Ashokan Farewell

"Ashokan Farewell"/əˈʃoʊˌkæn/is a musical piece composed by the Americanfolk musicianJay Ungarin 1982. For many years, it served as a goodnight or farewellwaltzat the annual Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camps, run by Ungar and his wifeMolly Mason,who named the tune after the Ashokan Field Campus (now theAshokan Center) ofSUNY New PaltzinUpstate New York.

TheAshokan Reservoir,located inUlster County, New York,United States

The tune was used as the title theme of the 1990PBStelevisiondocumentary series,The Civil War.Despite its late date of composition, it was included in the 1991compilation album,Songs of the Civil War.

Background

The piece is awaltzinD major,composed in the style of aScottishlament(e.g.,Niel Gow's "Lament for His Second Wife" ).Jay Ungar describes the song as coming out of "a sense of loss and longing" after the annual Ashokan Music & Dance Camps ended.The most famousarrangementof the piece begins with a soloviolin,later accompanied byguitarandupright bass.Another arrangement, featuring Ungar, Mason, and their family band, is performed with twoviolins,anacoustic guitar,and a banjo, with the piece beginning with a solo violin.

Before its use as the television series theme, "Ashokan Farewell" was recorded onWaltz of the Wind,the second album by the band Fiddle Fever. The musicians included Ungar and Mason.Ashokanwas the name of a former village in the Catskill regionthat is now mostly covered by theAshokan Reservoir.

Use inThe Civil Wardocumentary series

In 1984, filmmakerKen Burnsheard "Ashokan Farewell" and was moved by it. He used it in two of his documentary films:Huey Long(1985), andThe Civil War(1990), which features the original recording by Fiddle Fever in the beginning of the film.The Civil Wardrew the greatest attention to the piece. It is played 25 times throughout the eleven-hour series,including during the emotional reading ofSullivan Ballou'sletter to his wife in the first episode. The song underlies nearly an hour of film. Viewers ofThe Civil Warfrequently believe the melody is a traditional tune from theCivil Warera; in fact, it is the only modern composition on the film's soundtrack, as all other music is authentic 19th-century music.

In the wake of the success of the series and its soundtrack album, the track was released as a single by Elektra Nonesuch, backed with the "Sullivan Ballou Letter" recording featuring narratorDavid McCulloughand actorPaul Roeblingreading the part of Ballou. It subsequently received airtime on somecountry music-formatted radio stations, which was timely as the United States enteredOperation Desert Storm.Elektra Nonesuch director of media relations Carol Yaple toldBillboardmagazine, "I think ['Ashokan Farewell'] was the theme that people could sort of attach the series identity to. However... [the series' music] is really all of the period. There's nothing sexy or contemporary about it, really, except that it was attached to that series and is good music, certainly."

The song was later used in theLouieepisode "The Road: Part II", where Louie dresses up in a Civil War uniform for anold-time photograph.

Most recently, the song is used in the 2018 premiere of the television seriesYellowstone.

Other versions

The song has been covered and rerecorded numerous times:

• 1992 – Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland performed the tune on his albumThe Fiddlesticks Collection.
• 1993 – Country violinistMark O'ConnorreleasedHeroes,containing an "Ashokan Farewell" duet withPinchas Zukerman.
• 1994 – Acoustic guitar duo Wind Machine on their albumA Show of Hands.
• 1994 –BluegrassguitaristTony Ricecovered it on his releaseLive.
• 1994 –Priscilla Herdmanalso released it onForever and Always,with lyrics by Grian Mac Gregor. Both Ungar and Mason accompanied her.
• 1994 – Folk guitarist Tommy Emmanuel recorded it on his albumTerra Firmawith his brother Phil Emmanuel. He also does a version of the song with his band which includes drumming from the Civil War time period, a standing bass, and a second harmony guitar.
• 1996 – LeRoy Mack on the albumLeRoy Mack And Friends.
• 1997 – James Galway and Phil Coulter, featuring James Galway on the flute.
• 1997 – Joe Trio ( Allen Styles, Cameron Wilson and Laura McPheeters) on the albumA Cup of Joe,
• 1997 - The Adagio Trio recorded it on the albumStillpointarranged for cello, harp, and flute.
• ca. 1998 - Southern Cross Bush Band (Featuring fiddler Les Helfgott), Included as part of a medley on their CD album "Cross Selection".
• 2001 – A cover version appears onChuck Leavell's solo piano recordingForever Blue.
• 2002 – Solo fingerstyle guitarist Larry Pattis plays a moving version in DADGAD tuning on his album "Hands of Time."
• 2002 – Americana band Scythian on the albumDance at the Crossroads.
• 2003 – The violin duo group "Duel" consisting of Greg Scott and Craig Owen released a cover on Ashokan Farewell on their 1st Album entitled "DUEL" the Album went to number 1 in the UK classical charts for several weeks.
• 2005 – The all-female Irish musical ensembleCeltic Womanreleased a cover version byMáiréad Nesbitt(violin/fiddle) in their first album and live DVD recording of the same name.
• 2006 –Time for Threecovered it onWe Just Burned this for You,recorded live at Bowling Green State University in Ohio on January 13.
• 2008 – British vocal bandBlakecovered the song for their self-titled debut album.
• 2008 – North Dakota fiddler Loy Larson performs it on his albumLoy Larson, On Track.He performs all the instruments heard in this tune and all tunes on the album.
• 2009 – Arvel Bird, fiddler, included the song in his albumRed River Jig,alongside several Métis tunes
• 2011 –Keith Kenniff,under his moniker Goldmund, covered the song on his albumAll Will Prosper.
• 2011 – The Band Of Her Majesty's Royal Marines released a cover of Ashokan Farewell
• 2011 –The Ebony Hillbillieson their albumBarefoot and Flying.
• 2011 – Circa Paleo on their albumTideland.
• 2012 – Muckle Flugga on their albumBack To The Light.
• 2012-2013 – In the BBC America TV seriesCopper,which takes place in theFive Pointsof New York City in 1864, almost 120 years before the tune was written.
• 2013 – On the albumStrike the Tent,the Second South Carolina String Band covers the song.
• 2013 – Electric violinist Bridgid Bibbens covered the song on her debut albumSugar&Steel.
• 2013 – Performed by solo violinist Major John Perkins of The Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines was voted no. 36 in Classic FM's (UK) Hall of Fame.
• 2013 – Burning Bridget Cleary on their albumPressed for Time.
• 2013 – Broderick & Broderick, on their eponymous EP, include a track entitled "Ashokan Farewell".
• 2014 – Nicola Benedetti: Homecoming, Rory MacDonald & BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, soloist Nicola Benedetti, Decca.
• 2015 – The Coal Creek Boys perform it on their albumOut West.
• 2015 – A remixed version is used in the soundtrack of the Japanese Anime TV seriesOwarimonogataricalled Euler, Composed by Kei Haneoka.
• 2017 – TheAmerican Heritage Lyceum Philharmonicrecorded the tune for their albumSimple Gifts
• 2019 – Jenny Oaks Baker performed a Kurt Bestor arrangement of it with the Lyceum Philharmonic orchestra, filmed in an outdoor setting, with the Sullivan Ballou farewell love letter from "The Civil War" documentary by Ken Burns overlaid throughout.
• 2019 – Nova Scotian fiddler Amelia Parker recorded the song for her albumIntertwined
• 2019 – James Dunne closed his albumFamily Songs, Vol.1with it, featuring mandolin, harmonica, guitar and violin.
• 2021 - Valentina Lisitsa - piano - recorded by Music Lab Collective - on albumClassical Chill,released June 2, 2021
• 2021 – Morris Northcutt (trumpet/cornet) recorded on his debut albumTonada,released August 20, 2021.

See also

• Music history of the United States during the Civil War era

External links

• Sample file by the Brassworks Band
• Ashokan Farewell FAQ
• Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camp