Arkansas Traveler (1)

Tune annotations

---

X:2
%
T:Arkanses Traveller [sic] [1]
M:2/4
L:1/8
S:William Sydney Mount manuscripts
N:Mount annotates his manuscript page with “Stony Brook (Long Island, New York) 
N:August 22nd, (18)52” and “As played by P(?).J. Cook.” At the end of the first part is the 
N:note “octave 2nd time,” meaning presumably that probably the first eight bars are to be 
N:played an octave higher as a variation when the whole tune is repeated, probably with 
N:the two bar ending that Mount entered at the top of the page. Interestingly, Mount’s 
N:manuscript predates the first known publication of the melody, in Buffalo, N.Y., by 
N:Blodgett & Bradford in 1858, although the tune and the story of the traveler and the 
N:country fiddler were known to be in circulation some two decades beforehand, 
N:stemming probably from plantation sources and then to the minstrel stage. 
Z:Transcribed and annotated by Andrew Kuntz
K:D
(D/E/)F/D/ B,B,/D/ | A,A,/B,/ DD | EE FF | D/E/F/D/ B,D | 
(D/E/)F/D/ B,(B,/D/) | A,A,/B,/ DA | (d/c/)(d/A/) (B/d/)(A/G/) | (F/D/)(E/F/) D2 :|
|:(a/g/)f/a/ (g/f/)e/g/ | (f/e/)d/f/ (e/c/)A2 | d/d/d e/e/e | (f/e/)d/f/ e2 | 
(a/g/)f/a/ (g/f/)e/g/ | (f/e/)d/f/ (e/c/)A | (d/c/)d/A/ (B/d/)A/G/ | (F/D/)E/F/ D2 :|

X:1
%
T:Arkansas Traveler
M:2/4
L:1/8
R:Buckley’s New Banjo Method (1860, p. 30)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:A
A/>B/c/>A/ FA|E/>B/(3e/B/G/ Ac/e/|d>e c>e|c/>B/A/>c/ B/>G/F/>E/|
A/>B/c/>A/ FA|E/>B/(3e/B/G/ A>e|a/>e (3e/e/e/ f/>e/e/>e/|(3d/B/B/ (3B/e/B/ Az:||
e/>d/c/>e/ d/>c/B/>d/|c/>B/A/>c/ B/G/E|Ac/A/ GB|A/>c/ (3e/c/e/ Bz|
e/>d/c/>e/ d/>c/B/>d/|c/>BA/>c/ B/G/E|A/A/ zE/ F/>E/C/>A,/|BC A,2||
e/>d/=c/>e/ d/>c/B/>d/|=c/>B/A/>c/ B/G/E|A=c/>A/ GB|A/>=c/(3e/c/e/ Bz|
e/>d/=c/>e/ d/>=c/B/>d/|=c/>B/A/>c/ B/>G/E|A/A/ z/E/ =F/>E/C/>A,/|z/ B,/ =CA,z||

X:1
%
T:Arkansas Traveler
M:2/4
L:1/8
R:Contra Dance Tune
B:Elias Howe –  Musician’s Omnibus No. 1 (1862, p. 47)
Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion
K:D
dd BB|AA Bd|ff ee|d/f/e/d/ BA|
d/e/f/d/ B/c/d/B/|AA Bd|d/c/d/A/ B/d/A/G/|F/D/E/D/ D2|
dd BB|AA Bd|ee ff|de/d/ BA||
(3ABc d/e/f/d/ |dd BB|AA Bd|ff ee|d/e/f/d/ B/c/d/B/|
d/e/f/d/ B/c/d/B/|AA Bd|d/c/d/A/ B/d/A/d/|f/d/e/c/ d2||

X:1
%
T:Arkansas Traveler, The
M:4/4
L:1/8
S:Capt. F. O'Neill
Z:Paul Kinder
R:Reel
K:G
d2|GBAG E2 GE|D2 DD E2 G2|ABAG TB2 BG|ABAG TE2 D2|
GBAG E2 GE|D2 DD G2 Bd|gfgd (3efg dc|BGAF G2||
Bc|dcBd cBAc|BAGB AFDF|GEGB AFAc|BAGB A2 Bc|
dcBd cBAc|BAGB AFDF|gfgd (3efg dc|BGAF G2||

---