Origin: Blackberry Blossom

Subject: Blackberry Blossom
From: Frances H. Casstevens
Date: 08 May 98 - 01:44 PM

Who actually wrote Blakberry Blossom. It's usually played as an instrumental. It is "traditional" or a fairly recent song?

Subject: RE: Blackberry Blossom
From: rechal
Date: 13 May 98 - 06:26 PM

I think Norman Blake has an album called "Blackberry Blossom." Can't remember if that song's on it, though.

Subject: RE: Blackberry Blossom
From: Bruce O.
Date: 13 May 98 - 07:00 PM

Is it the one in the Stanford-Petrie collection, #475? If so, it was collected by G. Petrie before 1866.
Theme code is my Irish Tunes Index at www.erols.com/olsonw

Subject: RE: Blackberry Blossom
From: Jon W.
Date: 14 May 98 - 10:03 AM

I have a mandolin instruction book and tape with this tune in it. Bruce, how do you interpret the theme codes? I assume they represent a line or two of the music, but other than the time signature and key signature I couldn't get anything out of them, and I couldn't find information on your page about them. If I could hear the theme, I could verify whether the tune on your page was the one in question.

Subject: RE: Blackberry Blossom
From: Bill in Alabama
Date: 14 May 98 - 10:33 AM

I have played that tune for years, and I know fiddle players in their 'eighties who learned it as beginners. I recorded it myself in the 'seventies on an instrumental album; at that time, BMI, ASCAP, etc., had no records of a writer or a copyright, according to the Harry Fox Agency.

Subject: RE: Blackberry Blossom
From: Bruce O.
Date: 14 May 98 - 11:20 AM

SP #475- "Blackberry Blosssom". Theme code system is Charles Gore's modification of B. Breathnach's (in Gore's 'The Scottish Fiddle Music Index', 1994). Since tune is 2/4, code what is at start of each half-note time period for 1st 4 full measures, starting from keynote = 1. L for octave lower and H for octave higher than the one the keynote is in. Since tune is minor-Aeloian, then 3rd, 6th, and 7th of scale are flatted (b)(relative to major mode). If I had it to do over I wouldn't use this system. Many 2/4 tunes are really 4/8 and this one looks like 8/16. Code here is rather artificial, and playing it wouldn't lead to anything recognizable by ear.

Subject: Tune Add: BLACKBERRY BLOSSOM
From: Bruce O.
Date: 14 May 98 - 12:02 PM

I should have noted that 'theme code' is really a misnomer (but not one I invented)

X:1
T:The Blackberry Blossom (Reel Time)
S:Stanford-Petrie #475
Q:100
L:1/8
M:2/4
K:Cm
(.e3/4c/4)|B/G/F/A/ G/E/E/F/|G/A/G/F/ G/B/e/c/|\
B/G/F/A/ G/E/E/G/|F/f/f/g/ fe/c/|B3/4G/4F/A/ G/E/E/F/|\
G/A/F/A/ G/E/E/F/|G/c/c/=B/ c||c/d/|\
e/d/e/f/ g/a/g/f/|e/d/e/f/ g/c/c/d/|e/d/e/f/ e/f/g/e/|\
c/f/f/g/ f c/d/|e/d/e/f/ e/f/g/f/|e/d/e/f/ g/c/c/a/|\
g/e/f/d/ e/d/c/B/|G/c/c/=B/ c|]

Subject: RE: Blackberry Blossom
From: Jon W.
Date: 14 May 98 - 05:23 PM

Well, comparing the ABC Bruce posted above to the arrangement on my mandolin instruction tape, I can't conclude if the modern bluegrass mando version is a generations-removed derivative of Bruce's or just done in somewhat the same style. One thing is for certain: the B part on both uses the minor scale predominantly. I'm no lawyer but I think you'd be fairly safe calling Blackberry Blossom traditional.

Subject: RE: Blackberry Blossom
From: Bruce O.
Date: 19 May 98 - 09:29 AM

The tune is also in Petrie's 'Ancient Music of Ireland', 1855.