Newspaper article

Old Fiddler’s Contest Promotion

Daily Leaf-Chronicle · Clarksville, TN · February 4, 1901

“Old Fiddlers' Contest”

Event 1901 Clarksville Fiddler's Contest · Clarksville, TN · March 1, 1901

Source: p. 1, col. 1-2 · Proquest · View original ↗

Tunes Mentioned

7 tunes

Titles appear as printed in the original.

Repertoire named

1

The Girl I Left Behind Me (Girl I Left Behind Me)
2

Jennie Put the Kettle On
3

Old Mollie Hare (Old Molly Hare)
4

Leather Breeches (Leather Britches)
5

Old Dan Tucker
6

Fisher's Horn Pipe
7

The Campbells Are Comin' (The Campbells are Coming)

Transcription

"OLD FIDDLERS'

CONTEST"

To Be Given on

the Night of March 1, 1901,

By The Woman's Auxiliary of The Masonic

Fraternities of Clarksville—Special

Features To Be Added.

March 1, 1901, is to be 8 red -letter

day in Clarksville. Write it down in

your

note-book, for it is a fact.

How do we know? Listen.

On the night of March 1, 1901, the

Woman's Auxiliary of the Masonic

Fraternities, of Clarksville, will pre

sent to the pleasure-loving public the

most unique and successfal attraction

that ever came to this city. It is

something that has never failed to

draw great audiences, and hold them

in delight and send them away

gratified, wherever it has been pre

sented; and it baa never been pre

sented here. It is a feast for the

musically- inclined, an occasion of

joyful reminiscences to the o'd, a rev.

elation of exquisite pleasure to the

young, a treat to all.

But what ie it, anyway? It ie what

is known as an "'Old Fiddlers' Con

test."

What does it mean?" Just this: The

prize old fiddlers from all the coun

ties in the State will be here; and each

will take his fiddle, in turn, and woo

the memories of his hearers with the

halt- forgotten strains of "The Girl

I Left Behind Me," "Jennie Pat the

Kettle On," "Old Mollie Hare,"

"Leather Breeches," "Old Dan

Tucker," "Run Nigger, Run," "Fish

er'a Horn Pipe," "The Campbells

Are Comin'," etc. How the old

memories gather and the pulses quick

en and the–yes, the feet actually be

gin beating an involuntary tattoo at

the very mention of the old "tunes!"

And that night you will hear them,

actually bear them played again on a

fiddle (not a violin, mind you, but a

FIDDLE), and not by one only, but

by & number of the choicest spirits

upon whom ever descended the man-

tie of Robbie Burns' good wishes to

his brother bard:

*'Hale be your heart, an' hale be your Ad

die,

Lang may your elbuck Jink an' diddle!'

And then, when the matter of prece

dence has been decided among "cat

gut scrapers" of Tennessee, a new

feature will be introduced in the way

of an inter -State contest, between the

prize old fiddler of Tennessee and the

prize old fiddler of Kentucky. It

that len't something rich, we'll never

attempt prophecy again.

Now this is as far, or farther, 1 than

the usual "Old Fiddlers' Contest"

goes; but the Woman's Auxiliary is

preparing a better thing still for their

audience of March 1. Following the

contest. will be presented, for the first

time since its organization, the

Young Woman's Orchestra, of the

Academy. For the presentation of

this attraction, the Auxiliary is in

debted to the President of the Acad

emy, Mre. E. G. Buford, and to Miss

Blanche B. Winfield, of that institu

tion, under whose tutelage this

fine musical attraction has been

built up.

The orchestra will be sixteen pieces,

comprising the cornet, slide trombone,

saxophone, base timpani, piano,

violas, cello and violins. The Mando

lin and Guitar Club, also to take

part well, if there is any

one present to hear this clab on

the night of March 1, 1901, who is not

willing to admit that it is alone worth

bie admission fee twice over, all he

has to do is to make known his

opinion after the entertainment is

over, and his money will be cheertally

refunded apon the

one condition that

be will himself go on exhibition for

one night only as the greatest curiosi

ty of the new century. What the

Auxiliary can make by exhibiting

him to the wondering throng, at 10

cents a head, would furnish the Tem

ple.

And that brings us to the reflection

that the entire proceeds of this enter

tainment are to be devoted to this

worthy purpose, and that those who

attend will have the comfort of know

ing not only that they have had the

benefit of the finest entertainment of

their lives, but that they have at the

same time materially aided iin an emi•

pently wortby cause, and that the

Masons never forget their friends..