Annotation:Wood Up Quick Step

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X:1 T:Wood Up, a Quick Step C:John Holloway, Oct. 1834 N:Composed on the anniversary of the Washington Light Infantry N:Printed in Boston on single sheet by C. Bradlee, 13b Washington St. M:2/4 L:1/8 R:Quick Step Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion F:https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1349&context=sheetmusic K:A [A2c2e2][c2e2a2]|c'b z2|b2e'2|c'a z2|[A2d2f2][d2f2a2|d'd' zf'|e'd'c'b|[cea][cea]z2:| M:6/8 e3 f2e|e2zA/A/ AAA|e2d B2c|A2 E/E/ EEE| e3 f2e|e2 A/A/ AAA|e2d B2c|A3 a2 c/d/| e3 f2e|e3 c2A|d3 c2B|B2z z2B| e3 f2e|e3 c2A|e2d B2c|A3 a2z|| |:(c<e)z (f<e)z|(a<e)z (c'<a)z|(b<e)z (e'<e)z|(c'<e)z (a<e)z| (c<e)z (f<e)z|(a<e)z (c'<e)z|(b<e)z (e'<e)z|1 a3 z2z:|2a3 z2|| |:"post horn"E|AEc AEc|A2"trumpet"E/E/ EEE|"bugle"Bed BEd|B2 E/E/ EEE| "post horn"AEc AEc|A2"bugle"E/E/ EAc|e2E/E/ EGE|A3a2:| e|f2f f2f|e3 c2c|edB EFG|A2c e2[ce]|[d2f2]f [d2f2][df]|[A3c3e3] [c2d2a2]a| {a}gfg efg|a2c' a2e|f2f f2f|e3 c2A|edB EFG|A2c e2e| f2f f2f|e3 a2a|{a}gfg efg|a2c' e'2a| {a}gfg efg|(a3 a2)a/a/|a2 a/a/ aaa|a2z c'2z|[c3e3a3] z2||

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WOOD UP, A QUICK STEP. American, Quickstep (2/4 and 6/8 time). A Major (Holloway): C Major (Howe). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBC. "Wood Up" was a quick step march composed by John Holloway in October, 1834, for the anniversary of the Washington Light Infantry, a militia unit. It was published in Boston by C. Bradlee on a single sheet. The introduction is in 2/4 time, but the march itself is in 6/8. Some later publications give an alternate title of "Mississippi Quick Step". It was a very popular march, particularly with brass bands in the decades leading up to the Civil War, so much so that it was the 'test piece' played in the famous 1856 'competition' in Salem, Mass., between Boston's keyed bugle virtuoso Ned Kendell (1808-1861) and cornet player and band leader Patrick Gilmore. Gilmore, who had invited Kendall to perform with his Salem Band, was honoring Kendall with the selection of "Wood Up", for it was a signature tune of the keyed bugle player and a vehicle for his virtuosity.

In 1835 Holloway was the orchestra leader of the old National Theater in Boston. There are various stories extant that purport to explain the title. One is that Holloway wrote it while on a band trip "Down East" (i.e. Maine) after having his night's rest frequently disturbed by constant orders of "Wood Up" (i.e. fuel for the steamship's boiler), and a variation of the tale is that was named from seeing a boat wooding up at Boston wharf. Another story has it that was inspired by a stage-scene that depicted stopping for fuel. Finally, it was said that the march was inspired by an enthusiastic snare drummer who raised his sticks and clicked them together in the tutti rests in the opening section of the piece. Holloway denied the veracity of these stories; instead, he maintained the inspiration for the march came to him while he was walking on Boston Common and played it on the piano on his return home, Charlotte Cushman being in the room at the time. While this explains Holloways creative origins for the piece, it does not explain the title.