Tim Eriksen sings "Friendship" at the Summit House

http://timeriksenmusic.com/
This old march tune first showed up with these words in "The American Musical Miscellany," 1798, printed by Andrew and Daniel Wright, who had a shop just about behind the tree (on Bridge St. in Northampton, if memory serves). I think it probably originated in a no longer extant play mounted by Ezra Stiles down in New Haven that predates Royall Tyler's "The Contrast," but I may be the only one who thinks that, and I can't remember why I do. It shows up in a number of 19th c. shape note and oblong hymn books, sometimes with the word "friendship" replaced with "Jesus." The only people I know who sing it now are some "Christian Harmony" singers in North Carolina and Alabama/Mississippi. It's one of my favorite songs, and I recorded it for the CD "Every Sound Below," the liner notes to which contain a bunch more about it, including a surreal experience I had stumbling upon two little punk girls playing it on a piano in Camdem, ME in 1997.
The first asparagus was in on Sunday, and it's as good as always. A friend introduced me to the term "phenology," or noticing first appearances of things through the seasons. In music I'm often more interested in vestigial or liminal presences than in what's the latest, but in the natural world I guess I do love seeing things as they come in. Of course the seasons are old songs too.
I'm standing down the hill from the Summit House, which is supposedly where Jenny Lind had her honeymoon. By the time I finished playing there was a little crowd of people, including somebody I've known through gigs for probably 15 years. Not the worst turn out I've had.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• northern
• roots
• alternative
• folk
• western
• massachusetts
• pioneer
• valley
• friendship
• fiddle
• andrew
• daniel
• wright
• american
• musical
• miscellany
• ezra
• stiles
• bidwell
• cordelia's
• dad
• asparagus
• summit
• house
• jenny
• lind
• connecticut
• river

[veronikamm]

love this song, and it has stayed in my head since saturday, so I was wondering how you tune the fiddle? maybe your songs will get me back to playing...

[batfancy]

@veronikamm Hey Veronika! It was such a nice surprise to see you all in Kromeriz. I tune the fiddle GDgd most of the time. Seems to work for songs like this, anyway...

[bradbavarde]

Musically, what is it you do with the violin on the second verse starting Happy the man. It sounds so good, is it a counter melody or just your improvisation? I love it

[batfancy]

Good ear man. It's a counter melody based on the bass line as found in the first publication ca. 1787.

[mudws]

Great performance, Tim. What's the 1787 source? You mention the American Musical Miscellany of 1798, and I think it's in the 1789 Philadelphia Songster, words attr. to Mr. Bidwell of Connecticut. So there's a 1787 print or MS with a melody and bass?

[batfancy]

Hey Warren! This was a very esoteric slip on my part that I didn't bother to correct. I suspect the song is from a no longer extant play Ezra Stiles did down at Yale that predated Royall Tyler's The Contrast (1787) and I had a persistent enough mental note to check into it that the date got stuck temporarily. I love that we can have this conversation on youtube. I wonder what some drunk guy in Ohio thinks? Perhaps we'll find out.

[tstlz10]

no way, I live ten mins. from the summit house and i stumbled on this by chance. glad i did, great music and lovely scenery

[yolanthe3g]

Online Russian girls  gettop5.info

[bradbavarde]

Thanks, it's such a great tune. I'm a Sacred Harp singer, so I guess I pick up the different voices. I got to meet you once at the Midwest Convention, hope you'll make it back sometime - Brad