George P. Knauff's Virginia Reels and the History of American Fiddling

George P. Knauff's Virginia Reels (1839) was the first collection of southern fiddle tunes and the only substantial one published in the nineteenth century. Knauff's activity could not anticipate our modern contest-driven fiddle subcultures. But the fate of the Virginia Reels pointed in that direction, suggesting that southern fiddling, after his time, would happen outside of commercial popular culture even though it would sporadically engage that culture. This book uses this seminal collection as the springboard for a fresh exploration of fiddling in America, past and present. It first discusses the life of the arranger. Then it explains how this collection was meant to fit into the broad stream of early nineteenth-century music publishing. The book describes the character of these fiddle tunes' names (and such titles in general), what we can learn about antebellum oral tradition from this collection, and how fiddling relates to blackface minstrelsy. Throughout, the book connects the evidence concerning both repertoire and practice found in the Virginia Reels with current southern fiddling, encompassing styles ranging from straightforward to fancy—old-time styles of the Upper South, exuberant West Virginia styles, and the melodic improvisations of modern contest fiddling. Twenty-six song sheets assist in this discovery. The book incorporates performance descriptions and music terminology into his accessible, engaging prose. The book presents an extended look at the history of southern fiddling and a close examination of current practices.

Luther Strong

This chapter describes the recordings of mountain fiddler Luther Strong. In 1937 Luther Strong recorded “Glory in the Meetinghouse” as one of over two dozen fiddle tunes for the Library of Congress. His playing, long admired in his community, became revered nationally through these recordings, with “Glory” among them still regarded as a masterpiece of this idiom. According to his daughter Faye, when Luther played it for his neighbors, “Everybody was wild about it. It had such get up and go.” “Glory” functioned not as a dance number, but as a virtuoso piece for listening. This was music made for music's sake. It required, Luther said, the skills that “make a fiddler.” Luther's “Glory in the Meetinghouse” brings together the personal and the historical.

Nationalist Composers and Fiddle Music: A Reflection of Removal from Traditional Culture, with Specific Attention to Copland and Grieg

The late Romantic period of classical music was characterized by a new enthusiasm for the inclusion of folk music in classical composition. Edvard Grieg and Aaron Copeland are two composers who characterize this period, and both used traditional fiddle tunes from their respective countries in their Nationalist compositions. This essay explores the extent to which folk traditions were honored and exploited in each composer’s music. The author concludes that while Grieg was more successful in authentically portraying the fiddle music of his nation, Copeland’s comparable work became a much more popular Nationalist symbol.