fiddlers are more eclectic and rub up against a lot more different styles so differences get a bit blurry.

Once upon a time you could say that New England tunes were more clearly phrased than southern tunes, A and B parts might be more distinct from each other, in general.

Mel Bay's reprints of Howe's 1,000 Jigs and Reels and Ryan's Mammoth Collection both are a snapshot of tunes played in New England in the 19th century -- some of which are native, many of which are Irish, Scottish or English. The "Contra Dances" section of Howe's might be the most New Englandy. Galopede is English, and Petronella is Scottish. Galopede is a 20th century migrant, though, so I'd call it English, whereas Petronella has been here a lot longer so is truly naturalized.

I'm not sure I've said much of any use... it's a lot like "I know it when I hear it"...

~ Becky in Tucson
who got started on dancing in New England

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: mg
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 01:43 AM

Walpole cottage, Pais de Howe???, Green Willis, come to mind.

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: Guy Wolff
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 10:06 AM

Desert Dancer just a cool aside .. Galopede was one of the oldest tunes in the copybooks at Litchfield Connecticut . The hand writting was of the oldest style and was in a book hand written in Litchfield in 1803 so that tune has been in New England a long time !! I had never seen it localy till we found the copy book so tunes come to an area and sometimes are left on the shelf 170 years!!! All the best Guy

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 02:07 PM

Gypsy,

It's actually even more complicated that Desert Dancer says.
There is a lot of diversity in southern Appalachian music.
WV fiddling doesn't sound like KY fiddling.
Braxton County WV fiddling doesn't sound like Kanawha county WV fiddling.
In Pocahontas county WV, Burl Hammons' fiddling didn't sound like his brother Sherman Hammons' fiddling.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was similar diversity in New England.

BUT,
It is more fun to listen to the differences than to talk about them.

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: Gypsy
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 09:45 PM

Guess i need to open me ears REALLY wide..........subject came up when i described our groups sound as European, with old time US. Was frostily told that we certainly did not have a European sound (well, how else to neatly catagorize Welsh, English, Irish, Scots, French AND Breton?)and as an example, there was Gallope/Petronella, which aren't even Old time. Anyone gots a better adjective for the former?

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 10:12 PM

Guy, thanks for that info!

Gypsy, "eclectic"??? Actually, sounds like what I'd call "contemporary contra" (making assumptions about what you do with all that though...).

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: New England Fiddle Music
From: Gypsy
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 10:14 PM

I like eclectic, but have gotten tired of giving the definition! contemporary contra sounds pretty euphonious. Might take you up on that one.........we've certainly done our share of contra dances!