Old-Time Fiddling at the Capitol

The Missouri Folk Arts program and Missouri State Parks showcased two masters of Missouri fiddling on Saturday, April 23rd on the lawn outside the historic Lohman Building at the Jefferson Landing State Historic Site. The event, which is part of the MFAP's "Folk Arts at the Capitol,"series, brought old-time musicians and dancers from around the state to enjoy the sunshine and music in Jefferson City.

The event was a convergence of two fiddling giants representing two regional styles — Little Dixie and Ozarks. A 2016 master of Old-time Ozark Fiddling, H.K. Silvey, the only fiddler left of his generation in Theodosia, Missouri (in the southwest Missouri Ozarks) played his signature Ozark style tunes which he has picked up and learned for over 70 years now. Mr. Silvey has long ties to Missouri's Traditional Art Apprenticeship Program (TAAP), as he is one of two surviving master artists who participated in the year the program was initiated in 1985.

H.K. Silvey bows an old-time tune as Jim Nelson and Travis Inman back him up on guitars.

Another fiddling giant of the Little Dixie fiddling style, Mr. Travis Inman (Sedalia), graced the event with his current apprentice Carlie Cunningham (Fulton). Mr. Inman, an eight-time TAAP fiddling master with 40+ years of fiddling experience backed up his apprentice on the guitar as she played the famous Missouria "Casey's Hornpipe" tune, although known around master Mr. Inman's family as the "Swearingin's Hornpipe."

Apprentice and fiddler Carlie Cunningham shares a tune with with her teacher Travis Inman,
guitarist Jim Nelson, and Ozark fiddler H.K. Silvey. 

Jim Nelson from Saint Louis backed up all the fiddlers as they played. One unique feature of this event was the way way fiddlers were able to trade off tunes and the splendid way Mr. Nelson supported the two different fiddling styles with harmonies. You might have thought the team had done some prior practice. The audience had a great chance to notice the contrast between the two styles, since it's typical in old-time music for one fiddler to start a tune and then hand it off to another player.

Besides bringing together these two regional styles (and three generations of fiddlers), the event also incorporated old-time music's sister tradition--dancing. As old-time musicians and dancers are apt to point out, historically, you really can't have one without the other. Those from an older generation of fiddlers, like Mr. Silvey, are used to playing for dances. Mr. Silvey intimated to us one time that his family of fiddlers always played and danced to the tunes and that his "mother was a good singer and could jig dance up a storm". Unfortunately, today younger players have fewer opportunities to play their tunes for dancers since traditional dancing is less common. Groups like the Mid-Missouri Traditional Dancers, who were represented at this event, focus on creating opportunities for learning and practicing traditional dances that were popular during Missouri fiddling's height of popularity.

Experienced dancers as well as amateurs circle up during and old-time "barn" dance. 

It was such a joy to have Mid-Missouri Traditional Dancers' Jim Thaxter as caller for Saturday's event, teaching the dances beforehand, telling the dancers what moves and formations will come next, and communicating with the musicians about what type of tune to play and when the music should stop and end. Indeed, one of our Facebook Page friends, Jim Ford, commented that they "had more fun than you can shake a stick at." The audience danced, and danced, and danced! Even though the concert officially ended at about 1 pm, the crowd still wanted to dance. Other musicians brought their instruments for a jam session with the performers. The last person left the lawn at 5 pm!