Saturday, July 25th, 2009
Most of the music we play is hundreds of years old. Many of the tunes John and I play come from the American Revolution and before.
The vast body of our music came with the people who immigrated to this country from the British Isles, specifically from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Many of these tunes were passed along by aural traditions, through community dances, local gatherings, and soldiers who were musicians involved in the various wars from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 to the Civil War. Some tunes are popular in specific geographic areas. There is a vast collection that is common to southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia and southern Ohio. Another collection comes from the Western Reserve and the Connecticut Firelands and are sometimes referred to as “New England Tunes”.
John and I help keep the traditions alive by playing for monthly contra dances, which come from the New England dance traditions, and various events such as historical meetings, parties, festivals, Irish sessions and private events.
I am personally involved with my granddaughters in passing this music along to the next generation, helping them to become “Steeped in the Tradition”. ยท