Play Me Something Quick and Devilish explores the heritage of traditional fiddle music in Missouri. Howard Wight Marshall considers the place of homemade music in peoplersquo;s lives across social and ethnic communities from the late 1700s to the World War I years and into the early 1920s. This exceptionally important and complex period provided the foundations in history and settlement for the evolution of todayrsquo;s old-time fiddling.Beginning with the French villages on the Mississippi River; Marshall leads us chronologically through the settlement of the state and how these communities established our cultural heritage. Other core populations include the ldquo;Old Stock Americansrdquo; (primarily Scotch-Irish from Kentucky; Tennessee; North Carolina; and Virginia); African Americans; German-speaking immigrants; people with American Indian ancestry (focusing on Cherokee families dating from the Trail of Tears in the 1830s); and Irish railroad workers in the postndash;Civil War period. These are the primary communities whose fiddle and dance traditions came together on the Missouri frontier to cultivate the bounty of old-time fiddling enjoyed today.Marshall also investigates themes in the continuing evolution of fiddle traditions. These themes include the use of the violin in Westward migration; in the Civil War years; and in the railroad boom that changed history. Of course; musical tastes shift over time; and the rise of music literacy in the late Victorian period; as evidenced by the brass band movement and immigrant music teachers in small towns; affected fiddling. The contributions of music publishing as well as the surprising importance of ragtime and early jazz also had profound effects. Much of the old-time fiddlersrsquo; repertory arises not from the inherited reels; jigs; and hornpipes from the British Isles; nor from the waltzes; schottisches; and polkas from the Continent; but from the prolific pens of Tin Pan Alley.
#4532386 in eBooks 2013-02-20 2013-02-20File Name: B00BIWPVDA
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An essential book for all budding filmmakers and film fansBy PhilThis book not only lays bare the British Film Industry; but takes us on a journey from 1917 to almost the present. Exploring the ever-changing British and American film industries; lsquo;Freddie Francis: The Straight Story from Moby Dick to Glory; a Memoirrsquo; offers a fascinating glimpse at the movie industry; and consequently proves to be a book that divulges a wealth of tips and hints for those actually wanting to work within the film industry. Do not get me wrong; this is not a lsquo;how to make moviesrsquo; guidebook; it simply happens to offer advice that anyone intending to work behind the camera would find invaluable. Yet this book; though very film orientated; contains at its heart a truly interesting memoir of one manrsquo;s life.Freddie Francis lays bare his childhood in post WW1 London; and then his teenage life in pre WW2 Britain; mixing genuine heart-warming memories with ample wit and humour. We are then taken through a roller-coaster-ride; which looks at not only the superb films of Francisrsquo; career; but also the not so well remembered. It is this glimpse of both the good and the bad that sets the book aside from others. Rarely are memoirs so candid about both the highs and lows of a personrsquo;s career (especially in the movie industry).The chapter that particularly captured my attention was that which focused upon the men who worked as filmmakers in the UK for the British Army during the Second World War. Rarely are these men discussed or credited for their role during the War; which Freddie Francis recalls with great vividness and humour; especially the time when his Wartime film unit were sent to the Cadburyrsquo;s chocolate factory for filming; only to fill every case; pocket and mouth with as much chocolate as they could carry whilst evading the ever-watchful security guards! Other interesting moments include Francisrsquo; work with David Lynch (who also provides a great Foreword to the book); his work with Martin Scorsese; and of course his outstanding contribution to Hammer Films.The stories and recollections collected in this memoir are always seen with a hint of humour; proving the book to be laugh out loud in places; moving in others; and always fascinating. I knew very little about Freddie Francis and his career before reading this memoir; but after reading it; feel like Irsquo;ve been a life-long fan. I could not put this book down; finding it easy to read and highly accessible.Again; I could not recommend this book enough; whether to a fan of Freddie Francisrsquo; work; a fan of film; or even to those just looking for a great read!