Obscure fife tunes

[33rdaladrummer]

I posted this on another forum in response to a question about period fife music available online. I figured I'd post this here as well here to see if anyone has any additional information (or even cares). I pretty much gave up on this project a while ago.

Here is a link to the American Veteran Veteran Fifer, published in 1905 by the National Association of Civil War Musicians.

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

You can see the sheet music and listen to the audio in midi format.


Some of the tunes I have not been able to date to the war. One was definitely composed by a William McCarthy and published in 1883 (Post No. 2 G. A. R., I found his "fife and drum band book" at the library of congress). I have been researching the tunes in the AVF for a long time now, but come up dry on the ones below. They may be post-war. But the majority of the tunes you will find in the AVF are period, many were very popular indeed. I would be particularly interested if anyone could find a pre-1866 source for the tunes in bold, as they are popular with CW fife and drum corps. You may even recognize more that have appeared on Civil War fife and drum cds. Who knows if they are period tunes or not.

Post-war tunes in the AVF?
--------------------------
All Is Well
All Take Tea
American Eagle Quickstep
Anna
B.F. Hillikers Quickstep
Major J. N. Bogarts Banquet
C. E. Larrabees Lark
Charles Wallaces Quickstep
Civil War Musicians Quickstep
Corn Cob Clog
Denman Duncan's Drumbeat
Dream Q. S
E. A. Grows Quickstep
Eddie Littleton's Libation
Eden Quickstep
Edna's Entracte
Fannie's Festival
F. Deitzman's Quickstep
Fifth Maine Quickstep
Firemans Quick Step
Francis Murrays Musicale
French'es Favorite
George Brown's Bonvivant
Get There Eli
Grace
Gray Eagle
Henry's Halcyou
Howell's Quickstep
J H Ware's Quickstep
J. L. Blatchley Banter
J N Hamberger's Quickstep
Jobe's Quickstep
John Benjamin's Quickstep
John H Stuntz Quickstep
J. T. Burbank's Quickstep
Kippy Smith's Favorite
Langstons Quickstep
Leo Murrays Musetta
Leon Beall's Bonhomie
M. A. Moon's Quickstep
Maggie's Melange
Mason's Quickstep
Moulton's Quickstep
Nancy Hanks
Off To Charleston
O.S & S.H. Quickstep
Pernard Brown's Buffet
Post No. 2 G. A. R.
The Rambler
The Recruiting Sergeant
Ruth
The Soldiers Lament
Tallewan
T.B. Jobes Jubilee
T.E. Hills Quickstep
Tom Brown's Burletta
The Turkey Gobbler
Twilight
Union Quickstep
Walters Quickstep
Wild Goose
Wm Davenport's Quickstep
W. M. Larrabee Quickstep

[JKfifer119]

Re: Obscure fife tunes

Hey Will, you check brass band music sources for some of these?

joe korber

[eric marten]

Re: Obscure fife tunes

Firemans Quickstep is a variant (somewhat simplified) of "The Philadelphia Firemen's Cotillion" by Francis Johnson (1792-1844), first published in 1822, and "respectfully dedicated to Members of the Fire Association". Johnson, according to research by James W. Kimball, was a black violin and keyed bugle player and leader of a nationally known all-black orchestra that toured the United States and Europe. The piece was re-published later in Trifet's Cornucopia of Music in 1888 as "The Fireman's Dance" The A parts are fairly similar, and the B part departs somewhat.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Obscure fife tunes

I have checked around in brass band music a little but never found much. Here's one reference. I wonder if Jari or some of the other brass band guys could track down the music for it to see if it's the same tune as "All is Well" in the AVF:


All's Well. 1847. Charleston, South Carolina. Sung or played after a toast to
"woman," at a dinner celebration of The Fourth of July Association held at the Pavilion Hotel.
Source: Charleston Courier, 9 July 1847, 2.

http://www.american.edu/heintze/songs.htm

There is an account of a British band playing "I'm off to Charlestown" for British troops that were preparing to come to the aid of the Confederacy around the time of the Trent Affair (Bill Bynum of the Carolina Fifes and Drums and their cd liner notes have more info on this). Schott's British fife and drum book of 1861 includes a tune with that title, but it is completely different than the one in the AVF. I really like the one in the AVF, especially with the Stick tap beat from Hart that the Carolina boys play.

I did find original brass band sheet music for a Fireman's Quickstep. I do not remember where I found it but maybe it's the one mentioned here: http://www.frontierbrigadeband.com/K...hirl_Page.html. Again, it had the same title but was a completely different tune. Thanks for finding The Philadelphia Firemen's Cotillion, Eric!

[eric marten]

Re: Obscure fife tunes

Will:
In case I wasn't clear, (as is often the case), The Firemans Quickstep on your posted list is obviously a variant of The Philadelphia Firemens Cotillion by Johnson (1822). The A part follows relatively closely, and the B part departs from Johnson's tune, but appears to be a derivative. If I were more computer literate, I would post the transcription.

[33rdaladrummer]

Re: Obscure fife tunes

You were clear, Eric. I probably made things confusing by refering to a completely different Fireman's Q.S.

We have

(1) The Philadelphia Firemen's Cotillion by Francis Johnson 1822

(2) The Fireman's Dance 1888

(3) Firemans Q.S. 1905 (AVF)

(4) Fireman's Q.S. from band books of 1st Brigade Band (of Brodhead, Wisconsin)

#1 and #2 are the same tune, #3 is similar to #1 and #2, and #4 is a completely different tune with the same title. Right?

[eric marten]

Re: Obscure fife tunes

Will:

#3, I'm assuming, is essentially the same Fireman's Quickstep as transcribed in Ralph Sweet's modern (1964) "Fifer's Delight", a variant of #'s 1 and 2. Even if they don't look to the eye as the same tune, as soon as you play them consecutively, you see they are the same tune. #4, I don't think I know what that tune is. If I find out any more, I'll be happy to post. As always, a pleasure talking to you.