| Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes |
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Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes. By Jeff Todd Titon. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2001. Pp. xviii + 246. Index, tune transcriptions, biographical glosses, selected bibliography, discography, photographs, CD. $45.00 cloth. Jeff Todd Titon's book reveals the wealth of old-time fiddling in Kentucky. The book's discography contains scores of field and studio recordings of Kentucky fiddlers, and Titon's research shows that thousands of tunes have been recorded throughout the state. This rich material has long appealed to listeners, players, and researchers, but the vastness of the subject has made it challenging to find an authoritative, comprehensive discussion of fiddling in this state. Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes admirably ameliorates this problem. This excellent resource is a treasure trove of music for performers, aficionados, and professional researchers. Titon's book begins with an excellent overview of Kentucky fiddling, in which he traces researchers' interests in Kentucky as a prime state for documenting fiddle tunes. Titon then provides specific descriptions and generalized conclusions about fiddling in Kentucky. He gives overviews of prototypical fiddlers, vibrant ethnographic descriptions of contemporary contexts for fiddling, and discusses the history of fiddling within the state. Titon analyzes the existing scholarship and interprets archival materials, supporting his conclusions by referencing his own fieldwork with exemplary musicians. The author's musicianship provides him with an essential resource for extending his analysis into a study of music. He demonstrates how various styles of fiddle playing can be mapped into three distinct regions in the state, and he places individual musicians into set locations to demonstrate the stylistic similarities. This analysis is augmented by a discussion of the dominant melody types that constitute the fiddle tunes, conclusions about the repertories of various fiddlers, and a discussion of ways in which fiddlers learn to play their instruments and master new tunes. This section of the book has a scholarly appeal, but it also provides concrete and useful resources for novice fiddlers who wish to improve their abilities to play by ear. The major portion of the book consists of transcriptions and annotations of 170 fiddle tunes with over two dozen variations. The musical scores are clear and easy to read, and Titon primarily uses standard musical transcription techniques. Many of the tunes are unique to the state, and some of them have never been set down in musical notation. Titon annotates each tune with information about various tunings and stylistic techniques, and he also provides discographic and historical information on the tunes where such information is available. Titon's work is thus a major contribution, a tune book that matches the work of Samuel P. Bayard, David Brody, R. P. Christeson, Elias Howe, and Alan Jabbour. Following the presentation of Kentucky fiddle tunes, the book provides capsule biographies of thirty-five fiddlers. This information is oftentimes sparse as little is known about many musicians whose tunes were recorded by early folklorists and record company representatives. The book includes a compact audio disc of twenty-six tunes that Titon transcribed, accompanied by excellent annotations that document the context in which each tune was recorded. Gregory Hansen |
