New Classes and Workshops for the New Year!

With short days, long nights, and crisp weather, we’re about to enter the winter season. Hope you are staying warm and enjoying those miraculous, occasional blue-sky days. It’s been a busy and fun fall for teaching and performing. I am fortunate to journey with people (like you!) who are discovering the joy of making music and rising to the challenge of doing so on a great musical instrument with some truly medieval design flaws (aka the fiddle!).

I am planning an exciting bunch of classes and workshops for January-March 2013, including a first-ever Intro to Cajun music class, a Quebec Session class, Fiddle 2, and a Fiddle/Banjo duet class (with co-teacher and banjo diva Leela Grace). Read on for details on just what these classes will be, and more!

Quebec Tune of the Month for Dec. 2012: Valse du vieux Québec

Here’s a charming version of a varsouvienne-type waltz which has circulated far and wide in Europe  and North America since the mid 1800s. It usually is associated with a series of verses and refrains, and wins hands-down the contest for Waltz with the Most Variant Names.
Valse du vieux Québec (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=147]
Valse du vieux Québec (moderate speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=148]
Valse du vieux Québec (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=149]

Here is a small sample of English-language alternate titles: Clap Your Leg Up, Cock Your Leg Up, Come To Bed Love, Father Halpin, Father Halpin’s Top Coat, Father Halpin’s Topcoat, Father Murphy, Father Murphy’s Top Coat, Father Murphy’s Topcoat, Have You Seen My New Clothes?, Have You Seen My New Shoes, Is The Hen Gone, Jan Pierewiet, Jimmy Donkey’s Big Toe, Joe The Yankee, Joe The Yankee’s Big Toe, Kick A Dutchman, Kiss The Donkey, Little Foot, Little Johnny Has The Toothache, The Old Shoes, Pat’s Top Coat, Peter Big Toe, Put Your Little Foot Right Here, Put Your Little Foot Right Out, Put Your Little Toe, Reversavianna, Shave The Donkey, Shew The Donkey, Shoe The Donkey, Shoo The Donkey, Shoot The Donkey, Shoot The Honky, Silver Lakes Varsovianna, The Silver Lakes Varsovianna, Silver Lakes Varsovienne, The Silver Lakes Varsovienne, There’s A Hen Gone, There’s A Hen Gone From Jones, Throw Your Leg Up, Vals Of Vienna, The Vals Of Vienna, Valse De Vienne, Valse Of Vienna, Varsouviana, The Varsouviana, Varsouvienna, Varsouvienne, Varsoviana, Varsoviana Waltz, The Varsoviana, Varsovianna, Varsovienne, Versavienna, The Versavienna, Verse Of Vienna, Versevanna, Versevianna, The Versouviana Dance, Waltz Of Vienna, The Waltz Of Vienna, Warsoviana, Warszawianka.

This particular version is from fiddler Isidore Soucy and you can hear him play this on the Virtual Gramophone website.