December From The Editor

 

​Welcome to December! Have you recovered from Thanksgiving yet? 

Some things to remember this month:

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is Dec. 2

Hanukkah begins Dec. 14

Winter Solstice begins Dec. 21

Merry Christmas! Dec. 25

New Year's Eve Dec.31

And also Merry any of the other numerous celebrations throughout the world in December.

Not quite Holiday status yet, but did you know that December 13th is International World Violin Day? Not to fret (haha), but yes, there is also a World Fiddle Day on the 3rd Saturday in May. You are now free to let the violin vs. fiddle comparison jokes begin.

 

Tune History

Because it’s that time of year, Breakin' Up Christmas makes its annual appearance in Tune History. This tradition describes a series of house to house gatherings between Christmas on December 25th and “Old Christmas” on January 6th. And this year, because Santa knows what you really want, he added a gift just for you: a list of more Old Time Christmas fiddle tunes.

 

Why Does Sad Music Feel Good?

The Paradox Of Pleasurable Sadness, of course. Banjo playing neurologist Josh Turknett uses "Elk River Blues" from W. Virginia fiddler Ernie Carpenter to help illustrate what is actually happening when we listen to music that hurts. The Doc even throws in some banjo tab. Which brings up another question- Is it possible to play sad songs on the banjo? I direct you to Steve Martin who said, "The banjo is such a happy instrument--you can't play a sad song on the banjo - it always comes out so cheerful." 

 

Women In Old Time

Don’t forget to visit The East Tennessee Historical Society’s traveling exhibition "I've Endured: Women In Old Time Music” that runs through April 19, 2026. This exhibition, organized by The Birthplace Of Country Music Museum, is "A look into the past, present, and future of the genre and the integral role women played in the development of country music as we know it today." ETHS is located at 601 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Stay tuned for a couple of Women In Old Time events at the Laurel Theater in March.

 

Worth A Listen

Old Time recordings, video or other media that you might find interesting:

Joe Bussard presents: The Year of Jubilo

78 RPM Recordings of Songs from the Civil War (2015)

With 36 page booklet about the tunes

Galax, Virginia Old Fiddler's Convention

by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (1964)

Live recordings from the stage, 1960-63

 Old-Time Jubilations by Galax Bogtrotters (2017)

Eddie Bond & Erynn Marshall, fiddlers

 NEA podcast interview with Eddie Bond (2018)

(New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters)

The Horsenecks In The West (6/25)

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​See you next year,

Mark