The Gary Owen is an Irish drinking song that Custer, who liked to drink, liked and used it for marching into battle. Using bagpipes it sounded down right scary for those listening to it come towards them.
The Gary Owen is an Irish drinking song that Custer, who liked to drink, liked and used it for marching into battle. Using bagpipes it sounded down right scary for those listening to it come towards them.
THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!
I agree generally with that sentiment. However, there are a few tunes that do have a verifiable history. "Garryowen" has already been mentioned with its connection to Custer and the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Another one is "Downfall Of Paris" (or "Mississippi Sawyer" -- same tune in a different genre). Here's what I posted when the tune came in the Song-A-Week Group recently, mainly based on The Fiddler's Companion:
"This tune has an interesting history. Originally a French cotillion dance tune, it was adopted by the French revolutionaries as "Ça Ira", the great call to arms during the early revolution and terror eras. As early as 1793, the tune was then adopted by the British army under the new name " The Downfall Of Paris" -- some 20 years before the actual fall of Paris in 1814! After the Napoleonic Wars, the tune gradually lost its military character and became a dance tune again. American old-time/bluegrass versions are more commonly called "Mississippi Sawyer"."
In this case, the role of "Ça Ira" in the French Revolution is very well documented: it was THE main revolutionary song in the early days from the storming of the Bastille until it was superseded by the Marseillaise from about 1793 onwards. It's also clearly the same tune as "Downfall of Paris".
Martin
Also the name of a town in Ireland, where the tune seems to have come from (note the "seems to").
By the way, Custer's army was cavalry. I've also seen the tune associated with Ranald Mackenzie's cavalry (those of a certain vintage will remember the TV show "Mackenzie's Raiders"). I think "Garryowen" was used during their charges, rather than for marching, which hinders my enjoyment of the tune to some degree, though I like Garryowen and try to separate it from its use in genocide.
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
I can't speak for Mackenzie's cavalry, but it was march song for custer's 7th cavalry, yes the movement of a cavalry unit is called a march heck the movement of unit of tanks is called a march. FYI any regimental band associated with the 7th cavalry wouldn't have been part of a charge.
Last edited by Kevin Stueve; Jan-27-2019 at 8:08pm. Reason: typo's typo's everywhere
2012 Weber Bitterroot F5.
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
I doubt the helicopter attack to the ride of the valkyries was any more real than the loud speaker on the sherman tank in Kelly's Heroes. Hollywoods concept of warfare is often a flight of fantasy.
2012 Weber Bitterroot F5.
apologies i have strayed far afield from the original topic. Btw anyone have a decent arrangement of garrry owen? The one on mandozine doesn't stir me.
2012 Weber Bitterroot F5.
I must say that I learn a great deal from Mandolin Cafe. I love how everyone shares their knowledge, whether about instruments, music theory, tunes, songs, titles, the military, or whatever. Thanks everyone. Give yourself a pat on the back (if you're not too old and arthritic).
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
As Ranald noted, the history is often in the names as the tunes as opposed to the actual music. Many of the Scots-Irish tunes were learned by the Appalachian fiddlers and renamed by them to commemorate events. In other cases, they may have just learned the tunes from other musicians and never found out the names so they may just call it Ranald's Reel or something like that.
A good source of fiddle tune history, sources and names is the Fiddler's Companion, with listings compiled by my friend Andy Kuntz.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
A Mississippi Sawyer was a hazard during steamboat days. They were named, sawyer, preacher, etc. A sawyer was a log stuck in the mud on the bottom of the river, before locks and dams not very deep, that moved up and down with the current. Should a wood hulled steamboat happen to strike it, it would saw thru the hull with the current induced movement. It was at an angle. A preacher was similar log, but went straight up and down as opposed to a sawyer bouncing at an angle up and down. Since the river was learned by memory and changed often, these hazards were given names to let the other captains know where and what to expect.
THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!
If we are talking tunes rather than songs "The Eight Men of Moidart" commemorates the landing of Bonnie Prince Charlie in Scotland.
Interesting. I've always associated it with a tactical kick in rugby where the ball is kicked high in the air with the aim of allowing the attacking side to regain possession, as opposed to returning possession to the opposition with the benefit of gaining ground. SO similar to an onside kick in American Football.
But I digress further off topic.
According to my old radio boss, (who was also a former history teacher and musician that was once offered the job as Bill Monroe's manager) in certain parts of the country 'Soldiers Joy' was referred to as 'General Washington's Tune' because he used to love to dance to it. He had a certain interest to the Civil War because he was born in 1912, and there were old Civil War veterans who lived in his neighborhood.
I am very jealous that you got to meet Jimmie! He was a great artist that unfortunately seems to be almost forgotten these days. My old radio boss met him at the Newport Folk Festival back in the 1960's and said that among all of the the performers, he was the most popular guy to chat with while backstage . . . and naturally, EVERYBODY wanted to see his old homemade guitar!
Soldier's Joy is originally a British Isles tune, supposedly about payday. Another name for the tune is King's Head -- gold coins had the king's profile on them.
"Be kind to the band; they never get to dance"
Here's a Library of Congress article on Soldier's Joy. Apparently it's been found in 18th century British tune books, and Robert Burns appropriated the melody for one of his songs. These facts tend to discredit the idea that "soldier's joy" refers to morphine given wounded Civil War soldiers.
However, don't forget some of the lyrics set to the tune by the Skillet Lickers:
Fifteen cents for the morphine
Twenty-five cents for the beer;
Fifteen cents for the morphine,
Gonna take me away from here.
So you can see why someone could make the drug connection.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
Here's a couple more that I got from a list of "Canadian Fiddle tunes for Two Mandolins," in a book, posted today on Mandolin Cafe:
"Air a Bonaparte" (that guy gets more than his share of tune titles)
"Reel des Jumelles Dionne" (Dionne quintuplets, first recorded quints to survive infancy, born in Callander, Ontario in 1934 -- as children, they were world-famous, a tragic story though)
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Just said it was found in tune books, not whether it was notated for normal fiddling.
I have an Erie Canal March sheet music copy taken from a flute tune book, in the key of F which is a passable, but not favorite, fiddlers' key. Works fine on concertina, which is now I play it. There's printed "standard notation" all over the map, designed for different instruments, or for different arrangements for specific ensembles.
Which brings up another unrelated hijack topic, that many fiddle tunes have words associated with them, and are very hard to sing in the standard keys in which they're fiddled. I've heard quite a few singers straining a bit to sing Star Of the County Down in A-minor, which is where fiddlers in our area generally play it, e.g. D-minor works better...
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
In 1972 I was at the fiddle contest in Weiser, Idaho, and Benny Thomasson was in the contest. My fiddle teacher knew Benny so I spoke to him to pass along regards, then mentioned how much I liked Midnight on the Water. I never forgot his response: "My Daddy made that tune". The first time I ever heard that kind of reference to the origin of a tune.
Spencer
When I was living "up the Valley" (the Ottawa Valley) many years ago, I once asked an old timer (about the age I am now -- but that was old back then), who played fiddle, whether he could read music. He said, "No, I can't read a word of it." I figured that was an honest answer.
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of John Brown. I knew I'd recorded a version of Norman Blake's John Brown's March, but could not locate it in my library. Amazingly, I did find a copy of it through Mandozine. It was uploaded 7 years ago, but I believe was recorded in the early 2000's. Life moves on!
https://soundcloud.com/mandozine/joh...social_sharing
Last edited by PhilGE; Dec-03-2022 at 9:06am. Reason: Correction to second sentence to reflect I could *not* locate...
John Brown's Dream was for the abolitionist who was hung for inciting a slave rebellion at Harpers Ferry, before the civil war.
THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!
Bookmarks