Annotation:Salute to Boston

X:1 % T:Salute to Boston M:6/8 L:1/8 K:A A,B,A, A,CE|{G}FEF A2B|...

SALUTE TO BOSTON. AKA and see “Wha can help it.” Canadian, Jig. Canada, Cape Breton. A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Many Cape Breton musicians and dancers lived for various lengths of time in the Boston area. Fiddler Jerry Holland was born near Boston and was influenced by the Cape Breton musicians who visited the family home; he later moved to northern Cape Breton. The tune is basically that of Niel Gow’s “Wha can help it,” which can be played as an air or a jig. It keeps the form of the original (which can be written AA’AA’BB’BA’, with the ending of the second part returning to the end of the first strain), however the ‘B’ melodic material differs from the original. Some similarities also to “Bonnie Strathmore” (as printed by Kerr).

Additional notes

Source for notated version: -

Printed sources : - Cranford (Jerry Holland’s Collection), 1995; No. 194, p. 56.

Recorded sources: - Fiddlesticks cass., Jerry Holland - “A Session with Jerry Holland” (1990).

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