Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine
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Standard Notation
ABC Notation
Accomp. Notation
Banjo Tablature
Mandolin Tablature
Violin Tablature
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
"Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine", also known as "Napoleon Crossing the Rhine", <br> "Battle Call Of The Fianna", "The Star Of Columbia", "Sweet Killaloe", "Bonaparte's Retreat",<br> "Bruce's March", "Caledonian March",<br> "Freemason's March", "Ranahan's March", "Sherman's March (to the Sea)",<br> "The Star of Bethlehem" or "St. Patrick's March" is an old-time march in cut time or 4/4<br> D Major. It is played in standard or ADae fiddle tunings. The parts are played AB (Barnes),<br> AAB (Phillips/1995) and AABB (most versions).<br> The first part of the tune shows up in several melodies from Ireland, Scotland and England;<br> these variants include the Irish "Centenary March" and "An Comhra Donn" and the Scottish<br> "Caledonian March" (printed by George Willig in Philadelphia in 1837 and Elias Howe in his<br> Musician's Companion of 1842). Barry Callaghan (2007) says the core tune was current as a<br> military march in the Peninsular War and probably earlier, although he cites no source for<br> this assertion. However, the tune has melodic similarity to an English hornpipe (possibly a<br> march) called "Durham Rangers" and "Sherwood Rangers".<br> Samuel Bayard (1944) was familiar with "Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine" as a common march<br> tune in his primary collecting area of western Pennsylvania and one which circulated under a<br> variety of names including (in Fayette County) "Bruce's March" and (in Greene County)<br> "The Star of Bethlehem." A Pennsylvania bandmaster gave Bayard the name "Ranahan's March"<br> which he said commemorated a local bandmaster. As with several of the other 'Bonaparte'-titled<br> tunes it is sometimes confused with similar names; for example, Bayard once heard it played<br> by a New Jersey fiddler who gave it the ubiquitous name "Bonaparte's Retreat".<br> Fiddler Mack Snodderly played a slow, dirge-like version of the tune and called it<br> "Dying on the Field of Battle/Died on the Field of Battle."<br> The Greene County title (i.e.<br> "Star of Bethlehem")<br> suggests that the air may formerly have been sung to a once popular religious piece of<br> the same name.<br> A version of this tune is used for the shape-note hymn "Family Bible".<br> It was printed in Barnes' English Country Dance Tunes, vol. 2 (2005) (appears as<br> "The First of October", the name of a country dance by Phillippe Callens set to the tune),<br> Bayard's Hill Country Tunes (1944),<br> Brody's Fiddler's Fakebook (1983),<br> O'Neill's The Dance Music of Ireland (1907),<br> Slater's Clawhammer Banjo Solos (1979),<br> Callaghan's Hardcore English (2007),<br> Phillips' Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 2 (1995) and<br> Silberberg's Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern (2002).<br> It was recorded by John McCutcheon on How Can I Keep From Singing? (1975),<br> The Fuzzy Mountain String Band on Summer Oaks and Porch (1973).<br>
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