Bonnell's Quickstep
BONNELL'S QUICKSTEP. AKA - "Bonnell's March," "Virginia Quickstep," "Dancing Mustang (The)," "Major Crichton's Delight" (Eng.), "Davy Davy Knick Knack" (Eng.), "Hoe Cake." American, Quickstep or March. USA, southwestern Pa. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The tune is international in origin, according to Bayard (1981), having antecedents in Britain and Europe. In Pennsylvania, however, in the early-mid 20th century it was well-known as a tune for fife and drum bands, although one informant also knew it as a play-party and dance tune. The Pennsylvania versions are named for a renowned fifer from Geene County named "Doc" Bonnell.
Earlier antecedents are "Major Critchton's Delight" printed by Glasgow publisher James Aird in his Selections of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 5 (1787). Frank Roche's "Killarney's Lakes" is a cognate tune, finds Bayard, who also found two Flemish versions, and says Dutch authority Florimond van Duyse considered it a fife or flagolet tune dating to the latter 18th or beginning 19th century.
Sources for notated versions: Bayard's 'A' version is from the Hoge MS; various other versions ('B'-'H') were collected from southwestern Pa. fifers and fiddlers.
Printed source: Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 210, pp. 164-167.
© 1996-2010 Andrew Kuntz. All Rights Reserved.
Engraver Valerio M. Pelliccioni