Jim & Loretta McKinney perform instrumental versions of a variety of music from the 1800s on hammered dulcimer and fiddle. Old favorites and forgotten treasures, these are all Gems of the 19th Century.

15 MP3 Songs in this album (57:21) !
Related styles: Folk: Traditional Folk, Folk: Contra Dance, Instrumental

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Details:
Jim and Loretta perform for civil war balls and re-enactments, heritage festivals, community fairs, weddings, receptions, contra dances, concerts and educational programs. Loretta was the Aurora Borealis Association hammered dulcimer performer of the year in 2000. Jim has won the Hetzlerâs Fakebook Fiddle Contest and twice won the Nebraska Chapter of the American String Teachers Association Fiddle Tune Composition Contest. Jim is co-author of Come Dance With Me-Favorite Fiddle Tunes & Original Compositions of Les Raber and currently serves as director of the Michigan State Championship Old Time Fiddlers Contest. Jim and Loretta currently play with The Golden Griffon Stringtet. Lorettaâs dulcimers were made by Bob Tack of Delton, Michigan and Lost Valley Dulcimers of Montague, Michigan. On this recording, Loretta plays hammered dulcimer and Jim plays fiddle, guitar and bass.

The cover image, âThe Great Russian Ball at the Academy of Music, November 6, 1863â is an illustration by Winslow Homer from the November 21, 1863 edition of Harperâs Weekly.

Hop Now Schottische Copyright © 2003 Jim McKinney. All other tunes are public domain.

Copyright © 2006 James & Loretta McKinney

1. Pap & Mam - Michigan fiddler Les Raber (1911-2000) played many tunes from Gems of the Ballroom, a collection published by E.T Root & Sons of Chicago in 1890. The real name for this one is Dad & Mam Quadrille fig. 1.

2. The Firemanâs Dance - This lively dance was presented as part of an 1852 program of dances from Collins, New York, that also included Pop Goes The Weasel, Spanish Dance and Opera Reel.

3. Spanish Waltz - There are many versions of this dance and many tunes are used to accompany it. This one comes from Rileyâs Flute Melodies vol. 1, published in 1816.

4. Climbing Up Them Golden Stairs - This minstrel tune by F. Heiser from 1884 is still popular at old-time Michigan square dances.

5. Haste to the Wedding/When Johnny Comes Marching Home -The first tune comes from the 1767 operetta, The Elopement, where it was known as Rural Felicity. The second was published by Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore in 1863 under the pseudonym Louis Lambert.

6. The Girl I Left Behind Me/The Year of Jubilo/The Yellow Rose of Texas - While some date The Girl I Left Behind Me to 1758, we found it in Rileyâs Flute Melodies of 1816. The Year of Jubilo by Henry Clay Work is from 1862 and Yellow Rose was composed by J.K. in 1858.

7. Grandpa Raberâs - William A. Raber (1862-1931) was a fiddler in the area around Allegan County, Michigan and the grandfather of Les Raber. By 1921, when Les was seriously interested in learning how to play the fiddle, William had suffered a stroke and was only able to teach him by whistling the tunes for him. This is one of William Raberâs tunes.

8. Off She Goes/Steamboat Quickstep - Two tunes from Elias Howeâs Complete Preceptor for the Accordeon of 1850.

9. Unknown #8 - Another tune from the repertoire of William A. Raber. Les said of this one, âHereâs one that my grandfather always played every time he picked the fiddle up.â

10. The Margravineâs Waltz - This tune comes from Playfordâs English Dancing Master of 1709. We like to use this tune for the Spanish Waltz.

11. Soldierâs Joy - The first version comes from Saundersâ New and Complete Instructor for the Violin of 1847. After that, we play the more modern versions weâve learned.

12. Life On The Ocean Wave/Nelly Bly/Battle Hymn - The first tune by Epes Sargent & Henry Russell from 1838 survives today as the old-time square dance, First Two Ladies Cross Over. Nelly Bly is a Stephen Foster composition from 1850. The last tune was first published as Canaanâs Happy Shore by John William Steffe in 1853. In 1861, Julia Ward Howe wrote new lyrics with additional music by G.S. Scofield and called it The Battle Hymn of the Republic. We like to use Henry Fordâs jig-reel-march arrangement for the Virginia Reel.

13. Rochester Schottische/Hop Now Schottische - William Rulison wrote this tune in the early 1850s on his return to Rochester, New York from the California gold rush. The high trills let the dancers know when to hop. In contrast, itâs the rests in Jimâs 2003 composition that are to be filled by the hopping dancers. Itâs a magical sight on the dance floor.

14. Bury Me In The Garden, Mother - While searching for more tunes by Joseph Philbrick Webster, we ran across this gem from 1873 that is worth the title alone. Webster also wrote Wildwood Flower and Lorena.

15. Tenstrike Quadrille fig. 4 - We close out with another Les Raber tune from Gems of the Ballroom.