United States Capital building, c. 1825.ROTUNDA, THE. American, March (2/4 time). F Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. "The Rotunda" was printed by Edward Riley in New York in his Riley's Flute Melodies vol. 3 (1820), along with a notice of copyright, indicating the tune was recently composed (although no composer attribution accompanied the tune). The title probably refers to the construction of the Rotunda of the United States Capitol building in Washington D.C. Due to a shortage of funds and materials, sporadic construction phases, and the fire set by the British in 1814, the Capitol Rotunda was not begun until 1818. The Rotunda was completed under the direction of Charles Bulfinch by the time of the visit of the Marquis de Lafayette in 1824.
The original dome topping the rotunda was more modest than the one familiar in modern times, which began construction in 1859.
Additional notes
Printed sources : - Edward Riley (Riley's Flute Melodies vol. 3), New York, 1820; No. 65, p. 17.
