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I got a call from an old friend last night--hadn't seen him in 10 years. I knew he'd moved, but it seems he's moved once more SINCE then, and now lives near York, Pennsylvania. His daughter, practically a baby last time I saw her, is in Jr. High, now, and that's where the fun came in.
Elizabeth is interested in history, too, and in music. Somewhere in this house I have a book of Lewis Miller's sketches--it's called Lewis Miller: Sketches and Chronicles 1796-1882: The Reflections of a Nineteenth Century Pennsylvania German Folk Artist
and it's a fascinating look at the artist's life and times. My friends now live right where he was, 150 years ago, and the many images of fiddlers caught Elizabeth's eye. She and her dad decided to do some research at the York Historical Society, and what should they see, first off, but a fiddler's handwritten tunebook, from 1812.
OMIGOSH. There are 88 tunes in the book, and Elizabeth not only procured copies of the book but has learned to play many of them.
Guess who got to hear a number of original versions of waltzes, marches, hornpipes, jigs and reels last night?! It was a ball!
It was music that got me interested in reenacting, in the late 1980s, and music that keeps me coming back. Last night I got a dose of early 19th C. music (and earlier) that set my toes to tapping!
Thanks, Rob and Elizabeth!
---------- These are sketches of some of my musician friends at Fort Osage...Denny Duffy on the right, and his buddy playing fiddle and pennywhistle--I was just looking for sketches of fiddle players, obviously this is NOT Elizabeth! ;-)