Fwd: Star of Columbia (Bonaparte crossing the Rhine)
P. Dan Brittain
Confirms much of what was already said, particularly about fiddle
origins, and elaborates some. Provided me a drum part, where I had
borrowed one from another fife tune.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Linda Delfs
My goodness yes. This tune occurs as Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine in
fife and drum corps, wildly popular, played with a drum part written
by the rowdy men's corps the Ancient Mariners, and as Battle of
Waterloo in the pipe band world. I don't think it originated in fife
and drum: many of the old tunes were borrowed (still are, in fact)
from fiddle repertoire.
There's an old recording by the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem (I'll
have to go home to get the title of the record) in which the tune
appears with lyrics about a fellow who married and lived to regret it.
I wonder if someone in the Irish "session" community would know more.
And have you tried the Kitchen Musician? They will sometimes add
footnotes to the zillion tunes they collect.
http://www.kitchenmusician.net/ kitch...@kitchenmusician.net
Hope this helps a little.
The version of Bonaparte played in drum corps is courtesy Sudbury
Ancient Fife and Drum Corps, which has all its repertoire on line. The
two tunes are played as a medley in jam sessions. John Ciaglia (a
Mariner) is a member of a family which has produced several excellent
fifers. The Mariners should have been credited for the drumming but
our webmaster, like me, may not have remembered exactly who wrote it,
so merely referenced the (umbrella organization) Company of Fifers and
Drummers compilation.
Bob Borcherding
From this page: http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/BOH_BONIN.htm
(You can search the site here: http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/)
Follows an excerpt reflecting some of the citations of "Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine":
BONAPARTE CROSSING THE RHINE [1]. AKA and see "Bonaparte's Retreat," "Bruce's March," "Caledonian March," "The Freemanson's March," "Napoleon Crossing the Rhine," "Ranahan's March [1]," "Sherman's March (to the Sea)," "The Star of Bethlehem" “St. Patrick’s March.” Old‑Time, March (cut time). D Major. Standard or ADae tunings. AB (Barnes): AAB (Phillips/1995): AABB (most versions). The first part of the tune shows up in several melodies from Ireland, Scotland and England; these variants include the Irish “Centenary March” and “An Comhra Donn,” and the Scottish “Caledonian March.” Barry Callaghan (2007) says the core tune was current as a military march in the Peninsular War, and probably earlier, although he cites no source for this assertion. Samuel Bayard (1944) was familiar with “Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine” as a common march tune in his primary collecting area of western Pennsylvania, and one which circulated under a variety of names including (in Fayette County) "Bruce's March" and (in Greene County) "The Star of Bethlehem." A Pennsylvania bandmaster gave Bayard the name "Ranahan's March," which he said commemorated a local bandmaster. As with several of the other 'Bonaparte'-titled tunes it is sometimes confused with similar names; for example, Bayard once heard it played by a New Jersey fiddler who gave it the ubiquitous name of "Bonaparte's Retreat." Fiddler Mack Snodderly played a slow, dirge-like version of the tune and called it "Dying on the Field of Battle.”
***
"The Greene County title (i.e. "Star of Bethlehem") suggests that the air may formerly have been sung to a once popular religious piece of the same name, beginning:
***
When marshaled on the nightly plain
The glimmering host illumed the sky.
***
But this hymn is now usually associated with the air 'Ye Banks and Braes of Bonnie Doon' in southwestern Pennsylvania and elsewhere. And there is no other indication thus far that (this tune) has been anything but an instrumental march tune in the Middle Atlantic area. We know, however, that it was used as a hymn melody in the South. Its currency in southern tradition is attested by two distinct versions used with a couple of the favorite pieces in the shapenote hymn books of fa-so-la singers. One of these, a close variant of (this tune) appears in Swan, The New Harp of Columbia (1867), No. 148 as 'France'; the other, representing a quite different‑‑somewhat more vocal‑‑development of the air, is entitled 'Family Bible' in Walker, The Southern Harmony (1835), No. 20, and Cayee, The Good Old Songs (1913), No. 217. This second version is listed by Professor George Pullen Jackson among the eighty most popular tunes in the fa-so-la song books: see 'White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands', p. 146, tune No. 63 and references. Other Pennsylvania sets are Bayard Coll., Nos. 35, 50. A variant called 'Caledonian March' appears in Howe's School for the Violin, pg. 17. Although the air sounds Scottish, it has not yet been traced outside this country (ed.—“Caledonian March” does appear in Kerr’s Merry Melodies and McDonald’s Gesto Collection. Did Bayard think that the Scots picked it up from Howe?). A tune bearing some resemblance to it occurs, in Smith, The Scottish Minstrel, IV, 12, 'The Pride of the Broomlands'; and another, still closer, occasionally appears in the commercial fiddle‑tune books as 'Lochnagar': e.g., Cole, p. 124; White's Excelsier Coll., p. 70; Kerr, No. 214" (Bayard, 1944).
***
Source for notated version: Tony Marcus [Phillips]. Barnes (English Country Dance Tunes, vol. 2), 2005; pg. 43 (appears as “The First of October”, the name of a country dance by Phillippe Callens set to the tune). Bayard (Hill Country Tunes), 1944; No. 90. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 51. Callaghan (Hardcore English), 2007; pg. 30. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 2, 1995; pg. 23. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 15. June Appal 003, John McCutcheon ‑ "How Can I Keep From Singing?" (1975). Rounder 0035, The Fuzzy Mountain String Band‑ "Summer Oaks and Porch" (1973. Learned from John Summers, Marion, Indiana).
X:1
T:Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine [1]
M:C
L:1/8
R:March
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:D
FG | A>B AF A2 de | f>e fa d2 dc | BcdB AFDF | E2 E>F E2 FG |
A>B AF A2 de | f>e fa d2 dc | BcdB AFEF | D2 DE D2 :: de | f>e fg a2 dc |
B>A Bc d2 AA | B>c dB AFDF | E2 E>F E2 FG | A>B AF A2 de |
Fefa d2 dc | B>c dB AFEF | D2 DE D2 :|
BONAPARTE CROSSING THE RHINE [2]. AKA and see “Bonaparte Crossing the Alps,” “Bonaparte Crossing the Rocky Mountains,” “Bonaparte’s March [3],” “First Light of Day,” “From Galway to Dublin (Town),” “Listowel Hornpipe.” March (4/4 time). A Minor. Standard tuning. AB (O’Neill): AABB (Howe). Howe (Complete Preceptor for the Accordeon), 1843; pg. 16. O’Neill (O’Neill’s Irish Music), 1915; No. 101, pg. 56.
X:1
T:Buonaparte Crossing the Rhine [2]
T:Bonaparte Crossing the Alps
M:4/4
L:1/8
R:March
S:Howe – Complete Preceptor for the Accordeon (1843)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:Amin
EF/G/ | A2 A>A AGEG | cdec d2 ef/g/ | aged cAGE | G2 G>G G2 EF/G/ |
A2 A>A AGEG | cdec d2 ef/g/ | aged cAGE | A2 A>A A2 :: ef/g/ |
aged cdef | gega g2 ef/g/ | aged cAGE | G2 G>G G2 EF/G/ |
A2 A>A AGEG | cdec d2 ef/g/ | aged cAGE | A2 A>A A2 :|
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Annie Grieshop
"Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine":
BONAPARTE CROSSING THE RHINE [1]. AKA and see "Bonaparte's Retreat,"
"Bruce's March," "Caledonian March," "The Freemanson's March," "Napoleon
Crossing the Rhine," "Ranahan's March [1]," "Sherman's March (to the Sea),"
"The Star of Bethlehem" �St. Patrick�s March.� Old?Time, March (cut time). D
***
***
***
different??somewhat more vocal??development of the air, is entitled 'Family
Bible' in Walker, The Southern Harmony (1835), No. 20, and Cayee, The Good
Old Songs (1913), No. 217. This second version is listed by Professor George
Pullen Jackson among the eighty most popular tunes in the fa-so-la song
books: see 'White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands', p. 146, tune No. 63
and references. Other Pennsylvania sets are Bayard Coll., Nos. 35, 50. A
variant called 'Caledonian March' appears in Howe's School for the Violin,
pg. 17. Although the air sounds Scottish, it has not yet been traced outside
this country (ed.��Caledonian March� does appear in Kerr�s Merry Melodies
and McDonald�s Gesto Collection. Did Bayard think that the Scots picked it
up from Howe?). A tune bearing some resemblance to it occurs, in Smith, The
Scottish Minstrel, IV, 12, 'The Pride of the Broomlands'; and another, still
closer, occasionally appears in the commercial fiddle?tune books as
'Lochnagar': e.g., Cole, p. 124; White's Excelsier Coll., p. 70; Kerr, No.
214" (Bayard, 1944).
********************
For what it's worth. I've only known/played it primarily as a dance tune,
so it's fun to learn all this.
Annie
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Chris Brown