Howe's Preceptor 1

Comment by Tim Twiss on February 4, 2014 at 11:15pm

I agree Rob.

Comment by Mark Weems on February 4, 2014 at 11:15pm

My idea that they might have been comes from playing through the type of material that would have been played on four string banjos. You can't lower the octaves on much of the material without having the bass string. Its mechanics.

Comment by Tim Twiss on February 4, 2014 at 11:22pm

What is the parallel relationship to the flute and fiddle versions all about....anybody?

Comment by Wes Merchant on February 4, 2014 at 11:57pm

They appear to be the same as the banjo book, same tunes, same keys, same layout. I found that very interesting, I could only find 3 pages from the flute/ violin book, but all 3 matched pages in the banjo book, except for the little stamp at the bottom of the page.

Comment by Tim Twiss on February 4, 2014 at 11:58pm

Okay...these are just facts. What are the conclusions?

Comment by Mark Weems on February 5, 2014 at 1:25am

The violin and flute and banjo versions are probably the same because they can all be played melodically. The violin and the banjo can also be played quite rhythmically. Personally, I like to do both. But the banjo book does not contain all the tunes that the other instrument versions do. Why not? Why not just throw them in if you are simply regurgitating melodies. To me, it is quite possible that the banjo is registering itself for the first time in notated form and it is doing so melodically as all instruments do. When you buy a book of fiddle tune notation it does not include all the rhythmic things fiddlers can add to that melody if they choose to. But some fiddlers will choose to play simply the melody, particularly if the melody is not bare boned but quite developed. (I do this when I play fiddle or banjo - sometimes I play a piece melodically and others times very rhythmically.) But no one would ever look at that book of fiddle tunes and say "that's not fiddle music, it doesn't show any double stops or chords or which direction to pull your bow, or when to slur or not to slur." To me, many of the pieces in the Preceptor sound great in their purely melodic form, others could benefit from the application of rhythmic formulas.

Comment by Joel Hooks on February 5, 2014 at 7:24am

"Okay...these are just facts. What are the conclusions?" -Tim

Here are my thoughts FWIW based on working with an "old school" sales manager in his 70s.

Sales manager walks in and says, "Customers are asking about banjo books-- I need to have something to ship"

Writers-- "Umm, we don't know anything about them."

Sales manager-- "So get one and write a book, I've got orders to fill!"

"Orders to fill? … but we don't have a banjo book, all I know is that they use violin strings.  We will need three months to write one before we can go to print."

"That's too long, we have to ship next month or we will lose our shelf space at Ditson, get a banjo and alter a book we already have… what about that violin book, sales are off on that?  You just said that the banjo is like a violin."

There is a pretty good chance that this was a rush to market job and really has nothing to do with the banjo other than filling orders.

Comment by Mark Weems on February 5, 2014 at 2:40pm

Joel, no one is denying a commercial element. But lets continue the scenario. Professional stage musician Joe Blow (we know that is the targeted audience because there is no attempt to teach how to read music in the book) walks into the Oliver Ditson storefront where he sees a freshly arrived stack of 'banjo books". Thinking about cashing in on this banjo craze and learning some banjo tunes, he is about to lay down his 25 cents for a copy when he looks inside and realizes "this doesn't have anything to do with the banjo, looks like fiddle music to me. What a joke!" He walks out of the store and tells all his professional stage musician friends not only in Boston, but also in New York and Philadelphia about the farce. No one buys the book. Elias Howe is discredited as a publisher, Oliver Ditson refuses any later publications from Howe. Christy is really angry because his name is on the front of the book and he is becoming the laughing stock of the industry........

But wait, that is not what happened at all. Instead, Elias Howe is so successful in the business that Ditson actually buys him out and he is able to retire as a young man. And Christy and Howe foster a lifelong relationship. 

Comment by Joel Hooks on February 5, 2014 at 6:59pm

I had not realized that it was intended for the professional stage musician.

I suppose I have mistakenly derived my conclusion from the fact that it did not seem to make anyones list of banjo books, for example, the SSS Journal June/July 1887- it is not in that list, and it is comprehensive.

Furthermore, in Al Baur's ninth letter to the journal he also fails to mention it.  But does go on to slander the fine reputation of the Elias Howe music publisher by writing the following when discussing "Howe's New American Banjo School" of 1857 (claiming that it is the next banjo book after "Briggs") ...

"… the scale of, and how to tune the banjo in the keys of C and D, constitute the elementary principles of how to play the banjo according to Howe.  These instructions are followed by a number of pieces from one of the author's violin books and some from a guitar book.  The last part of the book is filled with songs and guitar accompaniments which were, however, taken from the guitar book."

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