Minstrel Banjo

For enthusiasts of early banjo

This is from the "Woburn Fife Book" there is an inscription in the book that indicates it was purchased in 1807,
but no indication as to when this tune was transcribed.

Views: 96

Comment by Leonidas (Lee) Jones on September 26, 2016 at 9:35am
Interesting. The tune is very different from the Minstrel JaJ we know.
Comment by Wes Merchant on September 26, 2016 at 9:44am

Yes, I thought there were some similarities, I always find these sorts of things interesting, but they seem to raise more questions than they answer. https://archive.org/details/WoburnFifeBook

Comment by John Masciale on September 26, 2016 at 10:12am

It is "fifed up, or fifified."  This is the same observation Elaine makes about banjo arrangements, they are "banjofied" and she has un-banjo them when she reads them.  Tunes also change over time.  Compare early versions of Nachez on the Hill with Zip Coon and Turkey in the Straw.  There are noticeable differences, some of them ornamental, and some a little more significant.

Comment by Wes Merchant on September 26, 2016 at 1:01pm

The little intro in this arrangement seems to tie into this version. https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/24107

Comment by Leonidas (Lee) Jones on September 26, 2016 at 3:36pm
John, that makes good sense. i was, at one point a good fifer. Your comment is well taken, as with the fifties arrangements of Dan Tucker and others. However, I usually see a little bit more ressemblance to the original.

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