Fiddling Way Out Yonder

The Life and Music of Melvin Wine

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music, Theory & Criticism, Ethnomusicology, Music Styles, Folk & Traditional, Biography & Memoir, Composers & Musicians
Cover of the book Fiddling Way Out Yonder by Drew Beisswenger, University Press of Mississippi
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Drew Beisswenger ISBN: 9781628468670
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi Publication: September 28, 2009
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi Language: English
Author: Drew Beisswenger
ISBN: 9781628468670
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Publication: September 28, 2009
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi
Language: English

From a small mountain town in West Virginia, elder fiddler Melvin Wine has inspired musicians and music enthusiasts far beyond his homeplace.

Music, community, and tradition influence all aspects of life in this rural region. Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of Melvin Wine shows how in Wine's playing and teaching all three have created a vital and enduring legacy.

Wine has been honored nationally for his musical skills and his leadership role in an American musical tradition. A farmer, a coal miner, a father of ten children, and a deeply religious man, he has played music from the hard lessons of his own experience and shaped a musical tradition even while passing it to others.

Fiddling Way Out Yonder examines the fiddler, his music, and its context from a variety of perspectives. Many rousing fiddlers came from isolated mountain regions like Melvin's home stomp. The book makes a point to address the broad historical issues related both to North American fiddling and to Wine's personal history.

Wine has spent almost all of his ninety-two years in rural Braxton County, an area where the fiddle and dance traditions that were strong during his childhood and early adult life continue to be active today. Utilizing models from folklore studies and ethnomusicology, Fiddling Way Out Yonder discusses how community life and educational environment have affected Melvin's music and his approaches to performance.

Such a unique fiddler deserves close stylistic scrutiny. The book reveals Wine's particular tunings, his ways of holding the instrument, his licks, his bowing techniques and patterns, his tune categories, and his favorite keys. The book includes transcriptions and analyses of ten of Melvin's tunes, some of which are linked to minstrelsy, ballad singing traditions, and gospel music. Narratives discuss the background of each tune and how it has fit into Melvin's life.

While his music is tied to community and family traditions, Melvin is a unique and complex person. This biography heralds a musician who wants both to communicate the spirit of his mountains and to sway an audience into having an old-fashioned good time.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

From a small mountain town in West Virginia, elder fiddler Melvin Wine has inspired musicians and music enthusiasts far beyond his homeplace.

Music, community, and tradition influence all aspects of life in this rural region. Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of Melvin Wine shows how in Wine's playing and teaching all three have created a vital and enduring legacy.

Wine has been honored nationally for his musical skills and his leadership role in an American musical tradition. A farmer, a coal miner, a father of ten children, and a deeply religious man, he has played music from the hard lessons of his own experience and shaped a musical tradition even while passing it to others.

Fiddling Way Out Yonder examines the fiddler, his music, and its context from a variety of perspectives. Many rousing fiddlers came from isolated mountain regions like Melvin's home stomp. The book makes a point to address the broad historical issues related both to North American fiddling and to Wine's personal history.

Wine has spent almost all of his ninety-two years in rural Braxton County, an area where the fiddle and dance traditions that were strong during his childhood and early adult life continue to be active today. Utilizing models from folklore studies and ethnomusicology, Fiddling Way Out Yonder discusses how community life and educational environment have affected Melvin's music and his approaches to performance.

Such a unique fiddler deserves close stylistic scrutiny. The book reveals Wine's particular tunings, his ways of holding the instrument, his licks, his bowing techniques and patterns, his tune categories, and his favorite keys. The book includes transcriptions and analyses of ten of Melvin's tunes, some of which are linked to minstrelsy, ballad singing traditions, and gospel music. Narratives discuss the background of each tune and how it has fit into Melvin's life.

While his music is tied to community and family traditions, Melvin is a unique and complex person. This biography heralds a musician who wants both to communicate the spirit of his mountains and to sway an audience into having an old-fashioned good time.

More books from University Press of Mississippi

Cover of the book Conversations with Jonathan Lethem by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book The Poetics of American Song Lyrics by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book Conversations with Gish Jen by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book Conversations with Vladimir Nabokov by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book Working-Class Comic Book Heroes by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book Earl Hooker, Blues Master by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book Twain's Brand by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book In the Lion's Mouth by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book Will Eisner by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book Mississippi Entrepreneurs by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book Garden of Dreams by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book A Decade of Dark Humor by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book Eleanor H. Porter's Pollyanna by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book Baba Yaga by Drew Beisswenger
Cover of the book Seth by Drew Beisswenger
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy