Annotation:Prettiest Girl in the County: Difference between revisions
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|f_tune_annotation_title=https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Prettiest_Girl_in_the_County > | |f_tune_annotation_title=https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Prettiest_Girl_in_the_County > | ||
|f_annotation='''PRETTIEST (LITTLE) GIRL IN THE COUNTY(-O).''' AKA - "Prettiest Little Girl in the Country-O," "Purtiest Gal in the Country." AKA and see “[[Old Aunt Jenny]],” "[[Prosperity Breakdown]]." American, Reel with Vocals. USA, fairly common in the South. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABB (Titon): AABB (Rosenbaum). The tune is similar in its melodic countour to "[[What're We Gonna Do with the Baby-O]]" and to “[[Turkey Buzzard]].” R.P. Christeson notes similarity to his “Sugar in the Coffee” ('''Old Time Fiddler’s Repertory, vol. II''', No. 129). "A popular 19th century fiddle and play party tune well remembered by older informants across the South" (Charles Wolfe). Jeff Titon says the tune is generally well known in the South, but not frequently found in the repertoires of Kentucky fiddlers. Alan and Elizabeth Lomax recorded the tune for the Library of Congress from the playing of fiddler George C. Nicholson, and John Lomax collected it for the LOC in 1935 from the playing of Texas fiddler J.H. Hudson and banjo player J.D. Dillingham. See also African-American collector Thomas Tally’s No. 41. Verses are commonly sung to the last line of the 'B' part, such as: | |f_annotation='''PRETTIEST (LITTLE) GIRL IN THE COUNTY(-O).''' AKA - "Prettiest Little Girl in the Country-O," "Purtiest Gal in the Country." AKA and see “[[Old Aunt Jenny]],” "[[Prosperity Breakdown]]." American, Reel with Vocals. USA, fairly common in the South. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABB (Titon): AABB (Rosenbaum). Mark Wilson (Rounder Records) finds this widely disseminated fiddle tune derivative of a song in minstrel songsters of the 1840's: | ||
<blockquote> | |||
''For my ole massa tole me so,''<br> | |||
''I was the best lookin' N_____ in the County O,''<Br> | |||
''I look in de glass and I found it so,''<Br> | |||
''Jus' what massa told me O.''<ref>The lyrics can appear sinister, in view of the legacy of sexual exploitation and sexual aggression in the power disparity of slave/owner relations. <ref><Br> | |||
</blockquote> | |||
Wilson also notes the tune and lyrics can be found in play party context as well<ref>Liner notes to Rounder 11661-0133-2, "Art Galbraith, James River Fiddler: Dixie Blossoms" (2007, extended reissue). </ref>. | |||
<br> | |||
<br> | |||
The tune is similar in its melodic countour to "[[What're We Gonna Do with the Baby-O]]" and to “[[Turkey Buzzard]].” R.P. Christeson notes similarity to his “Sugar in the Coffee” ('''Old Time Fiddler’s Repertory, vol. II''', No. 129). "A popular 19th century fiddle and play party tune well remembered by older informants across the South" (Charles Wolfe). Jeff Titon says the tune is generally well known in the South, but not frequently found in the repertoires of Kentucky fiddlers. Alan and Elizabeth Lomax recorded the tune for the Library of Congress from the playing of fiddler George C. Nicholson, and John Lomax collected it for the LOC in 1935 from the playing of Texas fiddler J.H. Hudson and banjo player J.D. Dillingham. See also African-American collector Thomas Tally’s No. 41. Verses are commonly sung to the last line of the 'B' part, such as: | |||
<blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
''Cornstalk fiddle and pea vine bow,''<br> | ''Cornstalk fiddle and pea vine bow,''<br> | ||
| Line 34: | Line 44: | ||
|f_see_also_listing=Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [http://www.ibiblio.org/keefer/p07.htm#Preligii]<br> | |f_see_also_listing=Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [http://www.ibiblio.org/keefer/p07.htm#Preligii]<br> | ||
Hear the Skillet Lickers skit "Prosperity and Politics" on youtube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVJLglyPSz0]<br> | Hear the Skillet Lickers skit "Prosperity and Politics" on youtube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVJLglyPSz0]<br> | ||
Hear Texas fiddler J.H. Hudson and banjo player J.D. Dillingham's 1935 LOC recording at Slippery Hill [https://www.slippery-hill.com/ | Hear Texas fiddler J.H. Hudson and banjo player J.D. Dillingham's 1935 LOC recording at Slippery Hill [https://www.slippery-hill.com/content/prettiest-little-girl-county-1]<br> | ||
Hear a field recording of Charley Kahana, made when he was 91 years old, at [https://www.voyagerrecords.com/NWMP3/Buffalo%20Gals%20MedleyCK.mp3] (starting about 1:30). | Hear a field recording of Charley Kahana, made when he was 91 years old, at [https://www.voyagerrecords.com/NWMP3/Buffalo%20Gals%20MedleyCK.mp3] (starting about 1:30). | ||
Hear Oklahoma fiddler Tom Fuller's 1973 field recording by Brad Leftwich at Slippery Hill [https://www.slippery-hill.com/ | Hear Oklahoma fiddler Tom Fuller's 1973 field recording by Brad Leftwich at Slippery Hill [https://www.slippery-hill.com/content/prettiest-little-girl-county-0]<br> | ||
}} | }} | ||
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Revision as of 07:02, 15 January 2021
X:1 T:Prettiest Little Girl in the County-o M:4/4 L:1/8 R:Reel S:Skillet Lickers (north Georgia, 1920’s) Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz K:G gage dged|Bd2d d2 eg|gage dfed|BG2G G2| g2g2d2 ed|Bd2d d2ef|gage dfed|B[G2B2][GB] [G2B2]|| G2G2 GBAG|EG2G G3D|G2G2 GBAG|EDDE D2 DE| G2G2 GBAG|EG2G G3D|G2G2 GBAG|E2D2D D2||
PRETTIEST (LITTLE) GIRL IN THE COUNTY(-O). AKA - "Prettiest Little Girl in the Country-O," "Purtiest Gal in the Country." AKA and see “Old Aunt Jenny,” "Prosperity Breakdown." American, Reel with Vocals. USA, fairly common in the South. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABB (Titon): AABB (Rosenbaum). Mark Wilson (Rounder Records) finds this widely disseminated fiddle tune derivative of a song in minstrel songsters of the 1840's:
For my ole massa tole me so,
I was the best lookin' N_____ in the County O,
I look in de glass and I found it so,
Jus' what massa told me O.Cite error: Closing</ref>missing for<ref>tag.
The tune is similar in its melodic countour to "What're We Gonna Do with the Baby-O" and to “Turkey Buzzard.” R.P. Christeson notes similarity to his “Sugar in the Coffee” (Old Time Fiddler’s Repertory, vol. II, No. 129). "A popular 19th century fiddle and play party tune well remembered by older informants across the South" (Charles Wolfe). Jeff Titon says the tune is generally well known in the South, but not frequently found in the repertoires of Kentucky fiddlers. Alan and Elizabeth Lomax recorded the tune for the Library of Congress from the playing of fiddler George C. Nicholson, and John Lomax collected it for the LOC in 1935 from the playing of Texas fiddler J.H. Hudson and banjo player J.D. Dillingham. See also African-American collector Thomas Tally’s No. 41. Verses are commonly sung to the last line of the 'B' part, such as:Cornstalk fiddle and pea vine bow,
Gwine take Sal to the party.
Swing 'em like you love 'em,
The boys are not above 'em.
Little more sugar in the coffee-o,
Swing Sal to the party.
Prettiest little girl in the country-o,
Mommy and Daddy told me so. ... [Skillet Lickers]
Prettiest little girl in the country-o,
Papa and mama both said so.
All dressed up in calico,
I'm gonna take her to the party-o.
I can get her if I want her,
I can get her if I want her. .... [Gordon Tanner]
Prettiest little girl in the county oh
How do I know, cause she told me so. .... [Gene Goforth]
Also:
Cornstalk fiddle and a pea-vine bow,
Gonna take Sal to the party-o.
Although it is a different tune, "Prettiest Girl in the Country" has a similar melodic contour to “Miss Sally at the Party”, with shared rhythm in the word couplet and even shared words—“Sal(ly) to the party-o.” The North Georgia old-time band the Skillet Lickers renamed the reel "Prosperity Breakdown" in praise of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal policies, and played it once through on their 1934 skit-medley "Prosperity and Politics Part 1." See also note for "annotation:Cornstalk Fiddle."
