George P. Knauff's Virginia Reels (1839) was the first collection of
southern fiddle tunes and the only substantial one published in the
nineteenth century. Knauff's activity could not anticipate our modern
contest-driven fiddle subcultures. But the fate of the Virginia Reels
pointed in that direction, suggesting that southern fiddling, after his
time, would happen outside of commercial popular culture even though it
would sporadically engage that culture. Chris Goertzen uses this seminal
collection as the springboard for a fresh exploration of fiddling in
America, past and present. He first discusses the life of the arranger.
Then he explains how this collection was meant to fit into the broad
stream of early nineteenth-century music publishing. Goertzen describes
the character of these fiddle tunes' names (and such titles in general),
what we can learn about antebellum oral tradition from this collection,
and how fiddling relates to blackface minstrelsy.
Throughout the book, the author connects the evidence concerning both
repertoire and practice found in the Virginia Reels with current
southern fiddling, encompassing styles ranging from straightforward to
fancy--old-time styles of the Upper South, exuberant West Virginia
styles, and the melodic improvisations of modern contest fiddling.
Twenty-six song sheets assist in this discovery. Goertzen incorporates
performance descriptions and music terminology into his accessible,
engaging prose. Unlike the vast majority of books on American
fiddling--regional tune collections or histories--this book presents an
extended look at the history of southern fiddling and a close
examination of current practices.
