Violin Forum/Message Board

[caeman]

This little tune from Unger & Mason called Ashokan Farewell has recently caught my fascination. Ken Burns discovered it and used it for his Civil Wars PBS series, but I never really noticed it there, it was only after it kept popping up on one of my Pandora channels.

In one of my Google searches looking for information about the tune, a forum poster noted that to him, it was more like a Scottish lament, than a waltz or Irish air. In any case, I have been working it for one week now and it is coming along well for my skill level.

[Maggini]

I first heard this song on Ken Burns' documentary and spent a lot of time learning it from a vcr recording. I wanted to own the sheet music. I assumed that it was an old civil war tune, so I started researching old civil war songbooks.

A fiddler friend of mine heard me playing it and told me it was "Ashoken Farewell", written in the 1990's. I asked him where I could get it. He sent me to Ungar/Mason's website. I felt so dumb!

Anyway, I have heard Jay Ungar talk about the piece. He describes it as a "Celtic Waltz". I love the song and play it often.
_________________
"Never underestimate the power of encouragement."

Dr. Edmund Robb III

[R Mac]

This tune got me in a bit of trouble once. I was buying an old fiddle at a flea market and the vender played the first couple of bars and handed me the instrument. I played a few more bars and handed the fiddle back. The vendor than felt sure that I was a fellow Civil War enthusiest, and I had a tough time prying myself out of the conversation! My wife saw what was going on and called me on the cell phone. This gave me the break I needed to just pay the man and escape with the fiddle.

Mac (...which has nothing to do with the Battle of McPherson's ridge)

[Jack Rushing]

This is a beautiful piece for the violin. I have been playing it by memory for
months now. Played it in church the other day with a friend who is a good
violinist. he told me afterward that my C's needed sharpening up a bit. I
finally got around to getting the sheet music and he was right. Not only the
C's, but the F's are sharp too. Ahhhhh, The old ears are not what they used
to be.

[Jack Rushing]

The words to the piece by Priscilla Herdman are pretty too. They are like a
Scottish Lament. Jay Unger wrote several good tunes, The Lover's Waltz
being a good one too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRyMH_4PO3Y