"required" music for certain contras
Gary D. Shapiro
tunes that go with them?
(I'm one of those next-generation callers who happens to like at least
some chestnuts. Even (or especially) those triple-minors.)
--
Gary D. Shapiro <gsha...@rain.org> http://www.rain.org/~gshapiro/
-->> -> -->> -> Is using one's turn signal an act of random kindness?
Tony Parkes
: How do I find out which contra dances (mostly chestnuts) have specific
: tunes that go with them?
Gary, I'm not sure there's any comprehensive list available, but
the number of surviving dance/tune pairs is relatively small, so
I'll take a stab at it. (Note that in the early years of what we
would now call "contra dancing", i.e. late 1700s-early 1800s, *most*
dances had their own tune; a majority, in fact, were named and
presumably written for a specific tune. Many of the tunes have
disappeared or fallen from favor, and their corresponding dances
are now done to "any good reel [or jig].")
Contra dances still done almost exclusively to their own tune
(although many bands play change tunes, they still begin and often
end the medley with the original tune):
Chorus Jig, Hull's Victory, Lamplighter's Hornpipe, Money Musk,
Petronella, Rory O'More, Sackett's Harbor (Note: Sackett's is a
special case; the tune is called "Steamboat Quickstep," and the
dance turns up in 19th-century books under that name)
Contras with a known original tune that sometimes gets used:
Devil's Dream, Lady of the Lake, Lady Walpole's Reel, Morning Star
(Note: there are at least 3 tunes called "Lady of the Lake"; I'm not
sure which, if any, was the original tune for the conra. The tune
for Lady Walpole's is often called "Masai's Favorite," but is firmly
associated with the dance)
Contras whose original tune has been lost, or is considered dull
by most modern dance musicians:
British Sorrow, Forest de Bondi, French Four, Market Lass,
The Tempest
: (I'm one of those next-generation callers who happens to like at least
: some chestnuts. Even (or especially) those triple-minors.)
Good for you!
From the number of recent posts in this vein, I gather there's a lot
of interest in the older dances. I know it can be hard to buck what
feels like an established and inevitable trend in your local dance
community. All I can say is keep plugging...do one or two numbers
in an evening that don't please the 64-beat-swing advocates. I
think variety will please more folks (and keep them coming back)
in the long run.
Tony Parkes
Peter Renzland
>How do I find out which contra dances (mostly chestnuts) have specific
>tunes that go with them?
>(I'm one of those next-generation callers who happens to like at least
>some chestnuts. Even (or especially) those triple-minors.)
>--
>Gary D. Shapiro <gsha...@rain.org> http://www.rain.org/~gshapiro/
>-->> -> -->> -> Is using one's turn signal an act of random kindness?
The simple answer is: Get Ted Sannella's "Balance and Swing", and
soon: "Swing the Next". While you're at it, get Larry Jennings':
"Zesty Contras", and then, for good measure, Tony Parkes': Contra
Calling -- A Basic Manual (or words to that effect:-)
--
Peter {in Ann Arbor, taking a "work" break before the Sawn Dance}
Gary D. Shapiro
Renzland) wrote:
> The simple answer is: Get Ted Sannella's "Balance and Swing", and
> soon: "Swing the Next". While you're at it, get Larry Jennings':
> "Zesty Contras", and then, for good measure, Tony Parkes': Contra
> Calling -- A Basic Manual (or words to that effect:-)
Gee, I have all those (except the one I'll be getting soon). I guess I
need to RTFM before posting questions!
** AND ALSO **
In article <D6D6M...@world.std.com>, elt...@world.std.com (Tony Parkes)
wrote:
[ a great response which I have omitted ]
Thanks! Let's not forget Wizard Walk!
P Stamler
which I think is a great one. It's in Randy Miller's book, _Lore of the
Fingerboard_, and on his cassette of the same name.
Also, don't forget some of the commonest fiddle tunes, i.e. 'Soldier's
Joy' and 'Devli's Dream', have dances that are done to them.
Paul Stamler
e-mail: Psta...@aol.com
Kiran Wagle
> the number of surviving dance/tune pairs is relatively small,
> so I'll take a stab at it.
And of course they're still being written. <grin> For example, "The
Gypsy Bride," by Robert Cromartie to a tune by Tom Troszak of the String
Beings.
Since you will all want to run out and buy their latest CD =Late for the
Dance=, which includes the dance and tune, I shan't bore you with it
here. The CD's available from Time Being Productions, PO Box 727,
Swannanoa NC 28778
~ Kiran <gr...@netcom.com>
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"_The Underground Grammarian_ does not seek to educate anyone.
We intend rather to ridicule, humiliate, and infuriate those
who abuse our language, not so that they will do better but
so that they will stop using language entirely or at least go away."
--Richard Mitchell, the Underground Grammarian
Dan Pearl
Some more modern tune/dance weddings are:
Market Lass to the tune of Glenn Towle
Wizard's Walk to the tune of the same name
(Hmmm.... These are very rare! Can anyone think of more?)
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Pearl ** Stratus Computer, Inc. ** pe...@sw.stratus.com
Tony Parkes
: Renzland) wrote:
: > The simple answer is: Get Ted Sannella's "Balance and Swing", and
: > soon: "Swing the Next". While you're at it, get Larry Jennings':
: > "Zesty Contras", and then, for good measure, Tony Parkes': Contra
: > Calling -- A Basic Manual (or words to that effect:-)
: Gee, I have all those (except the one I'll be getting soon). I guess I
: need to RTFM before posting questions!
Gary, all of those books are helpful and I highly recommend them;
but I don't think any of them (even mine) would have answered
your question "Which dances have their own tune?" I thought it
was a good question, and perfectly appropriate to post here.
BTW, I was thinking of traditional dances. A couple of folks
mentioned Wizard's Walk, but no other modern dances came to mind.
I can't think of any that have caught on to the extent that the
Wizard has. One traditional dance I forgot until now is Jefferson
and Liberty, better known in Dud Briggs's modern variant, Jefferson's
Reel. Its tune (aka The Gobby-O) is still fairly popular, but not
*de rigueur* for the dance.
Tony Parkes
Peter Y
like it even better than its own tune actually. Has anyone mentioned the
Arkansas Traveler?
There are a number of more modern dances written to various tunes. Ralph
Page wrote several dances to go with tunes (and often wrote the tune as
well). In Maine the Maine Country Dance Orchestra members have written
various dances to go with specific tunes. Duke Miller used to call many
dances to specific tunes (e.g. Shadrach's Delight to Aunt May's Canadian
Jig).
As a caller I find it enjoyable to make such pairings myself; it helps me
to call the dance better at times, and may give the dance more identity to
some of the dancers as well. Often I adopt older pairings (I always call
Lady Walpole's Reel to the Fireman's Reel, and the Monadnock Reel to Glise
de Sherbrooke).
Peter Yarensky
Jim Saxe
>Some more modern tune/dance weddings are:
> (Hmmm.... These are very rare! Can anyone think of more?)
In Larry Jennings _Zesty Contras_ there are two dances titled
"Joys of Quebec" presumably written with the idea that that tune
would fit particularly well. There's also an older dance in
_Zesty_ called "Pop Goes the Weasel" featuring a circle of three
in which one of the dancers gets "popped" through an arch at the
appropriate moment in the tune. I'm not sure I've ever danced
any of these.
At a recent open stage dance in Berkeley one of the callers called
a dance titled "Dancing Bear," evidently written to fit the Bob
McQuillen tune of the same name. I don't remember the whole dance,
but the A1 part was (from duple improper position):
Allemande right with neighbor 1/2 (4 beats)
Allemande left with same neighbor once around (4 beats)
Women chain across (8 beats)
Alas, the band didn't play "Dancing Bear" for it. I'm not sure
whether the caller didn't know that the dance name was also a tune
name, or whether he didn't ask or couldn't get the band to play it.
One modern composition to a special tune that gets called here in the
S.F. Bay area occasionally is David Kaynor's "Cherokee Shuffle." The
tune "Cherokee Shuffle" has a 10-bar B part, and the dance has an
extra long swing in B1 and a double balance where you would expect a
single balance in B2. I've seen it called to the original tune and
also seen it shortened to 32 bars (by shortening the swing in B1 and
omitting one of the balances in B2) and called to other tunes.
--Jim Saxe <sa...@pa.dec.com>
Kiran Wagle
> S.F. Bay area occasionally is David Kaynor's "Cherokee Shuffle." The
> tune "Cherokee Shuffle" has a 10-bar B part, and the dance has an
> extra long swing in B1 and a double balance where you would expect a
> single balance in B2.
This is particularly interesting to dance, because dancers seem to expect
an extra eight beats and they only get four. The last time I danced it,
it took a while before people figured out the end of the tune signalled
the end of the swing and didn't swing an extra four beats by mistake.
~ Kiran <gr...@netcom.com>
--
1628 5th St NW Washington DC 20001
WWW: http://www.io.com/user/entropy/home.html
WWW: http://www.io.com/user/entropy/contradance/dance-home.html
: Also, sometimes [Netcom] management had different priorities...
: for instance, I and other employees were once directed by Bob Rieger to
: take the time to clean our desks, rather than do things like callbacks.
(Found in a post by Bruce Woodcock (a former employee) on netcom.general)
Phil Katz
Parkes' talking about chestnuts. He is imho the one who
teaches absolutely the most ethereal chestnuts workshop -
I have danced it at NEFFA and at the Ralph Page weekend.
But no one ever accused me of non-audacity, so I offer my
comments, interspersed in Tony's using * markers.
Tony Parkes writes
> Gary D. Shapiro (gsha...@rain.org) wrote:
> : How do I find out which contra dances (mostly chestnuts) have specific
> : tunes that go with them?
>
> Gary, I'm not sure there's any comprehensive list available, but
> the number of surviving dance/tune pairs is relatively small, so
> I'll take a stab at it.
* Now _there's_ serious over-modesty for you.
> (Note that in the early years of what we
> would now call "contra dancing", i.e. late 1700s-early 1800s, most
> dances had their own tune; a majority, in fact, were named and
> presumably written for a specific tune. Many of the tunes have
> disappeared or fallen from favor, and their corresponding dances
> are now done to "any good reel [or jig].")
>
> Contra dances still done almost exclusively to their own tune
> (although many bands play change tunes, they still begin and often
> end the medley with the original tune):
>
> Chorus Jig, Hull's Victory, Lamplighter's Hornpipe, Money Musk,
> Petronella, Rory O'More, Sackett's Harbor (Note: Sackett's is a
> special case; the tune is called "Steamboat Quickstep," and the
> dance turns up in 19th-century books under that name)
* I comment that there now _appears_ to be a tune for Sackett's
Harbour. Here, we came to know it when Laurie Andres came across it
on a trip East (would that I knew where) and brought it back.
The tune is a relentlessly sensuous a minor reel - leaves the
dancers unable to escape each others' eyes during that wonderful
promenade. Then triumphant C major for the contra corners. A change
tune in a major key that fits very well, and gives some relief, is
Scotch Hornpipe; interestingly enough if you dig out the dance "Scotch
Hornpipe", you will find it only slightly different from Sackett's.
* Prior to these discoveries, we could never get any mileage out of
Sackett's Harbour. Imho it was treated as an old-fashioned trivial
exercise (perhaps a good way to teach beginners contra corners).
Imho (%) the jig tune (Steamboat), despite being traditional in
_recent_ memory, trivialized the dance with its bounciness. The
caller had to _tell_ the dancers about the wonderful parts. Whereas
the (supposed) rediscovered tune seems to "open up" the dancers and
lead them to discover the community/partner interactions. More than
a few times we've seen the dance, done to these reels, leave the dancers
with expressions of dazed wonderment.
% Actually how can one possibly claim "humility" if one chooses
to stick one's nose into Tony's comments on chestnuts?
* Comment on Lamplighters: I believe a medley of that tune with
Road to California is traditional (my recollection is
that Tony called Lamplighters to that medley at a Ralph
Page weekend I attended. I seem to recall that the tune comes through
from VT fiddler Chuck Luce, and being told that Road to California
is also another regional name for the dance Lamplighters.
Imho the Lamplighters tune ai a dramatic and more intense match
to the punctuation of the dance, and it is recognized viscerally
as such by most dancers. I don't think you could medly
back to the home tune (as we do with Sackett's/Scotch H'pipe)
after changing from Lamplighters to RDtoCA.
>
> Contras with a known original tune that sometimes gets used:
>
> Devil's Dream, Lady of the Lake, Lady Walpole's Reel, Morning Star
> (Note: there are at least 3 tunes called "Lady of the Lake"; I'm not
> sure which, if any, was the original tune for the conra. The tune
> for Lady Walpole's is often called "Masai's Favorite," but is firmly
> associated with the dance)
* Out of curiousity, I wonder if Tony would consider Speed the
Plough as an American chestnut. It certainly is an English chestnut
and a well-known American tune.
>
> Contras whose original tune has been lost, or is considered dull
> by most modern dance musicians:
>
> British Sorrow, Forest de Bondi, French Four, Market Lass,
> The Tempest
* Tony has called the two most memorable times I have done
British Sorrow, and he has used flowing but lively marches.
At the Ralph Page it was Dixie (yup, Dixie - probably due to
Bo Bradham) into Yr of Jubalo. And at NEFFA a couple years ago
(I recall it was w/ Mary Lea and possibly full-fledged Ingenuity),
the last march was Miss Murray of Lintrose, a tune I associate
with my friend Sylvia Miskoe.
* For having chills sent up and down
your spine, you might try finishing up a couple of such
marches with "World Turned Upside Down", played the way it's
done on the NH Fiddlers Union tape. A tune by this name is
historically reported to have been played by the English band
at Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown. I thought I had a great
discovery using this tune for this purpose, until I came across
the same recommendation by the old master, Ralph Page,
in one of his books.
* For Market Lass, I have found Dudley Laufman's "Glen Towle" to
be a modern-day chestnut. More than a few times I have found
it called to this tune (the most dramatic being an arrival at
Cecil Sharp House in London, straight from the plane and
exhausted, to hear a familiar tune.)
>
> : (I'm one of those next-generation callers who happens to like at least
> : some chestnuts. Even (or especially) those triple-minors.)
* And I am one of the next-generation musicians who likes most of
those chestnuts, both in a dancer and a musician role.
>
> From the number of recent posts in this vein, I gather there's a lot
> of interest in the older dances. I know it can be hard to buck what
> feels like an established and inevitable trend in your local dance
> community. All I can say is keep plugging...do one or two numbers
> in an evening that don't please the 64-beat-swing advocates. I
> think variety will please more folks (and keep them coming back)
> in the long run.
>
> Tony Parkes
* Hear hear!
* Phil Katz
Peter Renzland
>Gary D. Shapiro (gsha...@rain.org) wrote:
>: pe...@passport.ca (Peter Renzland) wrote:
>: > The simple answer is: Get Ted Sannella's "Balance and Swing", and
>: > soon: "Swing the Next". While you're at it, get Larry Jennings':
>: > "Zesty Contras", and then, for good measure, Tony Parkes': Contra
>: > Calling -- A Basic Manual (or words to that effect:-)
>: Gee, I have all those (except the one I'll be getting soon). I guess I
>: need to RTFM before posting questions!
Ooops. That wasn't my intended message -- my apologies. I meant "simple
answer to give", as in a quick pointer that doesn't require a lot of typing,
research, or double checking for completeness, etc. I certainly didn't
mean to suggest "the answer is simply ...". Apparently it wasn't
a easy answer to receive. :-) Mea culpa!
I suppose if Gary suggests RTFM before posting, perhaps I should at least
skim the books I mention -- It turns out that B&S has suggested tunes for
all the dances, but it doesn't have the chestnuts that Gary was looking for.
ZC has all the Chestnuts, and mostly names their tunes, except that
sometimes it refers to other sources for the tunes, such as CM, which
then, in turn, refers to _recorded_ sources, such as "Shaw 175".
CDC-ABT comes closest to giving easy answers on pages 273 and 274, by
identifying 7 chestnuts, and giving music sources (both scores and
recording).
Peter { better silent than terse? } (back from Ann Arbor)
Bo Bradham
>
> * Tony has called the two most memorable times I have done
> British Sorrow, and he has used flowing but lively marches.
> At the Ralph Page it was Dixie (yup, Dixie - probably due to
> Bo Bradham) into Yr of Jubalo.
You seem to have an extremely good memory. But for the record
"Dixie" was played despite my vociferous objections. The
comparison to dancing to "Oh Canada" or "The Star Spangled
Banner" was met with blank stares followed by hoots of derision.
Bo Bradham
Gary D. Shapiro
ph...@whatnext.apl.washington.edu (Phil Katz) wrote:
[snip snippity snip snip...snip snip]
> that I (gds) scribbled...
> > : (I'm one of those next-generation callers who happens to like at least
> > : some chestnuts. Even (or especially) those triple-minors.)
>
> * And I am one of the next-generation musicians who likes most of
> those chestnuts, both in a dancer and a musician role.
I haven't been exposed to "most of those chestnuts" since I decided to
learn how to be a caller. Who can provide a scholarship to hang out in
New England for a few months? Or possibly at dance camps callers called
some but I was busy being a dancer rather than a caller to write them down
and ask about the music.
"Are you a dancer who calls or a caller who dances?" -- Erik Hoffman (at
least I heard that from him)
Kiran Wagle
> "Are you a dancer who calls or a caller who dances?"
> --Erik Hoffman (at least I heard that from him)
What is the difference?
Which is better?
And which are you? (I can probably guess!)
<grin>
~ Kiran "And is Erik on the net yet--he promised!" <gr...@netcom.com>
--
1628 5th St NW Washington DC 20001
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"Tapirs are animals used in geography books. Geography could be taught
without tapirs but it would not be the same. Geography with Tapirs
gives children the right start in life. If they go wrong later on,
it is not the fault of the Tapir."...Will Cuppy, _How to Attract the Wombat_
Nancy Mamlin
> ph...@whatnext.apl.washington.edu writes:
> >
> > * Tony has called the two most memorable times I have done
> > British Sorrow, and he has used flowing but lively marches.
> > At the Ralph Page it was Dixie (yup, Dixie - probably due to
> > Bo Bradham) into Yr of Jubalo.
>
> You seem to have an extremely good memory. But for the record
> "Dixie" was played despite my vociferous objections. The
> comparison to dancing to "Oh Canada" or "The Star Spangled
> Banner" was met with blank stares followed by hoots of derision.
>
>
> Bo Bradham
Yo Bo!
My band (Roustabout) plays "Dixie" for dances every now and then. Of course,
we're a *little* bit further toward the Mason-Dixon line than you (although
still on the south side).
There was once, before I was in the band, that the boys were playing in a
bar in Pennsylvania (Motto: "No Guns in the Pool Room"). When they got to
"Dixie" that night, folks rose and stood at attention till they were done.
See ya round,
Nancy Mamlin
Merilee D. Karr
wrote:
> "Which dances have their own tune?" I thought it
> was a good question, and perfectly appropriate to post here.
>
> BTW, I was thinking of traditional dances. A couple of folks
> mentioned Wizard's Walk, but no other modern dances came to mind.
Another modern dance with its own tune is "Ten Pound Snowflake," popular
in the Midwest.
--
Merilee D. Karr
Portland, Oregon
mer...@teleport.com
scotca...@delphi.com
Bear...
It's by Becky Hill and is published in her book Twirling
Dervish and Other Contra Dances.
Craig Whitehead
Its Better to Wear Out Than To Rust Out (sign in the old dance
hall at the Maine Folk Dance Camp in Bridgton, Me)
Charlotte, NC
Jonathan Sivier
>Jim Saxe mentioned a dance he thought was called Dancing
>Bear...
>
>It's by Becky Hill and is published in her book Twirling
>Dervish and Other Contra Dances.
Yes, and I've called it with the band playing Dancing Bear and they go
together very well.
Jonathan
-------------------------------------------------------------------
| Jonathan Sivier | Ballo ergo sum. |
| jsi...@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu | (I dance therefore I am.) |
| Flight Simulation Lab | - des Cartwright |
| Beckman Institute | |
| 405 N. Mathews | SWMDG - Single White Male |
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| Work: 217/244-1923 | |
| Home: 217/359-8225 | Have shoes, will dance. |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
P Stamler
tune by Peter Lippincott, found on Childgrove Country Dancers' tape "Jump
Fingers".
Paul Stamler
e-mail: Psta...@aol.com
Lynn Chirps
>Another modern dance with its own tune is "Ten Pound Snowflake," popular
>in the Midwest.
the dance on the cassette Jump Fingers! Missouri old time dance bands recorded
live. His calling has incredible drive and IMHO shows the influence of
traditional square calling on the melding of contra dancing and old-time music
that works so well in St Louis and elsewhere. The rest of the cassette is
dance length tunes without calling -- highly recommended.
Childgrove Country Dancers
1797 Golden Lake Ct.
Chesterfield, MO 63017
(314)537-1643
Standard disclaimer (Chirps has nothing to do with it)
Dot
Jonsin
Announcing 3 workshops in Seattle by:
DAVID KAYNOR
Reknowned fiddler and dance caller from Montague Center, MA and author of
<<Calling Contra Dances for Beginners by Beginners>>
Although David will play fiddle for these classes, the material covered is
suitable for any melody instrument.
New England Repertoire and Styling
Saturday, April 15th, 1:00-3:30 pm
Fiddle as a Rhythm Instrument
Tuesday, April 18th, 7:30-10:00pm
Harmonies
Tuesday, April 25th, 7:30-10:00pm
Cost is $20 for 1, $30 for 2, or $40 for all 3.
Classes will be held in the University District in Seattle
Space is limited so pre-registration in strongly encouraged.
Call 206-526-8104 for more information.
Private lessons also available April 12th to 26th.
Thanks-
Jon Singleton
Jon Singleton