Here's a challenger for you all. My daughter is writing a story set in the U.S. in 1779, which opens with a father who has been away to war, returning to his family. He is in disguise, so when his daughter in the story first sees him she does not recognise him. But she recognises the tune of the song he is humming, and starts singing the words to herself - something about someone who has been away for a long time and is now returning home.
Of course my daughter could just invent some appropriate songwords, or even leave it vague, but I thought it would be really neat if she could quote an actual period song, which would give her story greater realism.
And this is for a story competition which closes at year-end! ... any ideas???
[ By the way, the other quandrary she has had, has been about the money used in those days. Would it have been dollars, pounds, pence, or others? And how much would the fare have been, for example, to take a boat across Lake Ontario, in the currency of the times? ... not really a musical question, but maybe someone out there will know! ]
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
- R.S.