You see a little thread sticking out, you pull it, and you never know where it will lead ...
I was looking the McMeen music book, mentioned a posting previously, and one of the arrangements is of "Ashokan Farewell." You might remember the Ken Burn's documentary The Civil War, and if you do, you will recall this song, because it was pretty much the main theme, played over and over in many variations throughout the series.
It's a beautiful and haunting tune, and the first one I'll try to learn from the book. Perfect compliment to the slow version of "Dixie" I sometimes play.
I hadn't really thought about the song before, assuming it was a period piece, but I wanted to know more about it, so I went online to check it out.
It's not a period piece at all. It was written in 1982 by Jay Unger, as a kind of Scottish lament, in honor of a fiddle and dance camp held at Ashokan, not far from Woodstock, New York. Apparently the main part of the town now lies under a reservoir that supplies drinking water for New York City.
Ken Burns heard the album, liked it, and thus how it got to become a kind of Civil War anthem. It was the only non-period music used.
I find this kind of thing fascinating.
For more information, check out Jay Unger's FAQ on "Ashokan Farewell."
Unger's also written a nice fast piece, a hornpipe called "'Round the Horn". Good stuff, and fun to play (at least it is for us steel string guys). Let me know if you'd like a copy, as I think I've got a transcription around here somewhere.
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