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Thread: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

  1. #1
    I really look like that soliver's Avatar
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    Default The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    This tune has been on the short list in the back of my mind as "one I want to learn"... so last week I scrounged up a really good PDF of it (thanks Mark Gunter for posting it on the web) and worked it out. What a great song!... but then again, the curious side of me wanted to understand the name, so I googled it and found this:

    https://www.google.com/amp/www.theat...?client=safari

    Very interesting story!... Some of you may be familiar with it so forgive me if this has beeen posted before. But wanted to share this as an interesting find for those who were unaware.

    For those of you who don't know the tune, it's not hard to play and quite lovely, I highly recommend you add it to your repertoire.
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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    One of my most favorite tunes to play.

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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    It's one of my favorites as well - I do it as a solo piece at gigs where I'm otherwise accompanying people. I knew the story behind the song but thanks for posting it. The Ashokan Reservoir (shown in that photo) is not far from me.
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    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Always good to post a bit of history about the tunes we love, Spencer. Jay was inspired to write that one at the end of one of their camp seasons, and Ken Burns has forever made it a part of the Civil War legacy because of his miniseries. I remember being moved by the music the first time I watched those documentaries. Music so good, it almost made me want to learn the fiddle! Great tune, and for me it always invokes a sense of sadness and the smell of black powder.
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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    It's one of my favorites as well and I too looked up the story before.

    It's a very popular tune, I hear it performed often.

    I first heard it in a CD of similar original compositions (this is the only that isn't) by violinist Donna Rhodenizer of the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia (she was featured on CBC Radio and I looked it up).

    It still reminds me of the theme music for a TV series called Pioneer Quest. To my dismay, they seem to refuse to release the music for sale.
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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Awesome, bro.

    While we were all BIT, my Mama was from Upstate. She grew up in and around Woodstock, Shokan, Bearsville. She used to send us up there in the summer to see our cousins and get out of the TX heat. Lots of early memory images formed around the reservoir and the countryside. My folks are buried up there in a cemetery with a view to the mountain. We still travel up there often to visit. Playing the tune invokes way too many memories and images to relay in words. The tune does it for me.

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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Quote Originally Posted by brunello97 View Post
    Awesome, bro.

    While we were all BIT, my Mama was from Upstate. She grew up in and around Woodstock, Shokan, Bearsville. She used to send us up there in the summer to see our cousins and get out of the TX heat. Lots of early memory images formed around the reservoir and the countryside. My folks are buried up there in a cemetery with a view to the mountain. We still travel up there often to visit. Playing the tune invokes way too many memories and images to relay in words. The tune does it for me.

    Mick
    That's such great imagery and memory, brunello,... thanks for sharing!
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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    It's still a pretty rural area, all things considered. I know the rest of you are from all over the country if not the world - where I am in Rhinebeck NY is about 30 minutes away from the Ashokan Reservoir, although you cross the Hudson River to get there. It's right near Woodstock, famous for other reasons (although the festival itself happened in Sullivan County, not in or even near Woodstock). Still a great music scene, and I'm happy to be a very small part of it. I'm mainly a bass player but mandolin is my "other" instrument and I love playing it - and "Ashokan Farewell" is kind of my signature solo piece that I do when everyone else takes a break ... so I like this thread!
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    Loarcutus of MandoBorg DataNick's Avatar
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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    I'm posting this to share a unique "take" on this by our previous fiddler, Tim Gathman. I'd never heard any one else double stop the melody the way he does...


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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Well, now I gotta get with the program and work on Ashokan Farewell. Easy to play, hard to play well.

    It occurs to me that another tune from the Civil War miniseries (this one actually of the era) is Kingdom Coming (aka Day of Jubilo). I learned that one on my Vega Little Wonder mandolin-banjo before I even had a mandolin. I need to dust that thing off and try to remember it.

    So many tunes, so little time.

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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    It's not surprising that over here,i'd never heard of the 'Ashokan Camp',but i've known of the tune for many years. I'd always thought that it was a pretty old tune,now i'm edificated & it's still a lovely melody,
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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Its one of my favorites to play and one of the tunes I most commonly hear played in my store.

    Thanks for the story.
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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Or as his daughter Ruthie calls it: "The tune that put me through college." If you go on Jay's site, you can download the music for that, and one our fiddle club really loves to play, Haymaker's Hoedown. That's a great big tune that can be used to end a big dance set with a flourish. He's written a lot of great tunes through the years.

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    Middle-Aged Old-Timer Tobin's Avatar
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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Quote Originally Posted by Charlieshafer View Post
    one our fiddle club really loves to play, Haymaker's Hoedown.
    That's one of my favorite tunes to play, either on mandolin or fiddle (I prefer ADAE for this tune). I introduced it to the local jam here, and they really liked it. For a while, they would ask me to play it when it came around to my turn to pick. The last phrase in the B part of the tune can be a challenge for backup players if the original chord progression is followed (iv-V-IV-I-ii-V-I), but it really brings it alive. Which I find interesting, because although Jay's original score shows that chord progression, I don't hear it played that way in his recording.

    I agree, Jay Ungar has written a lot of tunes over the years that really capture the essence of good fiddle tunes.

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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Yep, Jay has written some really memorable pieces over the years, every now and then one gets picked up for something which turns out to be big! Ashokan Farewell has been one of those! It's about time for another one.....
    I remember the "Red Clay Ramblers" doing "Year of Jubilo" ages ago, incredible show, I learned the song after seeing them do it. Have not sung it in years.
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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Quote Originally Posted by HonketyHank View Post
    Well, now I gotta get with the program and work on Ashokan Farewell. Easy to play, hard to play well.

    It occurs to me that another tune from the Civil War miniseries (this one actually of the era) is Kingdom Coming (aka Day of Jubilo). I learned that one on my Vega Little Wonder mandolin-banjo before I even had a mandolin. I need to dust that thing off and try to remember it.

    So many tunes, so little time.
    "Kingdom Coming" was the Song-A-Week tune in August last year (Link). Will Fly's mandolin and vocal rendition posted there is particularly good!

    Martin

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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Jay and Molly still run the Ashokan music camps at the Ashokan Center as they have since 1980, I think. As a long time camper I can attest to the sentiment that led Jay to compose Ashokan Farewell. After a week of making music with friends, old and new, it's hard to leave.

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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Jay gets, and deserves, a lot of credit for tunes; but we best not forget Molly Mason, Jay's wife and half of the writing of some of those tunes and a fine writer in her own right. I also think Molly is a superb backup guitarist on fiddle tunes.

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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Quote Originally Posted by trevor View Post
    Its one of my favorites to play and one of the tunes I most commonly hear played in my store.

    Thanks for the story.
    Trevor,

    My son took me to a shop in Seattle called Lark in the Morning (no longer there) and i had my first chance to play a Lowden guitar. I started right in on Lark in the Morning and then abruptly stopped and apologized to the owner saying she must have heard it a thousand times. "Yes ... but not in a few years. Good to hear it again. Now ... if you play Ashokan Farewell we have a problem."

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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    1. It's a wonderful tune.

    2. Its association with the Ken Burns Civil War PBS series has led many people who attend Civil War re-enactments -- and this includes a fair number of the re-enactors themselves -- to mistakenly conclude it's a "period" tune.

    3. Since I've played a fair number of re-enactments in my days, usually in (civilian) costume, with antique instruments and a "period" repertoire, I've gotten many requests for Ashokan Farewell...

    4. ...which I often deflect, or, if I play it (usually on concertina), with a disclaimer that the tune postdates the Civil War by a century, plus.

    6. I sometimes substitute Lorena or Hard Times Come Again No More -- lovely tunes, but without the unique flatted 7th and the TV exposure.

    So, Mr. Ungar, thanx for writing a wonderful tune -- but I kinda wish so many people didn't mistake its pedigree.
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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Yes, Watch ken Burns Civil War and you can listen to it for 6 hours. Funny, whenever we used to play it, one buddy would just "Reading" what would be a letter home from a soldier....just like the series. Used to go there when I went to college in New Paltz. Yes, I'm one of the few who is still not there, but only an hour away

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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    I grew up in the area so the tune has always held a special place for me.

    It's funny though, I always thought it was a lament for the towns that were flooded when the reservoir was constructed. Some towns were relocated, I think Ashokan was one of them, and others were just outright lost forever. Many homes were taken by eminent domain despite protests from locals.

    I must have made up the tunes origin story in my head though as Jay lays it out pretty clearly that it was about the end up camp.

    I will say, despite the loss of home and farmland, the NYC water supply system is pretty impressive.

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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Jay's tune did for the Civil War mini-series (and general interest in the Civil War) what the OBWAT soundtrack did for "bluegrass". It's a simple, yet elegant tune. For this beginner player, it's slower tempo and the way it lays out on the fingerboard make it a quick learn that you can make sound better through dynamics and flourishes as you improve.

    This is a favorite of mine to play. You can play it solo and just enjoy having a fully fleshed mandolin tune to relax too while making real music.

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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Jay wrote one for the ages with Ashokan Farewell. One of the most haunting melodies of the twentieth century.

    I believe that so long as there are violins and people trying to play them, his tune will be one that many of them add to their repertoire...

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    Default Re: The story behind Ashokan Farewell

    Quote Originally Posted by JEStanek View Post
    Jay's tune did for the Civil War mini-series (and general interest in the Civil War) what the OBWAT soundtrack did for "bluegrass". It's a simple, yet elegant tune. For this beginner player, it's slower tempo and the way it lays out on the fingerboard make it a quick learn that you can make sound better through dynamics and flourishes as you improve.

    This is a favorite of mine to play. You can play it solo and just enjoy having a fully fleshed mandolin tune to relax too while making real music.

    Jamie
    Another Ken Burns documentary, "Lewis and Clark", has more great music that reminds me of Ashokan Farewell. Many of the songs were the first ones I learned when I began playing. Peter Ostrushko on mandolin is amazing. If you like the Civil War soundtrack, you'll like this one as well.
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