Chiff and Fipple Forums

Peter Laban wrote:

KDMARTINKY wrote: It was written specifically for the burns film.


Good Luck

I think that when you look at Jay Ungar's website you'll find even that is not the case.

]

I beleive Peter is right on. Here is the link:
http://www.jayandmolly.com/ashokanfaq.shtml

After watching the tapes of Burns Civil War , the song just gets into your blood........

Tangent alert! In related Ken Burns "Civil War" news, historian Shelby Foote, who had a prominent role in that series, passed away in June. Here's an interesting and quick biography--interesting fellow.

http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/ms ... te_shelby/

My arguement was that the tune was NOT used in the "war for suthern Independence as stated by the following:

The piece used as the theme music for The Civil War is called Ashokan Farewell. (Pronounced a-shó-kun or a-shó-kan). Ashokan Farewell was named for the Ashokan Field Campus of the State University of New York (in the Catskill Mountains). This camp, generally just called "Ashokan", is where Molly Mason and I run a series of week-long music and dance camps for adults known as Fiddle & Dance Workshop.

Ashokan is the name of a town, most of which is now under the Ashokan Reservoir, a very beautiful and magical body of water that is across the road from our home. According to our local historian, Alf Evers, Ashokan first appears in print as a place name in 17th century Dutch records. He thinks that it may be a corruption of a local Indian word.

I composed Ashokan Farewell in 1982 shortly after the summer programs had come to an end. I was experiencing a great feeling of loss and longing for the lifestyle and the community of people that had developed at Ashokan that summer. The transition from living in the woods with a small group of people who needed little excuse to celebrate the joy of living through music and dancing, back to life as usual, with traffic, disturbing newscasts, "important" telephone calls and impersonal relationships had been difficult. I was in tears when I wrote Ashokan Farewell . I kept the tune to myself for months, slightly embarrassed by the emotions that welled up whenever I played it

So as one can see this tune was written several years following the war.

My arguement was that the tune was NOT used in the "war for suthern Independence as stated by the following:

The piece used as the theme music for The Civil War is called Ashokan Farewell. (Pronounced a-shó-kun or a-shó-kan). Ashokan Farewell was named for the Ashokan Field Campus of the State University of New York (in the Catskill Mountains). This camp, generally just called "Ashokan", is where Molly Mason and I run a series of week-long music and dance camps for adults known as Fiddle & Dance Workshop.

Ashokan is the name of a town, most of which is now under the Ashokan Reservoir, a very beautiful and magical body of water that is across the road from our home. According to our local historian, Alf Evers, Ashokan first appears in print as a place name in 17th century Dutch records. He thinks that it may be a corruption of a local Indian word.

I composed Ashokan Farewell in 1982 shortly after the summer programs had come to an end.

So as one can see this tune was written several years following the war and according to many which cannot be supported by fact, it was modified for the burns film.

Hey, KD, my dad started the first SCV camp in Wisconsin a few years back! I made my debut at the SCV Convention in Chattanooga in 1995. Nice to know that I'm not the only rebel on the board.

The guy who wrote "Lorena" (popular on both sides of the war) lived in Elkhorn, WI, where I work. His house is now open to the public, but I've never been there though I've lived in the area for 18 years.

"Paddy's Lamentation" is a song that has Irish connections that dates back to that era.

A few more songs/tunes

"Plains of Manassas"
"Shiloh Hill"
"All Quiet along the Potomac Tonight"

Reb-RN

Wow a double post...... I joined the SCV in Memphis, TN under the "Chalmers" camp. My relative was Elijah Vaughn who fought with the army of tennessee. He was actually with the 4th Mounted Kentucky Infantry who fought with the Army of Tennessee. He refused to sign his pardon at wars end.

KDMARTINKY wrote:My arguement was that the tune was NOT used in the "war for suthern Independence as stated by the following:

The piece used as the theme music for The Civil War is called Ashokan Farewell. (Pronounced a-shó-kun or a-shó-kan). Ashokan Farewell was named for the Ashokan Field Campus of the State University of New York (in the Catskill Mountains). This camp, generally just called "Ashokan", is where Molly Mason and I run a series of week-long music and dance camps for adults known as Fiddle & Dance Workshop.

Ashokan is the name of a town, most of which is now under the Ashokan Reservoir, a very beautiful and magical body of water that is across the road from our home. According to our local historian, Alf Evers, Ashokan first appears in print as a place name in 17th century Dutch records. He thinks that it may be a corruption of a local Indian word.

I composed Ashokan Farewell in 1982 shortly after the summer programs had come to an end.

So as one can see this tune was written several years following the war and according to many which cannot be supported by fact, it was modified for the burns film.

You're quoting Jay Ungar, right? It's not clear from your post--instead, it reads as though you wrote the tune yourself.

M

Black Mage wrote:I know it's not the traditional realm of the tin whistle...

Some one correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that it was a popular instrument among the troops.

I have heard one tune played several times in documentaries, “Moreen” AKA “The Minstrel Boy.” Although I am sure that the piece that you are looking for is “Ashokan Farewell.”

Much thanks everyone, I certain that Ashokan Farewell is the song. I hope to have it learned soon.

Brewster wrote:Shelby Foote passed away in June.

I'm sorry to here that. I always enjoyed his parts in the series simply because of his accent.

I picked up a lot of tunes from that series I hadn't known before. I especially like All Quiet Along The Potomac Tonight and The Bonny Blue Flag.

LOL...Yes its a quote. I couldn't ever take credit for a beautiful tune as of that.

Hm, this isn't going to be as straight foreward as I had hoped. I went and downloaded the song and though beautiful, it doesn't seem to be in the key of D, which in itself wouldn't be a bad thing, but it also goes beyond the range of my Clarke D (both on the high and low ends). I may need to do some creative arranging.

This may take a while.

Ac || d3 c BA | F4 EF | G3 F ED | B,2 D3 B,|A,2 D2 F2 | A2 d2 f2 | f3 g
f2 | e4 Ac|
d3 c BA | F4 EF | G3 F ED | B,2 D3 B,|A,2 D2 F2 | A2 d2 f2 | A2 c2 e2 |
d4 FG|A3 F D2 |
d4 A2 | B3 c d2 | A F3 E2 | F3 E D2 | B,4 G,2 | A,6 | A4 FE | D2 F2 A2 |
=c6 | B3 c d2 |
A2 F2 D2 | A,2 D2 F2 | A2 d2 F2 | E3 D C2 | D4 ||


This version only has a few lower notes which you can raise an octave without bending the tune unduly out of shape.

Now you know why it's played on the fiddle.

JP

mvhplank wrote:

Peter Laban wrote:

KDMARTINKY wrote: It was written specifically for the burns film.


Good Luck

I think that when you look at Jay Ungar's website you'll even that is not the case.

Yep, it's a dance camp tune, chosen (if I remember correctly) because it didn't come from either side of the conflict.

Jay and Molly have appeared on Prairie Home Companion and have provided tunes to other Burns projects, notably "Not for Ourselves Alone" on the suffragettes. "Lover's Waltz" was used as a recurring theme.

M

Jay composed it himself, and it had nothing to do with the movie or the Civil War ... it just *sounds* so good and evokes the feelings that one would have facing a loss such as war inflicts ... http://www.jayandmolly.com/ashokanfaq.shtml