Unveiling the music of Fort Vancouver Mobile

One of the biggest goals I have had, from the beginning of this project, was to explore the use of all types of media forms as delivered through mobile technologies, particularly in relation to the intersection of physical and digital space. As part of that goal, I have been intrigued by ideas about how music can transform the perception of a place. But before I could do deep research on such a phenomenon, I needed some great period music to put into the FVM apps, which then could be turned into research instruments for an examination of the music-place dynamic.
Thankfully, I met Richard Kriehn, a few months ago through the School of Music at Washington State University Pullman, and we worked out a partnership that also included the talents of Paul Ely Smith. Kriehn and Smith were able to research, practice and record period music from the mid-1800s that would be appropriate for embedding through mobile technologies at my primary research site, the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. That latter part still is in the works (will keep you posted), but I wanted to share the music now, so you can hear what we are working with. Annotations below were provided by Kriehn and Smith. ... Enjoy!




St. Anne’s Reel: The origin of this tune is sketchy, at best. Original title, Reel de Ste. Anne. Appears to be linked to Saint Anne’s Bay, located on the eastern side of Cape Breton Island. Was first recorded by Joseph Allard (1873-1947) in 1931. Allard was born in Maine, but moved to Quebec at an early age. (Canadian Encyclopedia/ The Virtual Gramophone-Canadian Historical Sound Recordings).



La Bastringue: An old and famous French-Canadian dance song/tune. Here is the best description I found on the web...
La Bastringue is usually danced as the fifth or sixth part of a long Québec quadrille. The tune is a popular party song that tells a story of a young "Mademoiselle" who is asked to dance the "Bastringue" by a rather older "Monsieur," who then finds that he's just not up to the task. The dance is also known as Les Confitures (the fruit preserves). According to Francis Coleman, La Bastringue "is older than most of its counterparts. When danced by earlier French colonialists in America, it was almost a sedate dance, without the benefit of fast tapping loudly or the more raucus noises that are now customary." (http://www.phantomranch.net/folkdanc/dances/labastri.htm).



Father Kelly's Jig: 
This is one of thousands of traditional Irish jigs, of uncertain origin. I chose it because it has the broken arpeggios typical of jigs found throughout the dance music repertoire of the British Isles popular in the early 19th century.




Money Musk:
 It is an old tune from Scotland. Here's a good description...
The tune--or at least its first two strains--is a Scottish reel from the end of the eighteenth century. Francis O'Neill ("Irish Folk Music", p. 204) mentions a set, entitled "Sir Archibald Grant of Moniemusk's Reel," published ca. 1800, and it is in the Northumbrian small pipes collection "Peacocks Tunes" (ca. 1801), p. 2. It is a standard feature of nineteenth-century tunebooks; see for example Knauff, "Virginia Reels" (1839), vol. 1, #1 "Killie Krankie"; "Winner's Collection of Music for the Violin", p. 55 "Highland Fling"; "One Thousand Fiddle Tunes", p. 31 "Money Musk--Reel" and p. 128 "Money Musk--Strathspey." Twentieth-century sets show the tune to be well-established in Northern American tradition; see for example Linscott, "Folk Songs of Old New England", p. 98; Burchenal, "American Country-Dances, Volume I", p. 55; Ford, "Traditional Music of America", p. 52. 
(http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/h?ammem/afcreed:@field%28NUMBER+@band%28afcreed+13705b17%29%29)

Fisher’s Hornpipe: Was first published in 1780 by J. Fishar of London.  Labeled as “Hornpipe 1” in Sixteen Cotillons, Sixteen Minuets, 12 Allemandes and 12 Hornpipes.

En Roulant Ma Boule: Supposedly originated in the 15^th century, En Roulant… is possibly the most popular French-Canadian folksong.  Nicholas Garry, deputy governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, mentions the men singing variations of this tune in Nute’s The Voyageur (p129).

Soldier’s Joy: John Glen lists a Scottish publication of the tune in 1779.  The tune appears in almost every large collection of fiddle tunes during the 19^th and 20^th centuries.  For dancers, it was referred to as a “French-Four,” and was used for square dances, reels and group dances.

Quand J’etais chez mon pere: “Quand…” is noted in Nicholas Garry’s diary in September 6, 1821, according to Nute’s The Voyageur (pp122-123).

The Nameless Lassie: The song lyrics are credited to James Ballantine, a poet and a stained-glass artist (1806-1877) and the tune is credited to William Marshall, composer of Scottish fiddle music  (1748-1833).  In an 1887 publication of The Popular Songs of Scotland with their Appropriate Melodies, credit for the tune is given to Alexander MacKenzie (1819-1857).

Rickett’s Hornpipe: Supposedly named for John Bill Ricketts, this tune came from England to the US around 1792.  By the 1850s it was a very popular fiddle tune.  Also known as “Aldrige Hornpipe.” (Ryan’s #124).