"Wrecker's Daughter Quickstep"

[jkdrinkard]

For those interested, I have two downloads of "Wrecker's Daughter Quickstep" from Howe's manual. Both have the fife and drum parts, while one has dynamic markings not found in Howe's.

Does anyone know the story of this tune? The name is a bit unusual and seems there would be an interesting story behind it.

[dculgan]

There is a lengthy discussion of the tune at the mudcat cafe site
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=10325

including a link to an 1836 Victorian melodrama with the same title - http://www.archive.org/stream/wrecke...ge/n3/mode/2up

Dave Culgan

[33rdaladrummer]

I think there is probably a difference between Howe's notation and they way it was actually played or intended to be played. Remember that Howe was not a drummer and his tutors for various instruments were all mostly fiddle music repacked as accordeon, flagolet, fife (etc.) music. Howe relied heavily on Keach, Burditt, and Cassidy's Army Drum and Fife Book for many drumbeats, using the same plates.

Most of his beats copied from Keach have the flams in the right places. But most of the beats unique to Howe's manual are missing flams where they should be. The 7 flam flam flam flam flam flam appears in several beats from many 1860s manuals (see attachment) but only Howe has it as 7 tap tap tap tap tap tap, like in Wrecker's Daughter. I think Howe or the printers were either sloppy or Howe didn't know what he was doing.

If you look at the Army 2-4 Army 6-8 Howe attachment, you will see that for these two well-known beats Howe uses taps in some phrases and then flams when the exact same phrase is repeated. This must be sloppiness or errors.

Perhaps several flams are missing in the notation for Wrecker's Daughter.

taps-or-flams.JPGarmy24army68howe.JPG

[jkdrinkard]

Will,
I hadn't noticed the difference in manuals with the flams but you're probably right. I'll add those when I have a chance.
Completely unrelated, do you have a copy of Simpson and Canterbury?

[33rdaladrummer]

The beat in Howe is actually pretty close to the one they play in Connecticut today. I am pretty sure they play 7 flam flam flam flam flam instead of 7 t t t t t t. There's also a version in the Moeller book.

I do have a copy of S&C, but it's probably too large to attach. I'll send you a PM.

[jkdrinkard]

Will thanks for sharing your copy of S&C. I've added a version of "Wrecker's Daughter Quickstep" with additional flams at the above link.

[Old Cremona]

Clarke Buehling told me that a "wrecker" in this instance means someone who intentionally lures ships to run themselves ashore at night to steal the cargo.