The Rose in the Mountain

A traditional Old Time breakdown in D major, played in standard or ADae tuning, documented from John Morgan Salyer (1882–1952) of Salyersville, Magoffin County, Kentucky, from his 1941–42 home disc recordings. The tune is structurally “crooked” (AABC), with a four-part design unusual among breakdowns; Jeff Titon’s Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes speculates it may once have been a march, though Salyer played it as a reel. Salyer’s recording appears on John M. Salyer: Home Recordings 1941–42 (Berea College Appalachian Center AC003, 1993); Bruce Greene and Hilary Dirlam recorded it on Fiddler’s Dozen (McDirlam Greene Productions, 1994). Tuning: ADae