Rural Missouri - March 2013 - (Page 24)
H
by Jim McCarty
jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop
oward Marshall likes to use
the words fiddle and violin
interchangeably in any conversation about Missouri’s
state musical instrument. According
to him, aside from a few subtle differences, they are the same thing.
“A fiddle went to Moberly Area
Community College,” he explains. “A
violin went to Harvard.”
For 40 years, the Callaway Electric
Cooperative member from Millersburg has been researching old-time
fiddling, which he calls “homemade
music.” Recently, he shared the gems
of that research in a new book titled
“Play Me Something Quick and Devilish: Old-Time Fiddlers in Missouri.”
If anyone was going to write the
definitive book on this Missouri tradition, it would have to be Howard
Marshall, or Rusty as his friends know
him. A retired professor from the University of Missouri’s Department of
Art History and Archeology, Howard
once taught a course on folklife that
frequently revolved around his fiddle.
He’s a pretty fair fiddle player himself,
having studied at the feet of some of
the state’s greatest fiddlers.
He’s the author of 10 books, including Rural Missouri’s “Barns of Missouri:
Storehouses of History.” While these
books could serve as university texts,
they are written in a way that makes
them interesting to all.
“I didn’t really do this for the
scholarly world,” Howard says of his
latest effort. “It has enough scholarship in it that it would be useful at a
Bryn Mawr or Berkeley (two universities) or wherever someone was teaching about the theory of traditional
fiddling. But it’s really for the people
in the book.”
The new book and its accompanying CD of fiddle music is the result of
a life devoted to preserving the history and culture surrounding fiddle
playing. The title hints at the fiddle’s
status as the “devil’s instrument,” a
concept used by early preachers who
were concerned with the instrument’s
ability to make people want to dance.
The book covers the evolution of
fiddle playing from the earliest Missouri settlements by the French to the
1920s when the influence of jazz and
ragtime was felt.
Much of this information probably has never seen the light of day.
Included are most of the ethnic
groups that made Missouri the colorful state it is. These include the
French, Irish, German,
AfricanAmerican
and oldstock Missourians from
Southern
states. Howard
also devoted a
chapter to the
little-studied
Howard Marshall’s book tells
the story of fiddling in Missouri
through the eyes of
many old-time fiddlers he interviewed.
24
Folklorist Howard Marshall spent the better part of 40 years researching the origins of fiddle music and the people who play it in
Missouri. He shares this effort in a new book called “Play Me Something Quick and Devilish.”
Homegrown music
New book preserves fiddle playing for the future
American Indian fiddlers.
The book helps explain the three
primary styles of Missouri fiddling:
Ozark, Little Dixie and North Missouri. If readers don’t understand the
difference from his text, they can turn
to the CD, which holds 39 recordings
of fiddle music played by people mentioned in the book.
But what really makes this an interesting work are the stories about the
music and the people who play it.
The story of Missouri fiddling is told
through the voices of recent fiddlers
who become a bridge to the past.
“Sometimes the story behind the
tune is a lot more interesting than
the tune itself,” Howard says. “There
are thousands of tunes that are very
much alike, and we can’t hardly tell
them apart. Most of the tunes in the
book — and there are hundreds mentioned — I could probably give
you a run at where every one
of those came from.”
One example he cites is a
tune called “Billy in the Low
Ground.” Howard thought
the tune might be about a
goat caught in a swamp.
Instead, it turned out to be
based on a battle fought
by William the Conqueror
in Scotland.
There are hundreds
of fiddle players mentioned in the book, so
don’t expect Howard
to name his favorites.
However, several stand
out as masters of the
art, he says.
Two of his peers were Taylor McBawinning fiddling contests with a techine and Pete McMahan, two Little
nique so good, Howard believes many
Dixie-style fiddlers who taught him
of the old-timers could not top them.
much of what he knows. “Both taught
What concerns him isn’t the playme a lot, but they were completely
ing. “One of the things that became
different teachers,” Howard says.
very clear when I was writing this
“Taylor, whatever you
book was that the venues or the
played, he would say,
opportunities to play the fiddle
‘That’s great. But maybe
have changed in a way that
if you try a little more
isn’t necessarily good. Danc•
of this . . .’ When I played
Millersburg ing is the reason for fiddling.
something for Pete, he
The dances have almost
would lean over in his chair
disappeared.”
and say, ‘Howard, you’ll
Only in a few places,
never get it.’”
such as Ava and HallsAnother of his favorites
ville, have the community
was Cyril Stinnett, a North Missourisquare dances led by a fiddle player
style fiddler from Savannah. “There’s
— not a caller with an iPod — continstill people, including myself, who are
ued. Many of those old-time fiddlers
trying to figure out how he did what
recorded by Howard are gone. Still,
he did,” Howard says.
he is confident enough in the future
Cyril was so good that people often
of old-time fiddling to be planning a
challenged him by handing him a fidsequel to this book.
dle that was of poor quality, cracked
“All these years, it’s just like pullor badly out of tune. “He would say,
ing chess pieces off my board,” he
‘Well, I don’t know.’ Thirty seconds
says of those who have passed away.
later, he was playing it the best you’ve
“Am I just left with a couple of pawns
ever heard,” Howard says.
and maybe one rook? I sure hope not.
Often, Howard is asked whether
People are going to play the fiddle. It
fiddle music can survive in this digimight not sound just the way I play
tal age. He points out that fiddle and
it, but believe me, they are going to
violin playing by young people is at
be playing ‘Soldier’s Joy’ in Martian
an all-time high due to the rise of new
colonies 100 years from now.”
teaching courses such as the Suzuki
method, which stresses learning at a
“Play Me Something Quick and Devyoung age and playing by ear instead
ilish” is 398 pages and includes a CD
of relying on sheet music.
with 39 fiddle tunes. It costs $29.95
Today’s fiddlers can log onto Youand can be found at most bookstores or
Tube and not only hear, but see, their
ordered online at http://press.umsystem.
favorite fiddlers perform. Fiddling is
edu or by calling 800-621-2736.
gaining acceptance among classical
You can contact Howard Marshall at
musicians. Twelve-year-old girls are
howard.marshall1944@gmail.com.
WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
http://press.umsystem.edu
http://press.umsystem.edu
http://WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - March 2013
Rural Missouri - March 2013
Table of Contents
Comments
Columns
Musings in mud
The lure of tying flies
Outdoors
Out of the Way Eats
Living history
Queens of the court
Homegrown music
Hearth and Home
All about mulch
Around Missouri
Marketplace
Neighbors
Just4Kids
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