This Southern American folk melody is performed on my vintage 1930's Hohner Regina VI, a 4/ 5 reed instrument with 16" keyboard and a full 41 treble keys as well as 120 standard Stradella bass. Anonymous 4 performs this traditional song on their album entitled "Gloryland," kind of a continuation of their fabulous artistry on the previous album entitled "American Angels: Songs of Hope, Redemption and Glory." (Anonymous 4 includes Susan Hellauer, Marsha Genensky, Johanna Maria Rose, and Ruth Cunningham.) I believe that Joan Baez performed this song either in her very popular concerts or in some of her many recordings.
Vintage accordions often sound sweet when playing folk music or traditional hymn tunes. This vintage Hohner features a rather beguiling set of tones which seem to especially come alive while performing in certain keys or treble registers. Here I am playing in the key of D minor and calling upon G minor, D minor, B flat, C7 and F to accentuate the characteristic voice of the melody. There is a yearning, haunting quality to this music which breathes throughout in a natural, flowing manner, each phrase speaking as if to the interior of the heart or the inner chambers of one's spirit. Because the accordion fits so closely to the musician's chest, you can feel the resonance emanating from the body of the instrument, sensing the pulse of the music in your fingertips and hands, arms, and legs. It is a dynamic relationship between the player and the bass and treble sections, a heightened sense of awareness as one listens to the passages in musical presentation.
Vintage accordions often sound sweet when playing folk music or traditional hymn tunes. This vintage Hohner features a rather beguiling set of tones which seem to especially come alive while performing in certain keys or treble registers. Here I am playing in the key of D minor and calling upon G minor, D minor, B flat, C7 and F to accentuate the characteristic voice of the melody. There is a yearning, haunting quality to this music which breathes throughout in a natural, flowing manner, each phrase speaking as if to the interior of the heart or the inner chambers of one's spirit. Because the accordion fits so closely to the musician's chest, you can feel the resonance emanating from the body of the instrument, sensing the pulse of the music in your fingertips and hands, arms, and legs. It is a dynamic relationship between the player and the bass and treble sections, a heightened sense of awareness as one listens to the passages in musical presentation.
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