Annotation:Jenny Lind (1): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:47, 1 April 2012

JENNY LIND (POLKA) [1]. AKA and see "Bridal Polka (2)," "Jenny Lind's Favorite Polka," "Bonnie Polka (Da)," "Heel and Toe Polka (1)," "Hole in Her Stocking," "Reel du Pont," "Sally with the Run Down Shoes/Sal with the Run Down Shoes," "Tempest (The)." American & Australian, Polka; English, Polka and Morris Dance Tune (2/2 or 4/4 time). USA; New York, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Arkansas, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina. England; Dorset, Oxfordshire and North-West England. F Major (Trim): G Major (Bacon, Brody, Mallinson, Phillips): D Major (Kerr): D Major {'A' part} & G Major {'B' part} (Bacon, S. Johnson, Taylor, Wade): D Major {'A' and 'B' parts}, G Major {'C' and 'E' parts} & C Major {'D' part} (Ford). Standard or AEae (Art Stamper) tunings. AB (Brody): AABA (Trim): AABB (S. Johnson, Taylor, Wade): AA'BB (Kerr): AA'BB' (Phillips): ABCDE (Ford): ABB, x4 (Bacon, Mallinson). A dance tune composed in 1846 as "Jenny Lind's Lieblings-Polka," attributed to the composer Anton Wallerstein, commemorating the "Swedish Nightingale," Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind [1] (1820-1887), an operatic soprano. The melody was hugely popular and entered a number of English-speaking folk traditions, though in America the melody usually appears in two parts rather than the multiple parts that were originally printed. She toured Europe during 1844-48 to much popular acclaim, and took London, then Dublin by storm in 1847 and 1848. P.T. Barnum promoted an American tour of the by then world-famous singer in 1851-52, and she played a 150 concerts, at $1,000 a performance. She earned enough so that upon her return to Europe she retired from professional performing and became a philanthropist and singing teacher. She eventually settled in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, where she died and is buried. Lind's fame coincided with the rise in popularity of the polka, although she and the form were not directly related except by this famous piece, dedicated to her.

The tune is almost universally known among older traditional fiddle and squeezebox players in England and morris dance versions have been collected from the Bampton area of England's Cotswolds (Mallinson), and North-West England (Wade) where it is used as a tune for a polka step. It was a hit of the late 20th century folk revival in England, its popularity spurred by Bill Leader, Reg Hall and Bob Davenport's influential recording "English Country Music" (1965), a limited release which featured Norfolk fiddler Walter Bulwer and his wife Daisy (piano), and Billy Cooper (hammered dulcimer). The recording became a collectors item until it was re-released on LP by Topic Records in 1976.

Tom Carter and Barry Poss say the tune has "only occasionally" been recorded in Virginia and West Virginia, sometimes under the title "Heel and Toe Polka," however, it appears in the repertory of many North Carolina Piedmont old-time musicians. "Jenny Lind Polka" (Sal with the Run Down Shoes) was in the repertoire of fiddler S.S. Ransdell (Louisburg, Granville, County, N.C.) who competed in 1905 in the Raleigh, N.C., fiddler's convention, as recorded by the old Raleigh News and Observer. The melody is mentioned in accounts (1926-31) as having been played at the De Kalb County (Alabama) Annual (Fiddlers') Convention (Cauthen, 1990), and also appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954. Jim Herd, from Seattle but originally from the Ozarks, played an old-time variant he called "Dance All Night with a Gal with a Hole in Her Stocking" (merged with "Buffalo Gals"). An early recording on 78 RPM was by Henry Whitter's Breakdowners, from southwestern Virginia.

Sources for notated versions: Hollow Rock String Band (N.C.) [Brody]; Bradley Grimshaw (northern N.Y., 1958), Hogg (Pa., 1948), John Moore (Indiana County, Pa., 1948) [Bayard]; Arnold Woodley (Bampton, England) [Bacon]; Kenny Baker [Phillips]; set dance music recorded at Na Píobairí Uilleann, mid-1980's [Taylor].

Printed sources: Adam, No. 4 (appears as "Hole in Her Stocking"). Bacon (The Morris Ring), 1974; p. 35 (two versions). Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 420, pp. 397-398. Breathnach (CRÉ V), 1999; No. 94. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; p. 145. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; p. 167 (appears as "Jenny Lind's Favorite Polka"). Jarman (Cornhuskers), p. 79. S. Johnson (The Kitchen Musician No. 4: Collection of Fine Tunes), 1983 (revised 1991, 2001); p. 7. Kerr (Merry Melodies), vol. 3; No. 439, p. 50. Mallinson (Mally's Cotswold Morris Book), 1988, vol. 2; No. 48, p. 24. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 2, 1995; p. 350. Roche (Collection of Traditional Irish Music vol. 2), 1912; No. 308 (appears as "Old Set Dance"). Taylor (Music for the Sets: Yellow Book), 1995; p. 37. Trim (Heritage of Thomas Hardy), 1990; No. 67. Wade (Mally's North West Morris Book), 1988; p. 26.

Recorded sources: County 201, Babe Spangler - "The Old Virginia Fiddlers: Rare Recordings." County CO-CD-2729, Art Stamper - "Goodbye Girls I'm Going to Boston" (2000). Rounder 0024, "Hollow Rock." MCA DL7-5348, Bill Monroe- "Uncle Pen" (appears as "Heel and Toe Polka"). Topic TSCD607, Billy Cooper, Walter & Daisy Bulwer - "English Country Music" (2000. Originally rec. 1962). Topic TSCD752, Walter & Daisy Bulwer, Billy Cooper - "Stepping Up" (2004. Compilation CD). Wildgoose Records, Rattle on the Stovepipe - "8 More Miles" (2005).

See also listings at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [3]

Tune properties and standard notation