Elzic's Farewell
Notation:
Standard Notation
ABC Notation
Banjo Tablature
Mandolin Tablature
Violin Tablature
traditional
PDF Files:
--- choose file type ---
Standard Notation
Banjo Tablature
Mandolin Tablature
Violin Tablature
Tune Sheet
Standard Notation - wide
Mandolin Tablature - wide
Violin Tablature - wide
Banjo Tablature - wide
American
Play
MIDI
No audio
available
Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
"Elzic's Farewell" is an old-time breakdown from West Virginia in A Dorian or A minor.<br> It is played in AEae or standard tunings (fiddle). The parts are played ABB (Phillips,<br> Reiner & Anick), AABB (Phillips), AABBCC (Brody, Songer) or ABCBABC (Krassen).<br> This tune has been described as "an old bagpipe tune" from the repertoire of W.Va.<br> fiddler French Carpenter who stated his ancestor (the Elzic or Elzick of the title)<br> played the melody as a farewell before marching off to fight in the Civil War. Elzic went<br> missing in the conflict and never returned, but the tune survived and entered local<br> tradition as "Elzic's Farewell".<br> The tune's origins have been researched by Jim Comstock of Richwood, W.Va., and were<br> published by him in The West Virginia Songbag (1974). The tune was actually written by<br> one Harvey G. Elswick who was born in Pike County, Kentucky in 1838 and who did serve<br> in a unit from that state during the Civil War. After the war Elswick and in 1875 he and<br> his family moved to Kanawha County, West Virginia. There that he wrote the melody now<br> known as "Elsic's Farewell" in April, 1889. Harvey Elswick played the tune at the request<br> of his mother, who was on her deathbed. Complying with her request to "play his fiddle<br> for her once more before she died", Elswick was inspired to play the tune as his farewell.<br> The banjo tablature is by John Letscher. His notes:<br> Mainly based on The Freighthoppers and Paul Kirk whose playing supplied the D part of this<br> setting. The Freighthoppers play three parts.<br> I adapted John's D part too add it to the standard notation and mandolin/violin tablatures.<br> It was printed in Brody's Fiddler's Fakebook (1983),<br> Krassen's Appalachian Fiddle (1983),<br> Milliner & Koken's Millener-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes (2011),<br> Phillips' Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1 (1994),<br> Reiner & Anick's Old Time Fiddling Across America (1989) and<br> Songer's Portland Collection (1997).<br> It was recorded by Pete Sutherland on Mountain Hornpipe,<br> French Carpenter (whose version had only two parts) on Old Time Songs and Tunes from Clay<br> County, West Virginia (1978),<br> Pickin' Around the Cookstove on Pickin' Around the Cookstove (1975),<br> Wilson Douglas on The Right Hand Fork of Rush's Creek (1975),<br> Scott Nygaard on Dreamer's Waltz (1996),<br> Ruthie Dornfeld on Egyptian Dominoes,<br> Freight Hopperson on Where'd You Come From, Where'd You Go,<br> Ron Mullennex on Sugar in My Coffee and<br> Reed Island Rounders on Goin' Home (2002).<br>
Click
here
for a full page view.