Blackberry Blossom (tune)
"Blackberry Blossom" is a fiddle tune in the key of G major.[1] It is classified as a "breakdown" and is popular in old time, bluegrass and Celtic traditional circles.[2][3]
History
The tune has been included in over 250 tune books.[4][3] The tune became popular as recorded by Fiddlin' Arthur Smith. That version, according to Alan Jabbour, supplanted an earlier tune played by Santford Kelly from Morgan County, Kentucky,[5] which is now represented by the tune "Yew Piney Mountain".[6][7] It is also called "Garfield's Blackberry Blossom", perhaps to distinguish it from the earlier version.[8] Contradicting Jabbour, who clearly distinguishes the earlier version, is the account of Andrew Kuntz to the effect that "Betty Vornbrock and others have noted a similarity between 'Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom' and the West Virginia tune 'Yew Piney Mountain', a variant ... also played by Kentucky fiddlers J.P. Fraley and Santford Kelly".[8] Alan Snyder gives an alternate name of "Strawberry Beds".[9]
Culture
Although the tune is closely associated with the old time/ bluegrass traditions of the United States,[10] it enjoys the distinction of being frequently played by traditional Irish musicians.[3]
In Celtic music
This is a partial list of covers by Irish musicians and bands.
- An Fhidil, Sraith 2 by Sean Keane, Kevin Burke, Paddy Glackin And Seamus Creagh
- Ireland's Best Session Tunes CD 1 by Waltons Recording
- Irish Dances by Various Artists
- Top Of Coom by Conal Ó'Gráda
- Traditional Irish Dance Music by All Star Ceilidhe Band
- Traditional Irish Dance Music: All Star Ceili Band by Joe Derrane
- Traditional Irish Music by William Sullivan
- Traditional Irish Tunes Played On The Tin Whistle (1/2) by Geraldine Cotter
- Traditional Music Of Ireland by Various Artists
- Natalie MacMaster in Four on the Floor (cassette)[11]
In Bluegrass
According to Devon Wells, "Blackberry Blossom", as a banjo tune, was brought to the public's attention as one of the earliest arrangements of Bill Keith.[12] Wells, a bluegrass teacher, asserts that the tune is a standard in the bluegrass banjo repertoire.[13]
Some of the older recordings archived at the Digital Library of Appalachia include:
- Fiddle tune played by Clyde Davenport[14] at the Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music on 11-03-84
- Fiddle tune played by Carlton Rawlings[14] and recorded by John Harrod in Bath County, Kentucky in the 1970s
Structure
Like most fiddle tunes, "Blackberry Blossom" has an A part and a B part. In Arthur Smith's 1935 version, the A part is in the key of G major, with C and D chords in the second half of the part; the B part introduces an E major chord, making for a rather unusual mood shift.
Later recorded versions changed the harmonic structure of this tune radically, introducing additional chord changes (substitutions based on the melody line) in the A part, and alternating E minor and B7 in the B part.
The key of E minor is the relative minor of the key of G major - it uses the same sharps and flats but its modal center is E rather than G. This makes for a more "standard" harmonic structure.
Melodically, according to Anthony, "The note played on the 1st & 3rd beat of the first 2 measures are the first 4 notes of the descending scale of G. Each of these notes is the beginning of a 3-note run, returning to this base note, before moving on to the next note in the G scale."[2]
Videographic documentation
- Fiddle Solo (Vi Wickam)[15]
- Fiddle and Guitar[16]
- Mandolin (Mark O'Connor)[17]
- Fiddle and percussion - interpretive (Carrie Rodriguez)[18]
See also
References
- ^ "Blackberry Blossom « Bluegrass Banjo Tabs – Videos – Lessons". seanray.com. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ a b "Building a Traditional Tune Repertoire - Wendy Anthony". Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ a b c "The Blackberry Blossom". Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Note: As an E minor tune. He ends the tune "that's the way that God made peace". http://www.aca-dla.org/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/Berea43&CISOPTR=3533&filename=3534.mp3[permanent dead link]
- ^ Fiddle tune played by Alan Jabbour at Berea College on 5-28-08, while participating in Berea's Appalachian Music Fellowship Program; Jabbour, Alan; Blackberry Blossom
- ^ "Blackberry Blossom" - Lecture and performance by Alan Jabbour. Madison County, Kentucky,Audio Compact Disc, Digital Library of Appalachia, Archives, Hutchins Library, Department of Special Collections & Archives.
- ^ a b The Fiddler’s Companion, Andrew Kuntz, 1996, citing Jean Thomas's Ballad Makin' in the Mountains of Kentucky
- ^ "Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings". www.cbfiddle.com. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ Note: The Digital Library of Appalachia has recordings primarily from Kentucky. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings". Cbfiddle.com. Retrieved 2011-09-22.
- ^ "Exploring Blackberry Blossom". Devon's Banjo Homepage.
- ^ Wells
- ^ a b "Digital Library of Appalachia". www.aca-dla.org. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ "Blackberry Blossom - Fiddle Tune a Day - Day 312 - Vi Wickam". 10 November 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ unique3phase (19 October 2008). "Blackberry Blossom Fiddle Guitar Banjo". Retrieved 29 March 2018 – via YouTube.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Markology — Mark O'Connor - Last.fm". Last.fm. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ Carrie Rodriguez performing live at the Rosendale Cafe in Rosendale, NY on January 3, 2008. Playing with Rodriguez are her band members Hans Holzen and Javier Vercher.
External links
