Sing!

One of the many things I love about Augusta is the singing. It is everywhere--from gospel and spirituals to ballads, doowop, Bulgarian songs, old-time and everything around and in between.

This week Augusta is offering 3 different groups of classes--old-time, American Vernacular dance, and vocal week. My storytelling class is part of old-time week so we're surrounded by singers and musicians and dancers. Last night was one of incredible singing, as the vocal week students offered their student showcase. We were treated to a wide range of styles by the gifted students and I left feeling uplifted and peaceful, with a smile on my face.

Then people began gathering in a round, beautiful stairwell that has great acoustics. The songs were all "doowop" songs, mostly from the era of my childhood and teenage years. How is it that we can remember the words to songs we haven't heard in years? Goin' to the Chapel, My Boyfriend's Back, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, The Book of Love, and so many more resounded from the walls of the stairwell as the vocal week students did their beautiful harmonies and the rest of us sang along. Have a listen:

You know, almost everyone enjoys singing, and singing in a group is even more fun. I have heard so many people say that they can't sing, and yet really we all can sing--it's just an extension of talking, laughing, shouting, isn't it? Singing just requires doing it, and then doing it over and over until you get it right.

Think I'll go find someone to sing with.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Singing, Telling and Gathering in the Mountains

 The weather was perfect. The place was exactly right. The people were fine. The singing was superb. In other words, the weekend was about as excellent as I could have possibly imagined it to be.

We left early Friday afternoon after I finally finished up and e-filed our taxes. I was determined to not come back to that task waiting for me! We packed quickly and headed once more across West Virginia, our destination this time the gorgeous and homey Brazen Head Irish Pub and Inn in the mountains of Randolph county. Of course, I could not make the trip without stopping at a junk shop along the way, and so this rode with us into the mountains:

I wasn't sure what to expect of this trip. I had heard from a friend that a group of folksingers from the Washington DC area gathered each spring at the inn to sing for a whole weekend. I thought it sounded like heaven, but each year it seemed we had a conflict and could not attend. This year, however, the stars combined to make it possible and I grabbed the opportunity even though it meant yet another long trip this week. Our friend Jeff met us when we arrived and we quickly met several other attendees. Then we settled in for an evening of music.

And such music it was! Songs from the Civil War, silly children's songs, plaintive love ballads, country songs, parodies, and more. Everyone sang, and everyone sang along with everyone else. This group could pick up a melody and chorus faster than ice melting in boiling water! I loved every minute. I had to laugh when someone sang the country song "Crystal Chandelier"--little did they know there was an actual chandelier right outside in the parking lot! I gave up and went to bed around 1:00 am, and regretted it as soon as I was under the covers because I could hear the most amazing yodeling downstairs. Too tired to dress again and go back down, I laid there and listened, and finally drifted off.

Morning brought more singing for me, and ramp digging for Larry.You might remember my discussion of ramps in these posts.

Larry is like a kid at Christmas when ramp season arrives, and can't wait to get into the woods to find them. He returned with a huge bag full, which he shared with anyone brave enough to take them. We still brought back plenty for our own use.

I heard stories, too--the story of a mother who witnessed her son being taken to jail during the Occupy movement, the story of a tragic death, stories of World War II from a Jewish man who had been a child in London at the time of the war, stories behind songs and about singers. I believe that in order to be a good storyteller, I must first be a good listener, and I will remember the faces and the voices telling me stories I will not forget.

That evening was, guess what? More singing! I heard so many songs that I have never heard before, sung by  people who all shared a love for the old songs. I was invited to tell a ghost story, so I  told the story of Eaton's tunnel and then the one about Ikie's tomb. I went to bed filled with music and voices.

We woke this morning to a heavy frost coating the ground and the smell of sausage, coffee and blueberry pancakes wafting up from the kitchen. Will Fanning was the chef for the weekend--he is also the owner of the Brazen Head  and along with his wife Jill ensured we had everything we needed for a comfortable stay, and kept things running smoothly for us all weekend.

Our return trip included two more pleasures: the first was a visit I have been wanting to make for two years. We had stopped once at a fascinating country store called Sharp's Country Store, not far from the inn. During that visit the owner, Tom Shipley, told us some of his family's story, and also told me a strange tale about the death of a young woman in the family. The story remained with me, and I wanted to go back and hear more. Larry stopped the day before to see if Tom would have time for a visit, and was assured that we'd be more than welcome. So we once again stopped to see Tom, and he told me the story with more detail about the people involved that included a lot of his family history.

The tale also included a gravestone, and Tom asked, "Would you like to see it?" You know I did! So we all hopped into my little Buick and headed up a steep mountain road to the cemetery, which was located on the very top of the mountain.

We learned that his family owns about 1400 acres there, land that has been passed down from generation to generation. Tom is working hard to preserve that family history and the heritage he values.

When we came down from the mountain I realized what a gift I had been given--not just the story, but Tom's willingness to share his family with us. Such generosity is rare, and I treasure it.

I jotted notes quickly in my journal as we continued our way home across WV 150, otherwise known as the Scenic Highway. Remains of winter's snow still filled the ditches along the road that travels through the high country and offers breathtaking views of the valleys below.

When we eventually reached the highway, it was not long before we also reached one of my favorite places, a small picnic ground in this national forest area along the banks of the Cherry River. We had the place to ourselves; the park service had not yet officially opened it and the debris of winter's fallen limbs and trees still littered the place, but that was no problem for us.

We made quick sandwiches at a table beside the river, and speculated about the large cave-like opening in the hillside on the opposite side of the river. Was it a bear's den? I do believe it was, but did not take the footbridge across for a closer look!

And then, finally, we were home once again, greeted by happy pets, nodding flowers and the comfort of familiar things. We have rested this evening, but tomorrow we will begin getting ready for our visitors who will arrive on Friday, for next weekend's performance at the Parkersburg Celtic Festival with my friend, storyteller Lorna Czarnota, and for the house concert for her that we are giving here next Sunday. Life is never dull, and I am glad of it.

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Memories of Augusta

I have many photos to share about last week's Irish/Celtic heritage workshops at the Augusta series at Davis & Elkins college in Elkins, WV. Here are a few of the people who made it a special week:

First, my instructor Robbie O'Connell and his wife Roxanne. Both sing beautifully, and together their harmonies are magic. Robbie shared many songs with us during the week in class, and Roxanne joined us in the evenings for singing circle.

The Friday night singing circle closed a week of special evenings spent with new friends, singing, laughing and sharing memories and information about songs. We gathered each evening in a lounge located below a circular staircase in Benedum Hall to sing, usually going around the circle and each one singing as their turn came up. I enjoyed the discovery of "traveling verses", lines that re-occur in other ballads, as well as phrasings that are common in Appalachian ballads. Sometimes a song was sung that had the same words as one I knew from the Appalachian tradition, but with a completely different melody. On the last evening we got together are on the small side porch of the Halliehurst mansion, a place where well-loved Irish singer Frank Harte used to sing each evening during Augusta. I never heard of Frank Harte until the past week, and now I know I have to find his music and listen to him after hearing so much about him. He may be gone in the flash, but in the memories of those who knew him, he is alive and well, and many stories are still being told about his exploits and his talent.

Our singing class's song for the student concert was "The Beautiful Flower of Kilkenny." We did fairly well, having started to learn the song on Wednesday and performing it on Friday. Robbie left us to fly on our own with no backup from him, which was a bit different from the presentations of most of the classes and I think was a good thing--we needed to really work together. Several in our group could play instruments and they had double the learning since they learned not only the lyrics but also how to play the song. In the course of the week we learned at least three songs which we can add to our repertoire. More about the classes and what we learned in a future post.

In the Icehouse pub on Thursday night with granddaughter Cassidy. I will post more photos of the pub later. I was glad to have this time with Cassie and to hear so many people validate that she is indeed an incredible singer. At 14, she has many years ahead to develop her talent. Can you imagine discovering your real calling at her age? I think I was still trying to figure out how to do my hair at the age.

More pictures will be coming later this week. I am so grateful for digital photography--we can capture so many memories so easily now.

At Augusta

I've found there is a little free time in the mornings to check in online while I'm at Augusta Heritage so I thought I'd share a bit about the workshops.

As some of you know, I am at the Augusta Heritage Irish Week Workshops at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, WV. There are many different classes offered from dancing to stone masonry and stone carving and calligraphy, tin whistle, fiddle, harp, bodhran, guitar, tenor banjo, Irish songs and performance, concertina, and much more. The teachers are from many places--Canada, Ireland, England, and all over the US. Their resumes are impressive, and most have international reputations. I am amazed to find myself in such company.

My teacher for Irish songs and performance is Robbie O'Connell and I am learning a lot this week--about singing and preparing songs for performance, about Irish history and singing, about the songs themselves. One aspect of these workshops that is invaluable it that we can record almost anything we hear, with the exception of the evening concerts. In class, I am recording almost the entire time because Robbie says so many things in the course of singing a song or instructing us that I will miss something very good if I turn off the recorder.

My granddaughter Cassidy is taking guitar. Although Irish music isn't her choice of music, she is learning a lot from her excellent instructor, Dáithí Sproule.

In the evenings there is a singing circle in a location with perfect acoustics. Anyone can come and sing whatever they like, and we can record whatever interests us. Needless to say, my recorder is on almost all evening as one great song after another is shared around the circle. I will have many ideas for new songs to add to my repertoire at the end of the week.

I had a surprise yesterday. Each afternoon after  lunch the instructors give a concert with a theme. Yesterday's theme was Songs, so it was a performance by the instructors who sing, where the other concerts had been both instrumental music and singing. I was enjoying listening when the MC, Jim Flanagan, approached me and asked me if I'd like to sing something for the audience. I was astounded to be asked, but of course I wanted to sing. I sang the Jean Ritchie ballad, West Virginia Mine Disaster, one of my favorites. I am still amazed at being asked to perform.

Granddaughter Cassidy  has been singing each evening as well, and many people have commented on her beautiful voice. Her song choices are country or alternative rock, I suppose you'd call it, well suited to her voice. Last night she sang a Johnny Cash song and another country song a cappella. She usually accompanies herself on guitar.

A family group from Mingo county, WV joined the circle last night. Their harmonies on old ballads and gospel songs was haunting, riveting. I hope to hear them again tonight, and to get to know more about this unique group. If I can find anything about them online, I will share it because I know many readers here will be as entranced by their singing as I was. The family recently moved to Davis, WV, not too far from Elkins.

This week has been a lot of late nights and early mornings. Five or six hours of sleep is about the average but I don't want to miss anything. I will have photos and more to share later as this week of singing and music continues.