Annotation:Richmond Polka

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X:32 % T:Richmond Polka % NFF Book 2010 S:collected from Eileen McCoy H:This is an American tune which Eileen McCoy learned from Canadian fiddler Peter H:Mollison N:A version was also collected from Jim Lowe by Barry McDonald, NLA ID:1813145 O:Australia, Tas, Gunns Valley R:Set Tune R:Polka F:http://bushtraditions.wiki/tunes/index.php/Richmond_Polka M:2/4 L:1/16 K:D |:"D"A2f2 fgfe|d2A2 F2A2|"A7"B2E2 E2FG|(3BcBA2 F3G| "D"A2f2 fgfe|d2A2 F2A2|"A7"(3cdcA2 B2c2|"D"[d4F4][d2F2]z2:| K:A |:"A"eeee e2d2|c2a2e4|c3c cccc|A2c2A2c2| "A"eeee e2d2|c2a2 e3a|"E7"gggg gefg|1 "A"a4a4:|2 "A"a2=g2f2e2||

RICHMOND POLKA. AKA and see "Green Mountain Polka," "Plaza Polka," "Redman's Reel," “Richmond Cotillion (1).” American, Reel or Polka (cut time). D Major ('A' part) & A Major ('B' part). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. "Richmond Polka" is a version of the reel usually known as "Richmond Cotillion (1)"; the first strains are cognate, but the second strains similar but more distanced. It was recorded in 1929 for Brunswick Records by West Virginia fiddle and guitar duo Clark and Luches Kessinger, known on recordings as The Kessinger Brothers, despite that Luches was Clark's nephew. Brunswick released the Kessingers' "Richmond Polka" recording in Canada as "Le Reel de Richmond."

A popular "Richmond Polka" was published in the 1850's and reprinted frequently for several decades, however, it is not the same tune as the Kessingers' "Richmond Polka" or any of the "Richmond Cotillion" variants. Because it was the title of a popular polka, it probably became a "floater" in folk-processing. Paul Gifford notes that Henry Ford’s orchestra recorded the tune in a medley with “Jenny Lind (1) Polka” for the dance Heel and Toe Polka. The tune was recorded in the mid-20th century by Curly Herdman and His West Virginia Boys. "Redman's Reel" in Ira Ford's Traditional Music in America (1940) is similar to the Kessingers' version.

Additional notes

Source for notated version: - Clark Kessinger (W.Va.) [Phillips].

Printed sources : - Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 2), 1995; p. 350.

Recorded sources: - Brunswick 309 (78 RPM), The Kessinger Brothers (1929). Champion 45014 (78 RPM), The Kentucky String Ticklers (1933). Folkways Records FA 2336, "Clark Kessinger, Fiddler" (1966). "Bobby Taylor Plays 'Ragged Shirt' and Other Favorite Fiddle Tunes from West Virginia" (2009). Voyager VRCD 350, Vivian and Phil Williams - "Dance Music of the Oregon Trail" (2014). The Kessinger Brothers - "Done Gone" ().

See also listing at:
Hear the Kessinger Brothers' Recording on youtube.com [1]
Hear Vivian and Phil William's recording on youtube.com [2]
See Austin Rogers' standard notation transcription [3]