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Latest revision as of 16:17, 4 October 2024

Composed by Braxton County, West Virginia, old-time fiddler Ernie Carpenter (1909-1997).

According to the booklet accompanying Carpenter's LP, the story behind the tune is one of a difficult adjustment to a forced change in Ernie's life. He had worked most of his life for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in Clarksburg, prior to retiring in 1972 to his home in Braxton County, West Virginia.

He was a regular visitor during his working years to his homeplace on the Elk River, and was witness to the planning and construction of the Sutton Dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the river during the 1950's and 1960's.

Unfortunately, this resulted in the flooding of his boyhood home and the surrounding area, despite the efforts of himself and neighbors to forestall the project through a lobbyist. He refused the government's initial offer for his land (they didn't offer him anything for his house), and took the case to court.

He was able to gain a marked increase in the money he eventually was paid through this process, although he had to pay legal fees out of his pocket. He stayed in his Elk River homestead while the dam was being constructed, even though most of his neighbors had already left. Workmen blocked the roads in and out of the area, but Carpenter found alternate routes until they too were closed off.

"I was the last person out of there," he said," I went ahead then and tore the old place town and brought it up here. Part of its in this house." Of the tune, he remarked: "I was sittin' here one day, an' I had the blues. I reckon as bad as anybody could, thinkin' about my old homeplace up on the Elk River. I started sawin' on the fiddle an' that's what I came up with."

...more at: Elk River Blues - full Score(s) and Annotations

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 {{SheetMusic
-|f_track=An Clár Bog Déil.mp3
+|f_track=Elk River Blues.mp3
-|f_pdf=The Soft Deal Board.pdf
+|f_pdf=Elk River Blues.pdf
-|f_artwork=Frankie Kennedy2.jpg
+|f_artwork=Ernie Carpenter.jpg
-|f_tune_name=The Soft Deal Board
+|f_tune_name=Elk River Blues
-|f_track_title=Soft_Deal_Board_(The)
+|f_track_title=Elk River Blues
 |f_section=abc
-|f_played_by=[https://www.discogs.com/release/4636596-Mairéad-Ní-Mhaonaigh-Frankie-Kennedy-Ceol-Aduaidh Mairéad-Ní-Mhaonaigh-Frankie-Kennedy]
+|f_played_by=[https://soundcloud.com/jatek-zenekar Jatek Zenekar]
-|f_notes=Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy in 1983.
+|f_notes=Ernie Carpenter (1909-1997)
-|f_caption=Another song to the same air, which held as high a place in popular estimation, was one composed by a well known Gaelic poet, the Rev. William English, beginning with "Cois na Brighde, seal do bhiossa, go sugach samh" (While I dwelt by the (river) Bride, pleasantly and tranquilly).
+|f_caption=According to the booklet accompanying Carpenter's LP, the story behind the tune is one of a difficult adjustment to a forced change in Ernie's life.
-|f_source=[https://open.spotify.com/track/3bRta3qCEVtqL81ne6GwSO?si=a35362fc739c4c89 Spotify]
+|f_source=[https://soundcloud.com/jatek-zenekar/elk-river-blues Soundcloud]
 |f_pix=420
 |f_picpix=200
-|f_article=[[Soft_Deal_Board_(The) | '''The Soft Deal Board''']]
+|f_article=[[Elk River Blues | '''Elk River Blues''']]
-The original Irish song of Clar bog del, better known in Munster by the name of Caiseal mhumhan, will be found in Edward Walsh's Irish Popular Songs, p. 168. It was a universal favourite sixty or seventy years ago. Another song to the same air, which held as high a place in popular estimation, was one composed by a well known Gaelic poet, the Rev. William English, beginning with 'Cois na Brighde, seal do bhiossa, go sugach samh' 'While I dwelt by the (river) Bride, pleasantly and tranquilly.' This will be found in O'Daly's Poets and Poetry of Munster, second series, p. 120.
+Composed by Braxton County, West Virginia, old-time fiddler Ernie Carpenter (1909-1997).
-I once heard 'Cashel of Munster' sung under peculiarly pleasant and characteristic circumstances, when I was a mere child. The people of the village had turned out on a sunny day in June to 'foot' the half dry turf in the bog at the back of Seefin mountain which rises straight over Glenosheen: always a joyuous occasion for us children. Dinner time came about 1 o'clock: each family spread the white cloth on a chosen spot on the dry clean bog surface.
+According to the booklet accompanying Carpenter's LP, the story behind the tune is one of a difficult adjustment to a forced change in Ernie's life. He had worked most of his life for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in Clarksburg, prior to retiring in 1972 to his home in Braxton County, West Virginia.
-There might have been half a dozen groups in that part of the bog, all near each other, and all sat down to dinner at the same time: glorious smoking hot floury savoury potatoes, salt herrings (hot like the potatoes), and good wholesome blathach, i.e. skimmed thick milk slightly and pleasantly sour a dinner fit for a hungry king.
+He was a regular visitor during his working years to his homeplace on the Elk River, and was witness to the planning and construction of the Sutton Dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the river during the 1950's and 1960's.
-After dinner there was always a short interval for rest and diversion generally rough joyous romping. On this occasion the people, with one accord, asken Peggy Moynahan to sing them a song. Peggy was a splendid girl, noted for her singing: and down she sat willingly on a turf bank.
+Unfortunately, this resulted in the flooding of his boyhood home and the surrounding area, despite the efforts of himself and neighbors to forestall the project through a lobbyist. He refused the government's initial offer for his land (they didn't offer him anything for his house), and took the case to court.
-In a moment the people clustered round; all play and noise and conversation ceased; and she gave us the Clar bog del in Irish with intense passion, while the people old and young, including myself and my little brother Robert sat and listened, mute and spellbound. I have good reason to fear that the taste for intellectual and refined amusements singing, music, dancing, story telling, small informal literary clubs and meetings, etc. once so prevalent among the people of my native district, which often expressed itself in scenes such as I describe here, is all gone; and we shall never witness the like again. Is muar an truagh e: more's the pity!" (Joyce)
+He was able to gain a marked increase in the money he eventually was paid through this process, although he had to pay legal fees out of his pocket. He stayed in his Elk River homestead while the dam was being constructed, even though most of his neighbors had already left.  Workmen blocked the roads in and out of the area, but Carpenter found alternate routes until they too were closed off.
+"I was the last person out of there," he said," I went ahead then and tore the old place town and brought it up here. Part of its in this house." Of the tune, he remarked: "I was sittin' here one day, an' I had the blues. I reckon as bad as anybody could, thinkin' about my old homeplace up on the Elk River. I started sawin' on the fiddle an' that's what I came up with."
 }}