Annotation:Shanghai

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X:1 T:Shanghai M:4/4 L:1/8 S:Abel Browning (Garrett County, Maryland) via Walter Neal (southwestern Pa.,) N:Collected in 1952. B:Bayard - Dance to the Fiddle, March to the Fife (1981, No. 178) K:A e2e2e2 ef|e2d2A4|[E2B2] AB c2 (3BcB|A2E2 C4| e2e2e2 ef|e2c2A4|E4c3A|BcBG A4|| E3^D E2d2|cdcB Acea|g2 (3fgf edcd|e2 ef edcA| E3^D E2d2|cdcB Acea|g2 {g}(3fgf edcB|A2A2 A4|| |:e2 [Ae]B c2A2|e2 [Ae]B c2A2|e2e2e2 ef|1 edcB A4:|2 edcB A2 Bc|| |:[F2d2][Fd]c [F2d2]E2|[E2c2][Ec]B [E2c2]E2|[E2B2]B2c2 (3BcB|A2A2 ABcA| [F2d2][Fd]c[F2d2]E2|[E2c2][Ec]B [E2c2] E2|[E2B2]B2c2 (3BcB|1[E2A2]A2 ABcA:|2A2A2 A4||

SHANGHAI. American, Reel (4/4 time). USA; soutwestern Pa., Maryland. A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABCC'CC'. There was a tune called “Shanghai” in the repertoire of West Virginia fiddler Burl Hammons. Gerry Milnes (Play of a Fiddle, 1999) speculates that the title may be associated with a winter solstice tradition of the same name in eastern West Virginia (the tradition survives in Lewisburg, Greenbriar County, W.Va., which hosts a Shanghai Parade every New Years Day, featuring costumed marchers banging pots and pans). Akin to British Isles mumming, the tradition involves dressing up in masquerade and going from house to house making mischief and/or “begging” for food. In Pendleton County the event was staged the week before Christmas. Milnes believes the word Shanghai evolved from the Gaelic sean aghaidh, or ‘old face’, which he believes associates it with the masquerading essential to the tradition. Source for notated version:

Additional notes

Source for notated version: - Walter Neal (fiddler from Armstrong County, Pa., 1952; Neal learned the tune from Abel Browning, a fiddler from Garrett County, Maryland who was quite famous in the Md./southwestern Pa. area) [Bayard].

Printed sources : - Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 178, p. 134.

Recorded sources: -

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