Favorite Songs

[kevinw33]

It appears that this branch of the AC seems to be geared more toward instrumentation and instruction, but...


What are some of your favorite songs from the time period? Do you like the political marches, patriotic songs, or down home folk songs?

What bothers me is when you go to a battlefield or somewhere like that and want to purchase a music cd, and it is filled with songs written in '62 or '63. I think it is safe to assume that the average johnny was not singing Stonewall Jackson's Way and the average Billy was not singing Marching Through Georgia. Maybe I am wrong though, that is why I posted this!

My favorites are:

Arkansas Traveller
Nelly Bly
Garryowen
Waitin' for the Federals
Rose of Alabama
Yellow Rose of Texas
Rosin the Bow
Rocky Road to Dublin
Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye
Keemo Kimo


What about you? :confused:

[AZReenactor]

I generally favor the pre-war favorites of home. With my impression, that frequently means songs of the California Gold Rush of the 1850s, many of which also gained popularity across the country preceding the war.

Some of my favorites include:
Hangtown Gals (http://www.manifest-history.org/CaliforniaColumnResearch/music/HangtownGals.htm)
Joe Bowers (http://www.manifest-history.org/CaliforniaColumnResearch/music/JoeBowers.htm)
Sweet Betsy From Pike (http://www.manifest-history.org/CaliforniaColumnResearch/music/SweetBetseyFromPike.htm)
To the Loved Ones at Home (http://www.manifest-history.org/CaliforniaColumnResearch/music/ToThe%20LovedOnesAtHome.htm)
I'm Sad And Lonely Here (http://www.manifest-history.org/CaliforniaColumnResearch/music/ImSadAndLonelyHere.htm)

I agree that it is important to consider the back ground of the soldier you are depicting and what songs they would have known and preferred. Too often reenactors willingly accept the singing of songs that do not match the dates of the event or that would be relatively unknown to the men they are depicting. I find though that the right music can provide quite a lot of insight into the time and culture being explored.

[Andrew Kasmar]

Hi,

For me it would have to be the following:

"Old King Crow"
"Rose of Alabama"
"Yellow Rose of Texas"
"Old Dan Tucker"

[Indianabugles]

The Union Wagon.
The why and the wherefore.
Drink it down
Johhny is my darling
Goober peas
Over the hills ad far away
The Army of the free.
Tramp Tramp

These are the ones we sing, we play shed loads more.

[BorderRuffian]

Well,


I concur that a lot of songs would have been from the soldier's civilian experience and what they grew up with.
There has also been some speculation on other threads as to the popularity of Irish tunes at this point in history,hence their performance for select groups rather than general audiences.

My .02

[Chris Montague]

Hearing a good fife and drum "Minstrel Boy" always fires me up.

[Lone Guard]

I generally favor the pre-war favorites of home. With my impression, that frequently means songs of the California Gold Rush of the 1850s, many of which also gained popularity across the country preceding the war.

Some of my favorites include:
Hangtown Gals (http://www.manifest-history.org/CaliforniaColumnResearch/music/HangtownGals.htm)
Joe Bowers (http://www.manifest-history.org/CaliforniaColumnResearch/music/JoeBowers.htm)
Sweet Betsy From Pike (http://www.manifest-history.org/CaliforniaColumnResearch/music/SweetBetseyFromPike.htm)
To the Loved Ones at Home (http://www.manifest-history.org/CaliforniaColumnResearch/music/ToThe%20LovedOnesAtHome.htm)
I'm Sad And Lonely Here (http://www.manifest-history.org/CaliforniaColumnResearch/music/ImSadAndLonelyHere.htm)

I agree that it is important to consider the back ground of the soldier you are depicting and what songs they would have known and preferred. Too often reenactors willingly accept the singing of songs that do not match the dates of the event or that would be relatively unknown to the men they are depicting. I find though that the right music can provide quite a lot of insight into the time and culture being explored.

Troy,

I seem to remember us singing A Ripping Trip (http://www.manifest-history.org/CaliforniaColumnResearch/music/ARippingTrip.htm) quite often at events too.

Occasionally at an event, I will strike up De Boatman Dance.

[AZReenactor]

Martin, that's just 'cause it is the first song in the front of my songster. Besides, even I can remember the tune to Pop Goes The Weazel. ;-)I seem to remember us singing A Ripping Trip (http://www.manifest-history.org/CaliforniaColumnResearch/music/ARippingTrip.htm) quite often at events too.

[jessejames70]

By far the 33rd AL favorite songs would be Jenny, Banks of the Ohio, and a medley of Comin' Round the Mountain, Working on the Railroad and Are You Washed In the Blood of the Lamb. We have a special one in our hearts for a "retired" Captain who just LOVED Goober Peas, I quote "This song sucks!" I don't know why, but obviously he doesn't care for it.

Paul Wolbeck
Cpl, 33rd AL

[Devilishmary]

I'm glad to see that we play a lot of those songs! :) and some i've never heard, that I am now going to go look up and learn!!!

[dedogtent]

Let's not forget Oh! Lemuel, The Glendy Burk, Molly Malone, My Old Kentucky Home, Old Folks at Home and Camptown Races.

[AppomattoxTours]

Love many songs of the era not the least of which is fife and drum. The 2nd Maryland "ROCKS"!!! Especially their version of "Captain McIntosh", and "Frog in the Well". Have been looking for and posted a question regarding "Ain't we Glad to Get Out of the Wilderness" as played by the 7th Rhode Island Regimental Band following the Overland Campaign.
As of yet, no one has been able to produce the lyrics to this little gem. I'm told it goes by the same tune as "Down in Alabam". Anyone, anyone...

[Deuceswilde]

Love many songs of the era not the least of which is fife and drum. The 2nd Maryland "ROCKS"!!! Especially their version of "Captain McIntosh", and "Frog in the Well". Have been looking for and posted a question regarding "Ain't we Glad to Get Out of the Wilderness" as played by the 7th Rhode Island Regimental Band following the Overland Campaign.
As of yet, no one has been able to produce the lyrics to this little gem. I'm told it goes by the same tune as "Down in Alabam". Anyone, anyone...

Here...

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?dukesm:46:... (http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/hasm.b0335/)

[tater]

Old King Crow
Angelina baker
Travel forth to god
The lambs Fountain

[Old Cremona]

One song I've been playing quite a bit lately is called "Few Days."

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/mussmhtml/mussmTitles138.html#bottom


Greg Adams turned me on to this song. Greg is a fabulous minstrel banjo player, and a heck of a nice guy to boot. He found this song arranged in a Septimus Winner banjo tutor from 1864.

The song is pre-war, and the number of "political" versions I find of it (Gold Rush, 1860 election, secession crisis, etc.) suggests a very popular tune that is quite under-represented in the hobby today.

[GermanDraftee]

While I am a big fan of American & Irish/Celtic folk music, I have a special fondness for the German songs.... ;-)

Muss i denn
Die Lorelei
Die Gedanken sind frei
Grosser Gott (I'd love to do this at a prayer service.)

[nick19thind]

Over the Hills and Far Away
Girl I Left Behind Me
Whisky In The Jar
Minstrel Boy
Marching Through Georgia
John Brown's Body
Gentleman Soldier
Dixie
Irish Rover
Garryowen

[David Fox]

"Rose of Alabamy" and "Johnny Fill Up the Bowl (We All Went Down to New Orleans)". The latter because: in the mid 1950s, as a Civil War besotted kid, I was given the two volume Columia LP set, "The Union" and "The Confederacy". I played them endlessly. when I played "Johnny Fill Up the Bowl' for my Grandad, born in 1882, he sang along. HIS Dad, a high private in the 7th West-aye-God Virginia Infantry, taught him. That old man had died 14 years before I was born, but in that moment I was close to him.