Music at the Library: Keep it Old-Time--Fiddle Music in Missouri from the 1960s Folk Music Revival to the Present

Since its evolution in Europe centuries ago, the fiddle/violin has become a true "people's instrument" that spans most of the globe. Whether called fiddle or violin (the same instrument, just with differing customs of learning and performance), it continues to be enjoyed across all kinds of traditions and communities. "Keep it old-time" is a familiar phrase that echoes many fiddlers' preference for carrying on inherited tunes and styles of former times, but most musicians learn from many sources and influences and appreciate different styles. This program offers some live examples of Missouri fiddling and dance music and includes discussion about the history and people of the fiddle.

The presenter, Dr. Howard Marshall, is professor emeritus and former chair of art history and archaeology and director of the Missouri Cultural Heritage Center at the University of Missouri. He will be accompanied by his old friends Heinrich Leonhard and Kathy Gordon, and special guests John P. Williams, Rachel Krause, and Robert Makey.  

Marshall's new book, the final book in his trilogy about fiddlers, will be available for sale and signing, along with the first two volumes. Each book includes a companion music CD of archival and contemporary recordings of fiddlers discussed in the book