Hi all, It’s been a long month! The big rain and wind storm had our power out for 5 days, and of course, the HOLIDAYS. Looks like we’ll make it ’til next year and maybe even get a little snow! Here’s a tune with a Maine connection:

TUNE HISTORY – Batchelder’s Reel

BATCHELDER’S (BATCHELDER’S REEL) is a commonly known New England dance tune. Set in F major, it is normally played in standard tuning, AABB. It appears in Ryan’s Mammoth Collection (1883) and Coles 1000 (1940) as the “Atlanta Hornpipe,” a traditional tune with unknown origin but possibly Irish. The tune has a big time Maine connection, though, and here’s where the story gets interesting!: This tune was a favorite of (father and son) Maine fiddlers and violin makers Edwin and Alvah (Allie) Batchelder, who lived in Frankfort, Maine, (yes, in eastern Waldo County about 30 miles from Maine Fiddle Camp)! Both were fiddlers, dance callers, country dance orchestra leaders and led old time country dances throughout Maine and especially at the Prospect, ME, Knights of Pythias Hall. Atlanta Hornpipe was played so often by Allie that it eventually became known as “Batchelder’s Reel”. As these things go, though, that’s not even the end of the story. A Dublin, NH (Monadnock region of southwest NH) artist (painter) and part time fiddler named Albert Al Quigley, grew up in Frankfort where he was friend and student of Allie, but moved to NH after World War I. “Quig” started playing Batchelder’s for dances in NH, and either rewrote it in the key of D with some minor changes, or else the folk process took over… At any rate, this tune soon became “Quigley’s Reel” and was (and still IS, actually) played often at the Nelson Town Hall dance. Al Quigley was a part-time member of Ralph Page’s orchestra and was a great influence on (and good friends with) Harvey Tolman, legendary Nelson, NH, dance fiddler.

Batchelder’s Reel is a popular number in North American contra dance circles and can be found in the Pacific Northwest as well as New England. The tune shows up in Rodney Miller’s New England Fiddler’s Repertoire (the little fiddle book), and Sue Songer’s Portland Collection, volume 1. On a more personal note, shortly after I started contradancing in the late ’70s, I discovered the Brattleboro Dawn Dance and on a chilly February in 1980 (or thereabouts) made my first trip to Vermont to check it out. I walked into the Mason’s Hall (I believe.. that winter it was not at the Gibson-Aiken center), the place was packed, the dance was going, and Swallowtail was playing Batchelder’s Reel. I’ll never forget that amazing moment and how it felt and sounded!!

Batchelder’s is a 2016 MFC tune and can be found (MP3, sheet music, etc.) on the MFC website here.

Read a little more about Allie Batchelder  here, and finally here’s a cute little video of some Mainers playin’ the tune!

Oh yeah and don’t forget to tune in to Pam Weeks’ and my weekly Tuesday night online mini-concert and jam. here’s the info: Tuesday night Online jam session and mini-concert with Pam Weeks and Bill Olson – FolkWorks

 

Happy holidays and seeyall next year! – bill