Tim Eriksen sings "Friendship" at the Summit House

www.timeriksen.netThis 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.

Channel: Music
Uploaded: April 25, 2008 at 6:21 am
Author: batfancy

Length: 02:26
Rating: 5.00
Views: 781

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