Tune Req: Ashokan Farewell

Subject: Lyr Add: ASHOKAN FAREWELL (Macgregor/Ungar)
From: Cruiser
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 10:44 AM

The official lyrics from Jay Ungar's website (also in the Digitrad). Very good lyrics, but with this tune I prefer the instrumental over the lyrical.

"Ashokan Farewell"

Words by Grian MacGregor
Music by Jay Ungar

The sun is sinking low in the sky above Ashokan.
The pines and the willows know soon we will part.
There's a whisper in the wind of promises unspoken,
And a love that will always remain in my heart.

My thoughts will return to the sound of your laughter,
The magic of moving as one,
And a time we'll remember long ever after
The moonlight and music and dancing are done.

Will we climb the hills once more?
Will we walk the woods together?
Will I feel you holding me close once again?
Will every song we've sung stay with us forever?
Will you dance in my dreams or my arms until then?

Under the moon the mountains lie sleeping
Over the lake the stars shine.
They wonder if you and I will be keeping
The magic and music, or leave them behind.


©1983 and 1991 by Swinging Door Music-BMI, PO Box 49, Saugerties, NY 12477

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashokan Farewell
From: GUEST,Pamela in Ithaca
Date: 18 Aug 06 - 10:00 AM

Any lyrics to Ashokan Farewell are "parodies" in my opinion.
Certainly none were written by Jay Ungar. And I agree,
none do justice to the tune.

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashokan Farewell
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 07:53 PM

'not coz it is a great tune'

It has wonderful 'melody'.

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashokan Farewell
From: Sorcha
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 07:37 PM

And, IMO, they all suck. Don't do justice to the tune at all.

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashcan Farewell
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 07:03 PM

There's at least 3 sets of lyrics - check the related threads above. I believe it was written as just a tune.

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashokan Farewell
From: Greg B
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 06:05 PM

How about posting the lyrics? Far as I can tell, it's
a sort of off-beat talking blues.

They all seem to start out something like

June 12, 1863. Dear Momma and Papa
Well it's been nothing but beans and water for twelve days
The latrine done backed up into the tent
now it smells powerful bad.
Jimmy's leg fell off yesteday, it smelt powerful bad too--
worse'n that danged latrine.
They say we'll meet up with the Yankees soon
Tell Maggie to stay away from Jim Bob, tell Jim
Bob if he doesn't leave Maggie alone I'll thrash
him if I ever do get home...

Anyways, it's the kind of stuff that goes through my
head by the time someone get's through the first few
bars...

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashokan Farewell
From: Grab
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 09:01 AM

It's fun on a guitar in DADGAD.

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashokan Farewell
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 08:52 AM

It dances on my piano Accordion...

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashokan Farewell
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 08:42 AM

I LOVE the tune and don't find it easy to play at all but then I don't play fiddle. Heard it last night played beautifully by a young girl from Iowa currently studying in York.

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashokan Farewell
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 08:24 AM

... as they used to do "The Ash Grove" some years ago...

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashokan Farewell
From: chucky
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 07:35 AM

Every damn beginner fiddle player does Ashokan coz it is EASY to play, not coz it is a great tune.

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashokan Farewell
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 04:18 AM

Now there is a really annoying tune!
G

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashokan Farewell
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 03:35 AM

Wonder if the same could be done with Music For A Found Harmonium, a similarly insidiously annoying composed piece currently listed at The Session as 'Traditional Irish'?

Subject: RE: Dots needed to Ashokan Farewell
From: Paul Burke
Date: 17 Aug 06 - 03:28 AM

Annoying tune that it is, it has now probably irrevocably entered the tradition, and as such there's no "correct" way of playing it, even though it has a living composer who has published what presumably is the definition of how it was composed. It's ironic really, but probably the best they can hope to do is stamp it out of tradition by aggressive policing.

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashokan Farewell
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 08:01 PM

I bought the sheet music before I found it on line - a search by the music retailer showed many different arrangements in many different compilations - including just the song on its own arranged for piano.

I was once at a festival 'blackboard walk up and play' segment (now I don't wait, I get in EARLY on the list! ) and a couple did a version with hammered dulcimer and banjo - since it was my new 'party piece' I had just worked up on the Piano Accordion, I was annoyed at first, but did it later anyway.

We spoke after - we both agreed that our versions were SO different that neither of us were really worried.

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashokan Farewell
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 07:53 PM

I have it too....and am willing to share....Jay has made his money off this.

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashokan Farewell
From: Cruiser
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 07:40 PM

I agree. However, the full sheet music, which I have, will give slurs (for correct bowing), embellishments, and double stops.

I mostly play by ear, but rely on sheet music for the nuances of a fiddle tune.

Cruiser

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 07:24 PM

Cruiser, I would agree totally that Jay Unger's is the definitive version, but I would disagree that buying the sheet music is going to enable the player to play the tune with any greater flair than simply listening and copying.

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From:
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 06:24 PM

It almost always is, when I'm looking.

But... that's why I included the direct links in my messages

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 06:18 PM

IF SuperSearch is working....

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From:
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 06:09 PM

Oops, I messed up the link for

Ashokan Farewell at thesession.org

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From:
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 06:05 PM

Oops, looks like I forgot the link to thesession.org

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From:
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 06:04 PM

There! Less than TWO seconds and a search of the Mudcat gives about a dozen threads, and a couple of songs and the tune in MIDI format.

Less than FIVE seconds of scanning a SINGLE thread, came up with an abc of the tune. Now, there are FREE programs, like iABC, with which you can display the sheet music from the abc file.

So searching Mudcat is pretty easy. All you have to do is locate the BOX at the top right corner of the main page that says, Lyric and Knowledge Search. Enter in Ashokan, and in less than two seconds more information than you thought you ever wanted is available. And most of it is pretty good and informative.

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: Cruiser
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 06:00 PM

"Ashokan Farewell" is not that easy to play beautifully on the fiddle. I have heard the song "played at" by many excellent fiddlers and no one does it nearly as well as Jay Ungar, the master traditional fiddler. His timing and embellishments are exquisite.

I strongly agree with Helen. Pay the sheet music or purchase the DVD or video from Homespun Tapes:

The "Fiddler's Guide To Waltzes, Airs and Haunting Melodies"

Cruiser

Subject: RE: JC's tune finder and thesession.org
From:
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 05:55 PM

ANY time some one wants a TUNE, PLEASE learn about either

theSession.org
JC's Tune Finder

MANY MANY tunes are available on the internet and both of those places are easy to access. Most of the tunes they can locate and display for viewing, printing or downloading, in abc, MIDI, or gif formats.

And at JC's tune finder, you also have available other formats like PDF. Both GIF and PDF formats are graphic representations of the tune, ie sheet music. If you don't like the key, make your own.

For thttp://thesession.org/tunes/display/4997he tune in question, either thesession

Ashokan Farewell

or JC's Tune Finder

Ashokan Farewell

Both took less than a second to locate and display.

I believe BOTH sites are in the Mudcat Links section.

And..... Supersimes, did you do a search on the Mudcat to see if we referenced any site showing this information? It gets asked every year or two. I wouldn't be surprised if we have it in another thread.

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 05:34 PM

And no matter what OUR opinion is of the tune, if you want gigs, you play what the audience wants to hear.....doh.

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 05:28 PM

Yeah, that's more or less how it goes . . .

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 05:27 PM

Whoop dee doo

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 05:16 PM

OK well the site I linked to also offers lead sheets for $2.

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 05:11 PM

Sorry, but both is very helpful.....

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 05:04 PM

What I can't believe is why anybody would want to but there's a MIDI on the site I linked to and it surely can't take long to learn it from that.

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: Peace
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 05:01 PM

Thank you. What's a violin?

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 05:00 PM

it's similar to a violin, but less pretentious

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: Peace
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 04:57 PM

What's a fiddle?

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 04:54 PM

I cannot believe anybody with the remotest smattering of talent on the fiddle cannot play this after hearing it a couple of times.

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 04:51 PM

Post your email, or send on to
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: Helen
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 04:50 PM

super simes,

Welcome to Mudcat. It's a nice, friendly place and you might like to look around, see what's available here, and consider joining as a member. It's free.

Ashokan (note spelling) Farewell was written by Jay Ungar, so it isn't traditional and it is still in copyright, so not in the public domain. It's a beautiful tune and the man who wrote it deserves to be paid for it. In this case, the sheet music shouldn't be for free, in my opinion, because musicians deserve to make a living out of their creations.

If you were looking for a traditional tune, which is in the public domain, you could reasonably expect to find free sheet music.

Helen

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 04:18 PM

Ashokan Farewell

Subject: RE: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: Peace
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 04:15 PM

The dots ain't gonna be available anytime soon. The publisher--according to something I read--doesn't want them on the www. However, tabs are available
here.

It takes a few seconds to load. Then scroll down about 1/5 of the way.

Subject: Dots neede to Ashakon farewell
From: GUEST,super simes
Date: 16 Aug 06 - 04:10 PM

Can anyone tell me where i can download the dots for Ashakon farewell.Obviously for free. It annoys the hell out of me when all the folkeys know the tune and i dont. Thanks