Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

[33rdaladrummer]

While we're on the subject of overplayed tunes in general, I thought it would be interesting add to something positive to the discussion, along with the negative. We can probably think of many tunes that are overplayed, but what about tunes that are underplayed? Certainly tunes that are documented to have been played or appear frequently in printed sources should be considered to be underplayed.

Some tunes that come to mind:

Rory O'More
The Campbells are Coming
Hail to the Chief
Flowers of Edinburgh
Who'll Be King but Charlie
Lannigan's Ball aka Tecumseh (mentioned by Walt Whitman to have been played at the Grand Review in 1865)
College Hornpipe
Cuckoo's Nest
My Love She is but a Lassie Yet
Carry Me Back to Virginny
Bonnie Doon
Charley Over the Water
Fifer's Delight
Guilderoy
Kinloch
Larry O'Gaff
Duke's Q.S. aka King William
Larry O'Brien
Rickett's Hornpipe
Beaux of Oak Hill
Soldier's Joy
Jefferson and Liberty
Arkansas Traveller

from Drum Taps in Dixie by Delevan Miller

But whin youse kids led us out on a p'rade to the
chune of 'Rory O'More' it was like goin' to a
Donnybrook fair so aisy was the marchin' behind
the drum corps of the Second Heavy



Many of the crack brass bands of the country
were there, but they were not in it with the old
martial band. Their music — mind the expression, "
music" — caught on with all the swell people of
the city who thronged the camp waiting for an opportunity
to hear them, and the veterans went
wild as they heard again the reveille and tattoo
and the old familiar strains of "Yankee Doodle," "
The Girl I Left Behind Me," "Rory O'More," "
The Campbells Are Coming," "Hail to the Chief,"
and many other reminders of the old days.



from Christian Memorials of the War
by Horatio Balch Hackett - United States - 1864 - 252 pages

"Our fifer immediately commenced straightening himself
upward until all the angles in his person had disappeared,
when he placed his fife to his mouth, and played the "
Flowers of Edinburgh," one of the most difficult tunes to
follow with the drum that could have been selected..."

from The Civil War on the Outer Banks By Fred M. Mallison

"After which headed by the old colored Fifer Dennis to the air or tune of "Who'll Be King but Charlie," we moved off."

Getting back to overplayed tunes:

Hell on the Wabash (first appears in B&E and no other printed source 1861-1865)
Jaybird
Fireman's Q.S. (not even documented to be a period tune)
Old 1812/Welcome Here Again
Minstrel Boy (when did this become a fife and drum tune anyway?)
Adam Bell's (modern drumbeat)
The Harriot (modern drumbeat)
Some Distance from Prussia (post-war)
Paddy on the Handcar (first appears in print 1870s)
Grandfather's Clock (1880s)
York Fusiliers (a great tune, but perhaps its popularity peaked during the early 1800s)
Paddy O'Toole (third strain postwar)
Balquhidder Lasses (postwar)

[AZReenactor]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

Underplayed would definitely have to be the various duty calls throughout the day. Whether in our hobby or the mainstream, there is rarely enough of the daily calls being played at events. The military day was regulated by these calls and they should be a regular fixture at most types of events.

If you can find a copy, a nice little book that describes the daily existance of a musician on post is News from Fort Craig, New Mexico, 1863;: Civil War letters of Andrew Ryan, with the First California Volunteers. Nice account of the drudgery and perks of the military musician's life on post.

[27thNCdrummer]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

Definitely overplayed in the drum side of the hobby is Q.S. No. 1 from B&E. I seriously doubt that it was played much at all during the war because it is a cadence that was written for the first time in B&E by the authors.

But you all can be proud of me because I refuse to play that and only play out of Howe, Keach, or other regular army manuals.:)

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

Found another tune reference (Beaux of Oak Hill). My guess is that the old fashioned slam bang style is the 1812 era "long march" type beat. Klinehanse's 1853 drum manual actually contains a couple of beats that seem to be the bridge between the old and new drum styles.


A History of the Eleventh New Hampshire Regiment, Volunteer Infantry in the ... By Leander Winslow Cogswell

The recollections of the writer are mainly connected
with the drum corps, of which he was a member, and
of the regiment from the stand-point of a musician. The
surviving members of the drum corps cannot fail to
remember our first public appearance on duty as a body,
at the camp at Arlington Heights. The outlook for
efficiency was not particularly hopeful. The fifers could
play together only 'Yankee Doodle' and 'The girl I
left behind me,' while the drummers beat their drums
in the old-fashioned ' slam-bang style.' Nearly three
years, however, of constant drill and practice made a
wonderful difference ; and at the close of the war the
drum corps of the Eleventh, although greatly diminished
in numbers, contained as accomplished a company of
musicians as could be readily found. Who can say howmuch the stirring music of the fife and drum had to do
with the spirit and efficiency of the army? "
An instance in our Kentucky campaign illustrates
the inspiring effect of music. It was after a long, hard
march that we halted at the edge of the village of Winchester.
Now there never was an officer prouder of his
command than Colonel Harriman, and he always had his
regiment march through the villages \ve passed in good
style, music playing and colors flying. This day the
regiment was utterly worn out with a march of seventeen
miles in the oppressive heat. At the command, however,
the boys fell into their places and started off,
languidly taking the step at the tap of the drum. As
we moved down into the village the fifes began the lively '
Beaux of Oak Hill' — a tune, by the way, we had never
before played in public. Never was there a greater
transformation. All weariness was gone in an instant.
Every back straightened up, every step fell at the same
beat, each man was for the time every inch a soldier.
How the old colonel's eyes shone as we passed him,
standing with a crowd of spectators watching our splendid
march. But it was all over in a few minutes. The
music had ceased, and the martial spirit evoked for the
occasion was completely gone. The men dropped down
all along the roadside, and before camp was reached,
half a mile away, there remained not twenty guns to
stack. "

[1812FieldMusik]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

Will, could you tell me where I could find these songs? Mainly "Beaux of oak hill" "larry o'gaff" and "who'll be king but charlie" I've never heard of these and would be most anxious to learn them. (see you in August)

[YoungCampaigner]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

Definitely overplayed in the drum side of the hobby is Q.S. No. 1 from B&E. I seriously doubt that it was played much at all during the war because it is a cadence that was written for the first time in B&E by the authors.

Andrew,
Good point. Your argument is valid for a Confederate musician, and it is only accurate for Federals to play B&E's No. 1 in mid or late war situations. George Bruce was the chief drum instructor at the Governor's Island school. We know that B&E was probably used at Governor's Island after 1862 (why wouldn't Bruce teach from his own manual?). I agree with you that No. 1 is overplayed, but I think it is also played by the wrong people.

[BrandonEnglish]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

Since my days as a drummer in a fife and drum corps, one tune I haven't heard in a very long time is "Frog in the well"

[JKfifer119]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

Will, could you tell me where I could find these songs? Mainly "Beaux of oak hill" "larry o'gaff" and "who'll be king but charlie" I've never heard of these and would be most anxious to learn them. (see you in August)

Tyler try Harts for the Beaux of Oak Hill, I believe its in there



Brandon
We like to play frog in the well often as possible
another tune one can find in Col Harts

[JKfifer119]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

Andrew,
Good point. Your argument is valid for a Confederate musician, and it is only accurate for Federals to play B&E's No. 1 in mid or late war situations. George Bruce was the chief drum instructor at the Governor's Island school. We know that B&E was probably used at Governor's Island after 1862 (why wouldn't Bruce teach from his own manual?). I agree with you that No. 1 is overplayed, but I think it is also played by the wrong people.

"George Bruce was the chief drum instructor at the Governor's Island school."

no one's really shown any proof of George Bruce even being in the regular service much less on Gov Island. In discussions with the staff there, on my frequent visits to Gov. Isl.,the names that come up most often in records, as instructors, Sgt Moore and a Sgt Henke (hanke).Both long time members of the service and long assigned to GI, apparently.
Henke actually died and was buried there til they moved graves to Cypress Hills in Brooklyn


"We know that B&E was probably used at Governor's Island after 1862 (why wouldn't Bruce teach from his own manual?). "


how do we know that? contrary to popular belief there is no indication that the B&E attained any "official" status such as Ashworth, Klinhanse or Strube(post war). What the B&E had going for it was that it was re published in the 1880's when all the other manuals form the war era had long been out of print
and out of memory, and then its republished again in the 20th century and for a while, was the only game in town for folks looking for music from that period


its a good chance that most of what is in the B&E, much of it very unique, is over played or over represented

[27thNCdrummer]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

I agree Joe.

Frog in the Well aka Keemo Kimo is my favorite marching tune. Whenever I have a fifer with me that's one of the first tunes I suggest to play.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

Tyler,

Charlie (this a post-war source, but I think it might be the same as the one in Howe's 1867 1000 Jigs and Reels. I can't come up with an earlier source right now):

http://www.fifedrum.org/resources/music/tutor/94.shtml

Beaux (Hart):

http://www.drumband.org/music/ccdb-music.html

Larry (this from the AVF, same as Howe's 1862 F&D, but is in a different key):

http://www.drumband.org/music/avf/avf.html

You should be able to find all the rest in the same places.

[YoungCampaigner]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

"George Bruce was the chief drum instructor at the Governor's Island school."

no one's really shown any proof of George Bruce even being in the regular service much less on Gov Island. In discussions with the staff there, on my frequent visits to Gov. Isl.,the names that come up most often in records, as instructors, Sgt Moore and a Sgt Henke (hanke).Both long time members of the service and long assigned to GI, apparently.
Henke actually died and was buried there til they moved graves to Cypress Hills in Brooklyn


"We know that B&E was probably used at Governor's Island after 1862 (why wouldn't Bruce teach from his own manual?). "


how do we know that? contrary to popular belief there is no indication that the B&E attained any "official" status such as Ashworth, Klinhanse or Strube(post war). What the B&E had going for it was that it was re published in the 1880's when all the other manuals form the war era had long been out of print
and out of memory, and then its republished again in the 20th century and for a while, was the only game in town for folks looking for music from that period

Very interesting. I stand corrected :)

[Alan Lloyd]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

Joe

"official" status such as Ashworth, Klinhanse ....."

What else can you tell us about Klinhanse? Has it been reprinted? What kind of official status did it have?

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

On the cover, the Klinehanse manual states that it was "prepared under the direction of the adjutant general of the united states army, approved of by the commander-in-chief, and adopted for the use of the army of the united states. By George D. Klinehanse. Washington, D.C. 1853"

I will check and see if it's okay for me to post the manual here.

Much of Nevins' manual seems to have been taken right of Klinehanse. Given its "official" status, it gives additional proof that Howe, Nevins, and Keach line up more with what was probably played and passed down from experienced army musicians than B and E.

There is even a clarionet book by Septimus Winner that contains a version of the reveille that is closer to the official version than B and E.
Bruce claims in his book that he had served for many years as instructor at Gov Island. But he admits that he modified and adapted the duty to fit in with the modern (his) style. Looking at Strube's 1869 manual, one does see a bit of influence from B and E, but Strube still shares more with the other period manuals than it does with B and E.

[JKfifer119]

Re: Over/underplayed fife and drum tunes

Thanks Will

I'd like to add that the short snips of music that Hardee and Casey include in their tactics manual also line up pretty good with whats in the Klinehanse

joe korebr