Annotation:Old Red Barn (The)

Back to Old Red Barn (The)

---

OLD RED BARN, THE. AKA and see "Little Red Barn (The)," "Little Red Wagon." Canadian, American; Jig or Quadrille. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Messer): AA'AA'BB (Phillips). The jig is popular with older fiddlers in central New York state, according to local fiddler Chad Miller, where at least one called it the "Red Barn Quadrille," perhaps in imitation of John Baltzell's recording "The Red Barn Medley Quadrille." Baltzell, from Ohio, recorded the tune with piano accompaniment in New York City in September, 1923. As "Little Red Wagon" it was collected by R.P. Christeson from Missouri fiddler Charlie Walden. Paul Gifford says it is fairly common among older Michigan and Ontario fiddlers. It was a core tune in the repertoire of "Downeast" Canadian radio and TV fiddler Don Messer, frequently recorded by him and his group The Islanders. Keys vary: A and G major are the most common.

Source for notated version: Don Rowan [Phillips].

Printed sources: Messer (Original Old Tyme Music by Don Messer and His Islanders), 1942. Messer (Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes), 1980; No. 158, p. 107. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 2), 1995; p. 373.

Recorded sources: Apex 26340-A (78 RPM), Don Messer & His Islanders (1953). Dino Records 512 995-2, Grahan Townsend - "100 Fiddle Hits: 35th Anniversary Collection" (1990). Edison 51236 (78 RPM), 1923, John Baltzell (appears as "Old Red Barn Medley Quadrille") {Baltzell (1860-1940) was a native of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, the same home town as minstrel Dan Emmett (d. 1904). Emmett returned to Mt. Vernon, poor, in 1888, and later taught Baltzell to play the fiddle.}.

See also listing at:
Hear Baltzell's 1923 recording on youtube.com [1] [2]
Hear Don Messer's 1953 recording on youtube.com [3] [4]

---