They lived their lives without computers, central heat, or cell phones, when not many people even owned more than one pair of shoes. Radios were the big electronics invention of the day, at least for those who had electricity, and few of them worried about making car payments because horses and buggies still dominated transportation. Many of them labored from sun to sun and were farm tough, field hardened, and sun darkened. There was little money for entertainment so when the sun went down on the Texas prairies, they hung up their sweat-stained hats and made their own entertainment.
Old-time Texans gathered for barn-raisings, ice cream socials, and dances. And music was always a part of their celebrations. The musicians were usually self-taught farmers and most of the instruments they played were fiddles, guitars, banjos, and washboards. Their music had its own style and flavor from the ethnic blend of immigrants passing down their English ballads, Mexican songs, African American blues, and Czech and German polkas. Tunes were written or adapted that reflected this cultural blend.
Barn dances were popular but sometimes the men would clear furniture from several rooms for a house dance on a Saturday night. Fiddlers looked for the best guitar accompanists and embellished their tunes to impress friends and neighbors. Fiddle bows bounced, guitar strings vibrated, feet stomped, and dancers laughed, spilling lively sounds from the barn into the darkness until the wee hours of the night. Rich, hearty foods satisfied healthy appetites and no one was ever in a hurry to leave. Guests were invited to "stay all night, stay a little longer, dance all night, dance a little longer." Old-time Texans played every bit as hard as they worked.
Fiddle music varied from state to state, and still does, but Texas style is usually identified by its long-bow technique and heavy syncopation with a blues influence. It involves plenty of robust bow action and emphasis on the down pull with precise coordination between the wrist, fingers and arm.
In 1922, in the infancy of musical recording, it seems that Alexander "Eck" Robertson (1887-1975), of Amarillo, made country music history, in New York, when he became the first Texas fiddler to record. One of the tunes he played was Sallie Goodin, still popular today, and frequently performed at contests. But old time fiddling never garnered much interest in the music market and has, for the most part, been a family affair passed down from generation to generation. However, the Texas fiddling legacy has been preserved through festivals and contests
Every fourth weekend in April, the Texas State Championship Fiddlers Frolic is celebrated in Hallettsville. And unless fans have made motel or campsite reservations months in advance, they will have to find accommodations in neighboring towns.
A jam session welcoming anyone who wants to get on stage and perform is held under an outside pavilion on Thursday before the Frolic weekend. Friday and Saturday nights feature the lively music of Cajun, Zydeco, and Bluegrass bands, fascinating arts and crafts, and rich Cajun, German, Czech and Tex/Mex foods. On Saturday night, the Frolic hosts a huge dance with music provided by a popular local band. Fiddling competitions begin inside the Knights of Columbus Hall Saturday morning and continue through Sunday.
In the Hall, Frolic attendees will hear the finest fiddlers and guitar pickers from all over the nation cranking out "breakdowns", "hornpipes", "reels", and "waltzes", with such names as Turkey in the Straw, Soppin' Up the Gravy, San Antonio Rose, and Billie in the Low Ground. Not many fiddlers can master the trick finger-plucking that Black Mountain Rag requires.
My own dad once stood on that stage, his farm-hardened fingers catching chords and bass string runs on his guitar, accompanying fiddling contestants, including Hall of Famer Jake Glidewell. His music, influenced heavily by Jimmie Rodgers, the first true country music star, was part of that early-century entertainment and was testament to the creativity and endurance of those old-time Texans. The same music will, once again, echo across a century on the fourth weekend of April in Hallettsville, Texas.
Thanks for the music, Daddy. We'll keep it alive.
Fiddlers Frolic, Hallettsville Texas
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