Play of a Fiddle: Traditional Music, Dance, and Folklore in West Virginia

by Gerald Milnes

" Play of a Fiddle gives voice to people who steadfastly hold to and build on the folk traditions of their ancestors. While encountering the influences of an increasingly overwhelming popular culture, the men and women in this book follow age-old patterns of folklife and custom, making their own music and dance in celebration of them. Shedding new light on a region that maintains ties to the cultural identities of its earliest European and African inhabitants, Gerald Milnes shows how folk music in West Virginia borrowed rhythmic, melodic, and vocal forms from the Celtic, Anglo, Germanic, and African traditions. These elements have come together to create a body of music tied more to place and circumstance than to ethnicity. Milnes explores the legacies of the state's best-known performers and musical families. He discusses religious music, balladeering, the influence of black musicians and styles, dancing, banjo and dulcimer traditions, and the importance of old-time music as a cult

Genres: Music, Folklore

211 pages, Hardcover

First published February 10, 1999

Reviews

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gerry puts old-time music in it's cultural context with a superb blend of scholarly research and personal anecdotes. Especially if you play WV old-time, it's an inspiring and enriching read.