Local historical group celebrates music’s past

By ANDREA RUSSELL
For the Stafford County Sun
Published: September 3, 2008

STAFFORD — Stafford County Historical Society members revisited Stafford’s past as they explored the history of music in the county at last week’s society meeting.

County historian and society member Al Conner presented a slideshow that gave brief overviews of what was happening in the county during the Colonial, Revolutionary and Federal periods. Musicians and dancers demonstrated music of those times throughout his presentation.

“This is a great way to look at the history of our times,” Conner said.

He discussed Bacon’s Rebellion of 1675-76 and the Stamp Act of 1765, two times when Virginia challenged royal authority, he said. Cavaliers, Huguenots, Quakers and others made up the population in this area.

Music was prevalent in homes, in churches and in taverns and inns, Conner said.

“George Washington was a musical guy. His favorite opera was ‘Poor Soldier’ by a fellow named William Shield,” Conner said. “Even if he couldn’t sing and couldn’t play an instrument, he danced and danced and danced.”

Washington’s mother taught him how to dance, but county records show that there was an instructor in Stafford, who made his living by teaching people how to dance in their homes, Conner said.

To represent music of the Colonial era, Stafford resident John Douglas Hall, a historical performer, entertained the group by playing a German lute and singing.

“John Douglas Hall is a remarkable musician who has entertained at Stafford Discovery Days,” Conner said in introduction.

Hall, dressed in Colonial garb, discussed singing in taverns in Stafford. Songs were often about the war, difficulty with one’s spouse or drinking, he said.

“If any of you are familiar with these songs, feel free to sing along. If you are not familiar with these songs, we ask that you please refrain from joining in,” Hall joked.

The group joined him in singing one of his last songs, a tune about drinking a large bowl of spirits and liquor.

“Remember, accuracy of pitch is hardly necessary,” Hall said. “At this point, if you had a tankard, you would sway it to and fro as you sang.”

After Hall’s performance, Stafford Middle School student Erica Molnar, 13, performed music of the Revolutionary Era — “The World Turned Upside Down,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “Chester.”

“The World Turned Upside Down” was a song reportedly played by the British after the surrender at Yorktown, Conner said. “Yankee Doodle was a song the
Brits sang to insult the colonists. Of course, typical of America, we loved it,” he added.

Erica played those two songs on a piccolo and finished up by performing “Chester,” a popular patriotic song by William Billings, on a flute.

Throughout the meeting, competitive dancers Anna Bull, 11, and Ruth Packard, 13, demonstrated traditional Scottish dancing with two performances.

Sian Packard, dance instructor and Spotsylvania resident, introduced the two dancers and discussed the possible origin of the dances.

“The first dance we’re doing is called the Highland Fling. It’s a traditional dance. If you go to Scotland, this is what you’d see. It’s in its original form and we’ve been very careful to preserve it that way,” she said.

One of the possible stories behind the dance is that a grandfather and his grandson saw a stag leaping. It was so beautiful, Packard said, that the boy started to dance and his grandfather started playing his bagpipes. The uplifted arms are to represent the stag’s antlers, she said.

It is also said that male warriors would dance the Highland Fling after a victory.

The girls’ next performance was the Sword Dance, which was traditionally only danced by men. It is said that Scottish warriors would perform these intricate steps before a battle, dancing over and around their swords. If one of their feet touched a sword, it was a bad omen, Packard explained.

“Americans came together as a continent without a grand plan,” Conner said. “When all these groups arrived here, they almost immediately started grouping together. … Some heritage of Americans is a mixture of English, Scottish and Irish. … This melting pot has had an affect on the country forever after.”

In lieu of a meeting next month, the Stafford County Historical Society will gather during a Civil War living history program in Falmouth.

“Yankees in Falmouth,” sponsored by the Moncure Conway Foundation and the National Park Service, will take place at the Moncure Conway House and Union Church on Sept. 20-21. The two-day event will feature firing demonstrations, an encampment, Civil War telegraph, after-dark campfire stories and a Civil

War artifacts display. Visitors will be invited to go on self-guided walking tours of Moncure Conway House, Union Church, Duff Green Warehouse and other historic buildings.

For more information on this upcoming event, e-mail or visitmoncureconway.org. Click on Events for a schedule of the program.

The Stafford County Historical Society will present the second part of its History of Stafford Music series Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Stafford County Administration Center.

Andrea Russell is a contributing writer for the Stafford County Sun. Contact her at .