Annotation:Natchez under the Hill (7)
X:1 T:Natchez under the Hill [7] N:From the playing of fiddler Mulkey Kent (1907-1974, Evening Shade, N:Sharp County, Arkansas). Known as the “Dean of Old-Time N:Fiddlers,” Joseph Mulkey Kent won 31 first prizes for his fiddling, N:including the 1927 Arkansas State Fiddle Championship. Recorded N:in 1959 by John Quincy Wolf (Lyon College). M:C| L:1/8 Q:"Fast" D:Lyon College, Mulkey Kent - "Sounds of the Ozark Folk, Vol. II:Middle Americana" (various artists). D:http://web.lyon.edu/wolfcollection/songs/kentnatchez1253.mp3 D:https://www.slippery-hill.com/recording/natchez-under-hill-2 Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz K:A AB|ccef ecB-A|c[e2e2]f ecBA|de[df][df] ([df]g)[df]e|de[df]-[dg] [d2f2]fg| a3a fecA| cA3 BABA|cAcA BEFA|(E-[A2A2])[AA] [A2A2]:| |:[A2A2]-|[A2A2]AA FECE| CCB,C A,3[GA]-|[A2A2]Ac BABA|cAcA BEF(G| [A2A2]) AA FEC[CE]|CCB,C A,2[GA]-|[A2A2]cA efed|cABc A2:|
NATCHEZ ON THE HILL [7]. American, Reel (cut time). A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Variants of "Natchez on the Hill [7]" were played by a few Arkansas fiddlers recorded in mid-20th century. One, Mulkey Kent (1907-1974), remarked to folklorist and collector John Quincy Wolf, Jr., about his playing of the tune: "That's the one that got the job done at the [fiddle contest] at the state university." "Yeah, I bet it did," responded Wolf. "And I brought the cup back home with me," Kent proudly continued, "My daughter's got it in California. It looks pretty today as it did the day it was made. It was made for the champion fiddler of Arkansas, and after I won, they cut my name at the top of it." Mr. Kent claimed to have learned the tune "77 years ago" at the time Wolfe recorded him, in the late 1950's.
