{"title":"Kids › Music","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"historic-folk-toys-book-weaving-songs-games","title":"Historic Folk Toys: Book, 'Weaving Songs \u0026 Games'","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eWeaving Songs \u0026amp; Games Book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur Weaving Songs and Games Book (94302) contains the history of weaving and these five weaving songs: Weaving Song, Pass the Yarn Ball, Weaver in the Middle, How Close You Are, and The More We Weave Together. This book also contains the following weaving games: Weaver's Relay, Shuttle Relay, Pass it Relay, Yarn Ball Relay, Shuttle Slap, Pass the Yarn Ball, Weaving Motion Ditto, Yarn Collecting Game, Weaver in the Middle, Count-out Rhymes, Yarn Catch-it Ball, Yarn Guess Ball, Weaver's Knot Game, Hunt the Thimble, and Thimble Game. Book includes nostalgic illustrations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistorical Background:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Weaving songs are considered \"work songs\" (or \"labor songs\") that people would sing while working. Spinning and weaving were often solitary and time-consuming work. Children also worked at some of these chores and learned the songs. Later, when the tasks of weaving and spinning were not necessities, the songs still lingered on for the next generation to sing for fun.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Scotland, weaving and spinning were hard work, but there was time for play and social gatherings such as \"spinning bees.\" During these gatherings, young girls would demonstrate their skills along with songs and stories. One humorous verse is \"The Weaver o' the North.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThere was a weaver o' the north\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd oh but he was curel,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe very nicht that he got wed\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHe sat an' grat for gruel.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe text to another weaving song is:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eIf it wisna for the weavers, what would we do?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe wadna hae claith made o' oor woo',\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe wadna hae a coat, neither black nor blue\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eGin it wisny for the wark o' the weavers.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere were also many Irish weaving and spinning songs that were developed. One of the main characteristics of these artistic folk songs is their simplicity. They were easily sung or played on a fiddle. There are songs about flax, spinning, the spinner, the spinning wheel, shearing the sheep, weaving, the weaver, loom, and shuttle. Much of this music falls into the category of Irish jigs and reels. Some of the earliest Irish music was notated in 1792. Another collection of Irish music was published between 1902 and 1905.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGames and songs associated with weaving are easy enough for kindergarten children to play and sing. While the games are being played, a song with a familiar or simple tune can be sung. The kinds of games associated with weaving include relay games, hunting games (like \"I spy\"), guessing games, and counting games. The lyrics of these songs may have repetitious phrases, show the importance of weaving, or just be fun to sing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePRODUCT DETAILS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDimensions: 5.5 x 8.5\"\u003cbr\u003ePages: 32","brand":"Historical Folk Toys, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12583427604557,"sku":"BOOK1HF113","price":5.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2187\/2175\/products\/BOOK1HF113.jpg?v=1537125983"},{"product_id":"historic-folk-toys-book-traditional-melodies-in-c","title":"Historic Folk Toys: 'Traditional Melodies in C'","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eTraditional Melodies in C\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur Traditional Melodies in C music book includes the following songs: A Hunting We Will Go; As Flies the Partridge from the Brake; Aura Lee; Cuckoo's Song; Did You Ever See a Lassie?; Down by the Station; Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes; Go Tell Aunt Rhody; Goodbye Ol' Paint; Log Cabin Days; Long, Long Ago; Merrily We Roll Along; Now the Day is Over; Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow; Ode to Joy; Oh, How Lovely is the Evening; Oh, Susannah; Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In; St. Anthony's Chorale; Simple Gifts; Sourwood Mountain; Spanish Steps; The Green Grass Grew All Around; and, There's No Place Like Home. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistorical Background:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Historical Background: Some of the best-loved American traditional songs are actually from England, Germany, and other countries. Many settlers brought their \"homeland music\" with them. Other songs and tunes were inspired and written in America.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom Beethoven, Hayden, and traditional English tunes to the spirituals influenced from Africa, Stephen Foster's songs and New Orleans jazz, much of the traditional American music that was popular in the 1800s has had continued success in songbook collections. This music is easily played on a piano, recorder, flute, or violin. Keep the music of the past alive by sharing this music with your children.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePRODUCT DETAILS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDimensions: 8.5 x 5.5\"\u003cbr\u003ePages: 32\u003cbr\u003emanuscript page: for writing your own song","brand":"Historical Folk Toys, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12583427670093,"sku":"BOOK1HF204","price":7.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2187\/2175\/products\/BOOK1HF204.jpg?v=1769702314"},{"product_id":"historic-folk-toys-book-penny-whistle","title":"Historic Folk Toys: Book, 'Penny Whistle'","description":"\u003cstrong\u003ePenny Whistle - Melodies in D Book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur Five-Note Melodies in D for Pennywhistle music book (95301) contains these songs: All Through the Night; An Estonian Lullaby; Berry Dhone; Bye, Baby Bunting; Cape Cod Girls; Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes; Eensy, Weensy Spider; Go Tell Aunt Rhody; Hot Cross Buns; Jingle Bells; La Volta; Lightly Row; Long, Long Ago; Ode to Joy; Oh, How Lovely is the Evening; Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In; Pop! Goes the Weasel; Portsmouth; Rigadoon; St. Anthony's Chorale; Shepherd's Hey; The Banks of the Ohio; and, The Streets of Laredo. Book size is 8-1\/2 inches by 5-1\/2 inches and contains 32 pages plus one page with music manuscript for writing your own song.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistorical Background:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e These easy-to-play songs are all written in the key of D, especially for the pennywhistle, but can also be played on other instruments like a recorder, flute, violin, or a piano. This wide variety of melodies covers many kinds of music so there should be something for everyone in this book. From the nursery rhymes and folk songs to the Renaissance tunes, these are musical pieces that will either be familiar or become endearing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAll Through the Night is a Welch folk song that was first printed in 1784 with a different set of words than those normally sung. Harold Boulton, an English lyricist, wrote the lovely words below which have made this song so popular.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSleep my love and peace attend thee,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll through the night.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eGuardian angels God will lend thee,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll through the night.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSoft the drowsy hours are creeping,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHill and dale in slumber steeping.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLove alone his watch is keeping,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll through the night.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThough I roam a minstrel lonely, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll through the night.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eMy true harp shall praise thee only,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll through the night.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLove's young dream alas is over, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eYet my strains of love shall hover\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eNear the presence of my lover\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll through the night.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHark! A solemn bell is ringing,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eClear through the night.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThou, my love are heav'nward winging,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHome through the night.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eEarthly dust from off thee shaken,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSoul immortal thou shalt waken\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWith thy last dim journey taken,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHome through the night.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Sea chanties\" (or \"shanties\") are songs of the sea sung by the shantyman (or chantyman) and were used during the era of tall sailing ships in the mid-19th century. The word \"chanty\" is probably derived from the French word \"chanter\" (to sing). As these hardworking square-riggers labored, they sang rhythmic songs to provide a steady rhythm to work in cadence. There were different kinds of chanties, depending on the work: Capstan shanties for raising the anchor, Halyard shanties for raising and lowering the sails, Short Drag shanties for difficult tasks like trimming sails or raising the masthead, Short Haul shanties for lighter tasks like setting the sails, Bunt shanties for furling the square sails, Windlass and Pumping shanties for pumping bilge water, and Ceremonial shanties for when a sailor paid off his debt to the ship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCape Cod Girls is a humorous sea chanty describing what can be done with the different parts of a codfish. It is ditty song that is sung while raising anchors and pumping water out of ships. It is thought to have been written by a Yankee sailor on route to Australia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eCape Cod Girls they have no combs,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHeave away! Heave away!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThey comb their hair with codfish bones,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe are bound for California.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eChorus:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHeave away, my bully, bully boys,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHeave away! Heave away!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHeave away and don't you make a noise,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe are bound for California!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eCape Cod boys they have no sleds, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHeave away! Heave away!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThey slide down dunes on codfish heads.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe are bound for California.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eCape Cod doctors they have no pills,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHeave away! Heave away!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThey give their patients codfish gills.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe are bound for California.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eCape Cod cats they have no tails,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHeave away! Heave away!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThey lost them all in sou'east gales.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe are bound for California.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrink to Me Only with Thine Eyes was first published in America in 1789 but the lyrics are from the 3rd-century Greek poet, Philostratus the Athenian, whose words were translated from his \"Letters\" by Ben Johnson, England's great dramatist. The music has been credited to either Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or a Colonel Mellish, but exactly who is not certain. What is certain is that this song has been sung since the birth of the United States.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrink to me only with thine eyes, \u003cbr\u003eAnd I will pledge with mine\u003cbr\u003eOr leave a kiss within the cup\u003cbr\u003eAnd I'll not ask for wine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe thirst that from the soul doth rise\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDoth ask a drink divine\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eBut might I of Jove's nectar sip\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI would not change for thine.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI sent the late a rosy wreath\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eNot so much hon'ring thee\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAs giving it a hope that there\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eIt could not withered be\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eBut thou there-on did'st only breathe\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd sent'st it back to me\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSince when it grows and smell, I swear\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eNot of itself but thee.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEensy, Weensy Spider is a children's song for finger play.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Eensy, Weensy spider went up the water spout.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDown came the rain and washed the spinder out.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOut came the sun and dried up all the rain\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd the Eensy, Weensy spider went up the spout again.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe origin of the tune used with Go Tell Aunt Rhody is from a 1750 opera by Jean Jacques Rousseau titled \"Le Devin du Village.\" The tune became known as Rousseau's Dream, an Air with Variations for the Piano Forte\" and was published in 1881 by J.D. Cramer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The words to Go Tell Aunt Rhody were first published in a Black Americana book, \"Play Songs of the Deep South\" by Altona Trent-Johns with illustrations by James Porter in 1944 by Associated Publishers. The 15 songs in dialect included in this book feature directions for dancing the folk dances that go with a particular song.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eGo tell Aunt Rhody, go tell Aunt Rhody.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eGo tell Aunt Rhody the old gray goose is dead.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe one she's been saving, the one she's been saving,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe one she's been saving to make a feather bed.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eShe died in the mill pond, she died in the mill pond,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eShe died in the mill pond standin' on her head.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe goslins are cryin', the goslins are cryin',\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe goslins are cryin' because their mommy's dead.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHot Cross Buns is an old English street vendor's song.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHot cross buns! Hot cross buns!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOne a penny, two a penny, Hot cross buns!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eIf you have no daughters, give them to your sons.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOne a penny, two a penny, Hot cross buns!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eJingle Bells was written in 1857 by J.S. Pierpont.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDashing through the snow,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOn a one horse open sleigh,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eO'er the fields we go,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLaughing all the way,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eBells on bobtail ring,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaking spirits bright,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat fun it is to ride and sing\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eA sleighing song tonight.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eChorus:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, Jingle bells, jingle bells,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eJingle all the way.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, what fun it is to ride \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn a one horse open sleigh. Hey!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eJingle bells, jingle bells,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eJingle all the way.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, what fun it is to ride \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn a one horse open sleigh.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eA day or two ago,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI thought I'd take a ride,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd soon Miss Fannie Bright,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWas seated by my side.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe horse was lean and lank,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eMisfortune seemed his lot\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHe got into a drifted bank,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd we, we got upsot.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eNow the ground is white,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eGo it while you're young,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTake the girls tonight,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd sing this sleighing song,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eJust get a bob-tailed nag,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwo-forty for his speed,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThen hitch him to an open sleigh,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd crack! You'll take the lead.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLa Volta, by William Byrd, is from the \"Fitzwilliam Virginal Book of 1625,\" a most important source for 16th-century English music. This tune was written for a virginal (a smaller version of the harpsichord) but is well adapted for many other instruments such as guitar, flute, recorder, or violin. This song was very popular during William Shakespeare's time. A little percussion in the form of a triangle, hand drum, or tambourine is a nice addition to this sprightly tune.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLightly Row is an old English tune.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLightly row, lightly row,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eO'er the shining waves we go!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSmoothly glide, smoothly glide,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOn the changing tide.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLet the winds and waters be,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill and calm and clear to see.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDrift and float, drift and float\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn our little boat.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLong, Long Ago was originally titled The Long Ago and was written by Thomas Haynes Bayly, an English songwriter-dramatist, in 1833. After Rufus Griswold replaced Edgar Allen Poe as editor of a Philadelphia magazine, Bayly's collection of poems was printed and the new title was used. This song became immensely popular in America in 1843 and was featured in the 1942 movie \"Calling Wild Bill Elliot.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTell me the tales that to me were so dear,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLong, long ago, long, long ago.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSing me the songs I delighted to hear\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLong, long ago, long ago.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eNow you are come, all my grief is removed\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLet me forget that so long you have roved\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLet me believe that you love as you loved,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLong, long ago, long ago.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDo you remember the path where we met? \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLong, long ago, long, long ago.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAh, yes, you told me you ne'er would forget, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLong, long ago, long ago.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThen to all others, my smile you preferred\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLove when you spoke gave a charm to each word\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill my heart treasures the praises I heard, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLong, long ago, long ago.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThough by your kindness my fond hopes were raised.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLong, long ago, long, long ago.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou, by your kindness my fond hopes were raised,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLong, long ago, long, long ago.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou, by more eloquent lips have been praised,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLong, long ago, long, long ago.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eBut by long absence your truth has been tried\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eStill to your accents I listen with pride\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eBlest as I was when I sat by your side,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLong, long ago, long, long ago.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOde to Joy is from Ludwig van Beethoven's (1770-1827) Hymn to Joy, the finale to the Ninth Symphony. He wrote this choral finale to go with Friedrich von Schiller's hymn, An Die Freude (circa 1816). The Ninth Symphony was first performed on May 7, 1824, but Ludwig van Beethoven, being completely deaf by then, never heard it. The Hymn to Joy was adapted by Edward Hodges (1796-1867) and is found in many church hymnals.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHenry van Dyke (1852-1933) wrote the words that are normally associated with this tune, which is found as number 376 in the Episcopal hymnal, The Hymnal 1982. Tertius van Dyke relates that his father, Henry, placed a manuscript before U.S. President James Garfield in 1881 and said, \"Here is a hymn for you. Your mountains (the Berkshires) were my inspiration. It must be sung to the music of Beethoven's Hymn to Joy.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eJoyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHearts unfold like flowers before Thee, Praising Thee, their sun above.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eMelt the clouds of sin and sadness; Drive the dark of doubt away;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eGiver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll thy works with joy surround thee, earth and heaven reflect thy rays.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eStars and angels sing around thee, center of unbroken praise.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eField and forest, vale and mountain, blooming meadow, flashing sea,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eChanting bird and flowing fountain, call us to rejoice in Thee.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThou are giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWellspring of the joy of living, ocean-depth of happy rest!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThou our Father, Christ our Brother: all who live in love are Thine;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTeach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, How Lovely is the Evening is a traditional English round.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, how lovely is the evening, is the evening.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen the bells are sweetly ringing, sweetly ringing.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDing, dong, ding; ding, dong, ding.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOh, When the Saints Go Marching In was probably developed sometime during the latter half of the 19th century by African-American folk singers. It would begin quietly but build up after each stanza until it was \"a frenzy of excitement,\" as Theodore Raph stated. It became a traditional post-funeral parade march in New Orleans and, later, one of the most recognized Jazz songs in America. It was later Louis Armstrong's signature piece.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, when the saints go marching in.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, when the saints go marching in.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLord, I want to be in that number,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, when the saints go marching in.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, when they come on Judgment Day, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, when they come on Judgment Day,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLord, I want to be in that number,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, when they come on Judgment Day,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen Gabriel blows that golden horn.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen Gabriel blows that golden horn.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLord, I want to be in that number,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen Gabriel blows that golden horn.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen they go through them Pearly Gates.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen they go through them Pearly Gates.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLord, I want to be in that number,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen they go through them Pearly Gates.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, when they ring them silver bells.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, when they ring them silver bells.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLord, I want to be in that number,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, when they ring them silver bells.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd when the angels gather' round.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd when the angels gather' round.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLord, I want to be in that number,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, when the angels gather' round.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, into Heaven when they go.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, into Heaven when they go.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLord, I want to be in that number,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, into Heaven when they go.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd when they're singing hallelu.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd when they're singing hallelu.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLord, I want to be in that number,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, when they're singing hallelu.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd when the Lord is shakin' hands.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd when the Lord is shakin' hands.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eLord, I want to be in that number,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eOh, when the Lord is shakin' hands.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePop! Goes the Weasel is a dance tune that was used in England. As a dance tune, it had no other lyrics other than the title, which was used as the catch line of the dance. A couple would shout out the words as they went under the arms of other dancers. The tune was used for a country dance called The Haymakers and published in \"Gow's Repository\" sometime between 1799 and 1820. After the song lyrics appeared, other words emerged. A March 1860, issue of the Southern Literary Messenger (Richmond, Virginia) published these words about the Queen of England:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eQueen Victoria's very sick,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrince Albert's got the measles.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe children have the whooping cough,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn pop! Goes the weasel.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHere are other versions:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHalf a pound of tuppeny rice,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHalf a pound of treacle.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThat's the way the money goes,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ePop! Goes the weasel.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eUp and down the city road, (or the London Road)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn and out the Eagle,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThat's the way the money goes,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ePop! Goes the weasel.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eEvery night when I go out\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe monkeys on the table.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTake a stick and knock it off,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ePop! Goes the weasel.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRigadoon is by Henry Purcell (1659-1695). It is also a description for a lively dance for couples (or the music for the dance) that has two or four beats per measure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSt. Anthony's Chorale was based on a hymn sung by pilgrims on Saint Anthony's Day. Originally attributed to Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), authorities now believe that St. Anthony's Chorale was actually written by Haydn's favorite student, Ignatz Pleyel, who founded the Pleyel Piano Company in 1807. Johannes Brahms was presented a stack of Haydn's manuscripts by Karl Ferdinand Pohl, a Haydn scholar and biographer, in the Fall of 1870. Brahms was interested in the theme of \"Divertimento mid dem Chorale St. Antoni\" and wrote it in his notebook, but did not produce his two sets of variations based on this theme, Opus 56a and Opus 56b, for three years. These variations have made this theme very popular.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe hymn associated with St. Anthony's Chorale is We, Thy People, Praise Thee, written by Kate Stearns Page (1873-1963). It is usually sung at Thanksgiving. Hymn #6 in the 1966 Methodist hymnal, \"The Book of Hymns,\" is a \"unison praise hymn tune\" arranged by Edith Lovell Thomas.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe, thy people, praise thee, praise thee, God of every nation!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe, thy people, praise thee, praise thee, Lord of hosts eternal!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDays of wonder, days of beauty, Days of rapture, filled with light;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTell thy goodness, tell my mercies, tell thy glorious might.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe, thy people, praise thee, praise thee, God of every nation!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWe, thy people, praise thee, praise thee, Lord of hosts eternal!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eFor thy blessings, for thy bounty, Joyful songs to thee we sing,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSongs of glory, songs of triumph to our God and King.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eShepherd's Hey is an English Country Dance tune.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Banks of the Ohio is a traditional ballad that originated in Ohio. Its story of love and murder has inspired several popular mystery tales as well as several folk ballads.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI asked my love to take a walk,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTo take a walk, just a little walk,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDown beside where the waters flow,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDown by the banks of Ohio.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThen only say that you'll be nine,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd in no other arms entwine,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDown beside where the waters flow,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDown by the banks of the Ohio.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSaid I to her, \"Will you be nine?\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eSaid she to me, \"I must decline,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eMy mother says, too young am I,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTo love one many till the day I die.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI held a knife against her breast,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd gently in my arms she pressed,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eCrying, \"Willie, don't you murder me,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI'm unprepared for eternity.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI took her by her lily-white hand,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd placed her gently on the sand,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd when the tide was wide and deep,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI pitched her in to rest in sleep.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI started back twist twelve and one,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI cried, \"My god, what have I done?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI've murdered the only woman I love,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eBecause she would not be my bride.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHad she but said she will be mine,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll would be well, all would be fine,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd now she's there, way down below,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eDown by the banks of the Ohio.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Streets of Laredo is an Anglo-American ballad. It is also called The Cowboy's Lament and is based on the old British ballad The Unfortunate Rake,\" which was also the ancestor of The Saint James Infirmary Blues, an American folk ballad telling a similar tale.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAs I walked out in the streets of Laredo,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAs I walked out in Laredo one day.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI spied a young cowboy wrapped up in white linen, \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThese words he did say as I boldly stepped by,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI was shot in the breast and I know I must die.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"It was once in the saddle I used to go dashing,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eIt was once in the saddle I used to go gay;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eFirst to the dram-house and then to the card-house;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eGot shot in the breast; I am dying today.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eGet six pretty maidens to carry my pall;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ePut bunches of roses all over my coffin,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eRoses to deaden the clods as they fall.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Oh beat the drum slowly and play the fife lowly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlay the dead march as you carry me along;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTake me to the green valley and lay the sod o'er me.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eFor I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Go gather around you a crowd of young cowboys\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd tell them the story of this, my sad fate,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTell one and the other before they go further\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTo stop their wild roving before it's too late.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eGo fetch me a cup, a cup of cold water,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTo cool my parched lips,\" the cowboy then said;\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eBefore I returned, the spirit had left him\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd gone to its Maker -- the cowboy was dead.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e The 1942 hit song Don't Sit Under the Apple is very similar to a \"swing\" version of Long, Long Ago.","brand":"Historical Folk Toys, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12583428096077,"sku":"BOOK1HF205","price":6.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2187\/2175\/products\/BOOK1HF205.jpg?v=1537125858"},{"product_id":"historic-folk-toys-music-harmonica-in-c","title":"Harmonica in C","description":"\u003cb\u003eHarmonica in C\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur Harmonica in C is an excellent quality ten-hole (twenty notes) harmonica, which is an ideal instrument for a beginning player. Our package includes basic playing instructions with two easy-to-play tunes and a brief history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistorical Background:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe harmonica is a free-reed wind instrument that has multiple, variably tuned reeds. The reeds are made from either bronze or brass. Each reed is secured at one end over an airway slot. As air passes through the slot, the reed vibrates and interrupts the air stream to make a specifically pitched sound. The harmonica is also known as a \"mouth organ,\" \"french harp\" (or simply \"harp\"), and \"Mississippi saxophone.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs a free-reed instrument, the harmonica belongs to the same family of musical instruments as reed organs, accordions, and melodicas. Unlike its other family members that have keyboards, the mouth organ uses the player's lips and tongue to select one or more slots (or holes). The holes are usually arranged in a linear manner on the mouthpiece. Types of harmonicas include the diatonic harmonica (10 holes, 19 notes, and 3 octaves), special-tuned harmonicas, the 14-hole diatonic harmonica, the chromatic harmonica, the bass harmonica, the cord harmonica (with 48 chords), the Tremolo harmonica, the octave harmonica, and toy harmonicas.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe origin of the harmonica is generally accepted by musicologists to come from a Chinese wind instrument called a \"sheng\" (or \"cheng\") circa 3000 B.C. Despite the fact that these two instruments' shapes differ greatly, both use a free-reed mechanism in a very similar manner. In 1636, Marin Mersànne introduced Europe to the sheng through his letters describing it as \"an Asian free-reed wind instrument.\" In 1776, French Jesuit missionary Pare Amiot shipped several shengs from China to Paris, France. By the 1780s, European instrument makers were experimenting with free-reeds.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1816, a free-reeded keyboard instrument called a \"terpodion\" was introduced by Johann Buschmannn, a German organ builder. This instrument would later become the predecessor to both the harmonica and the harmonium. His sixteen-year-old son, Christian Friedrich Buschmann, would invent and register in 1821 for the first European patent of a free-reeded mouth organ, which he called the \"aura,\" or \"mundaeoline.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1825, the first 20-note (10-hole), blow-draw, free reed-mouth organ was developed by a Bohemian named Richter (first name unknown). Two years later, a clock maker in Trossingen, Germany, started making harmonicas with his cousin, Christian Weiss. In two more years, 1829, the first massproduction of harmonicas began in Vienna, Austria.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eImage Courtesy of Hohner, Inc.A fellow clock maker in Trossingen, Mathias Hohner, visited the harmonica shop of Messner and Weiss in 1857. Shortly thereafter, he (along with family members and one or two workers) began to make harmonicas in his kitchen. Their first year's production was 700 harmonicas. By 1867, the M. Hohner Company was producing 22,000 harmonicas a year. Most of the world's harmonicas made today are by the M. Hohner Company in a factory that is still located in Trossingen, Germany.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1878, Julius Berthold developed a machine to stamp out metal reeds, thus ending the need to make reeds by hand. The following year, the Richter-note configuration was introduced to 10-hole harmonicas. This would later become the standard configuration for diatonic harmonicas. The American Depression of 1893 caused the M. Hohner Company to stop exporting harmonicas to the U.S. and start marketing mouth organs to other countries. This decision ultimately expanded the range of the harmonica's influence in the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThree years later (1896), the M. Hohner Company introduced their revolutionary Marine Band model harmonica. Its raised, ornate metal covers and superb construction features would eventually make it the world's top-selling harmonica.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUse of the harmonica, however, did not become widespread in Europe and was considered a very limited \"standalone instrument.\" Around 1900, a relative of Hohner started exporting harmonicas to the United States. There they soon became a very popular musical instrument because of their compact size and due to the fact \"harps\" (as Americans now called them) were relatively easy to learn to play.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe earliest music recordings of harmonicas occurred during the 1920s in the U.S. These first recordings were primarily \"race records\" that were marketed to southern African-Americans. An early solo recording artist during this period was DeFord Bailey who also \"cut\" the first country music records in Nashville, Tennessee. Other harp recording artists were often accompanied by a guitarist and they include Walter Horton, Hammie Nixon, and Sonny Terry. Later, the harmonica was incorporated into novelty acts called \"jug bands,\" such as the famous Memphis Jug Band. During this decade, harmonica bands sprung up throughout the U.S. and became \"the rage in Vaudeville.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 1920s saw other developments for the harmonica. Philadelphian philanthropist, Albert Hoxie, organized harmonica contests and bands (complete with marching uniforms). His generous efforts spawned a national craze for harmonica bands. In 1924, the M. Hohner Company introduced the chromatic harmonica and followed up by creating bass, chord, and polyphonia models to satisfy the needs of harmonica bands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDespite the harmonica's popularity in the U.S., the instrument was regarded by many to be just a toy and associated with \"poor folks\" during the 1930s. It was during the Great Depression that harmonicists started to experiment and develop new techniques. These innovations include tongue blocking, hand effects, and -- perhaps the greatest innovation of all -- the 2nd position, or \"cross harp.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Great Depression did not, however, stymy the harmonica's growth in popularity. Harmonica bands were still the rage in the U.S. Many public schools were now making harmonica instruction part of their standard curriculum. Even Hollywood started putting harmonica bands in their movies. It was during this decade that the first major soloist on the harmonica emerged, Larry Adler, who played both Classical and Jazz pieces. But by the end of the 1930s, the jug band craze was fading away (at least until the Folk revival in the 1960s).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnfortunately, World War II temporarily stopped the import of harmonicas from Germany to the U.S. This war also caused many harmonica bands to dissolve as players enlisted in the armed forces. But there was also a labor shortage in the northern manufacturing states that enticed hundreds of southern Blues harmonica players to migrate north for work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is for this reason that the harmonica and its southern-style of music found \"homes\" in the northern U.S. -- particularly in Chicago, Detroit, New York City, and St. Louis, where many black migrants and blues musicians relocated. It was in these cities (and mostly in Chicago) that the harmonica and its Blues and Jazz music began a tremendous evolution. This musical evolution came about through \"electric amplification\" -- first the guitar, then the harmonica, followed by the bass, vocals, and other instruments.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere have been many notable blues harp players in America, but two stand out as pioneers of the blues harmonica -- and both used the stage name, \"Sonny Boy Williamson\"! One was John Lee Williamson (1899-1948) and the other was Alex Ford Miller (1914-1965). John Lee's first recording, \"Good Morning, School Girl,\" became a hit in 1937. His style influenced many Blues performers, including Billy Boy Arnold, Sonny Terry, and a young Muddy Waters. Miller, on the other hand, became such a virtuoso that his peers nicknamed him the \"King of the Harmonicas.\" Over the years, there have been many, many Blues and Jazz harmonicists who recorded and received deserving critical acclaim.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 1950s saw the virtual disappearance of harmonica bands. However, harmonica trios grew in popularity, thanks to the success of The Harmonicats. During this decade, electric or amplified harmonicas dominated the Chicago Blues scene and was led by Little Walter. Legend has it that Little Walter plugged his harmonica microphone directly into a guitar amplifier while recording with Muddy Waters, thus becoming the first to record a Chicago-style amplified harmonica. This overdrove the sound and created an entirely new style of harmonica playing. Despite this innovation, guitar players began and continued to dominate the American music scene while harmonicas basically disappeared for awhile.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEnglish merchant seamen would often bring recordings of American Rock and Blues music home with them on their return trips. Many an English-seaport teenager would eventually learn about the Blues and \"Rock n' Roll\" from these American recordings. One notable example is a Liverpool adolescent by the name of John Lennon. However, it was actually Blues fans such as Cyril Davies and John Mayall that really laid the foundation for the \"British Invasion\" of America in the 1960s. It was also during the 1950s that Jean \"Toots\" Thielemans became a major instrumentalist in Jazz with his harmonica.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBob Dylan inspired thousands of musicians to explore with the harmonica during the Folk music craze of the 1960s. He also renewed interest in jug bands. And, of course, the British Invasion of the American music scene was spearheaded by The Beatles in 1964. Not only did Lennon feature a harmonica in his songs, but several other bands did so as well, such as The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds. By the late 1960s, a rebirth in popularity for the harmonica in Blues was led by Paul Butterfield, Charlie Musselwhite, and Corky Siegel of Chicago, Illinois.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe harmonica experienced yet another decline in popularity during the 1970s as guitarists continued to dominate both Blues and Rock music while Country music stagnated in an \"overproduced Nashville sound.\" Only The J. Geils Band and its harmonica player, Magic Dick, stands out for Rock harmonica during this period. As the decade wore on, Blues music in general also suffered a decline in popularity, but not for long!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike a yo-yo, the popularity for and interest in the Blues harmonica bounces back (once again) in the 1980s, thanks to a couple of comedians on the television show \"Saturday Night Live.\" John Belushi and Dan Akroyd's love for Blues music inspired them to create a musical skit in the late 1970s called \"The Blues Brothers\" (and, in 1980, a feature film). It is also during this decade that the Cham-Ber Huang and Lee Oskar Harmonica Companies introduced harmonica design innovations, such as new tunings and replaceable reed plates.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the 1990s, Sugar Blue, Howard Levy, and John Popper of the band Blues Traveler pushed the limits of harmonica playing in Blues, Jazz, and Rock music. Country music also sparked renewed interest in the harmonica when it returned to its traditional music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHistorical Folk Toys is pleased to continue a long tradition by offering our Harmonica in C (5101), which is ideal for beginners.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e By 1887, the M. Hohner Company was producing 1 million harmonicas annually. Ten years later, they would be making 3 million harmonicas a year. And, in 1911, the company produced 8 million harmonicas. Sometime during the year 1986, they produced their billionth harmonica! (This is quite an accomplishment for a business that was started in a family's kitchen!)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e The Harmonicats' recording of \"Peg O' My Heart\" was the best-selling record of 1947. It would later become one of the all-time, best-selling singles with over 20 million copies sold! This record's success also convinced the Musician's Union to change the harmonica's classification from \"toy\" to \"legitimate instrument,\" thus allowing harmonicists to join the union.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e The Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica (SPAH) was founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1962.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e The harmonica became the first musical instrument to be played in outer space on December 16, 1965, when astronaut Wally Schirra played \"Jingle Bells\" on a Hohner Little Lady model -- that he smuggled aboard Gemini 4!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePACKAGE DIMENSIONS -\u003c\/strong\u003e 5.5 x 4.5 x 1.25\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Historical Folk Toys, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12583436189773,"sku":"TOYS1HF202","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2187\/2175\/files\/TOYS1HF202_0aef094d-fe79-4e77-b102-941f7e7f1b9d.jpg?v=1769708125"},{"product_id":"historic-folk-toys-music-jews-harp-jaw-harp","title":"Jaw Harp","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eJew's Harp (Jaw Harp)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe jaw harp is a centuries-old folk instrument that is played by holding it to your mouth and striking the vibrating \"tongue.\" Our Jaw Harp comes packaged with playing instructions and a brief history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistorical Background:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe Jew's Harp or Jaw Harp (5002) is a small musical instrument held between the player's teeth or against the lips and plucked with one or more fingers. It has been debated since 1511 as to whether the Jew's Harp is a percussion or chromatic instrument. Music scholars Fredrick Crane and Ole Kai Ledand support an earlier notion proposed by Marin Mersenne, a 17th-century musicologist. Mersenne's ideology subscribes to the classification of the Jew's Harp as an aerophone since the \"full functioning of the instrument occurs only when a stream of air moves past its tongue.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe name Jaw Harp is a bit of a misnomer and does not hold much scholastic merit. For 400 years, this instrument has been connected in English with Jews and called a Jew's Harp (or Jews' Harp) since its earliest known mention in 1595. Prior to this, it was referred to as a \"jew's trump\" (Jew's trump). In Scotland and Northern Ireland, it was simply called a trump. The origin of \"jew's\" is unknown. Regardless, the proper name according to the Harvard Dictionary of Music is Jew's Harp despite today's popular use of the name Jaw Harp.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eActually, the world has given this \"mouth harp\" dozens of names. Germans call it \"maultommel,\" which means \"mouth drum.\" In Japan, it is called \"koukin.\" Russians call it \"vargan\" (except in Siberia where it is called \"khomus\"). In the Philippines, it is called either \"kumbing\" or \"kubing.\" Italians use the name \"scacciapensieri\" while the French go with the name \"guimbarde.\" In Norway, it is called a \"munnharpa\" (sometimes spelled \"munnharpe\"). Even in England, the name \"gewgaw\" is also used for jew's harp. And, as a last example, on the Indonesian island of Bali, it is called a \"genggong.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the past, these instruments have been made from wood or iron. A 1,000-year-old iron koukin was found in Japan in 1990. Maultrommel frames have been discovered in Germany dating back to the 1400s. These are considered by some to be the oldest examples in Europe. However, there have been considerable quantities uncovered from earlier periods (Anglo-Saxon and Carolingian). By the 16th century, Jew's Harps were a common item of a peddler's stock of goods.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Jew's Harp is actually native to many other parts of Europe, Asia, and Oceania (except for Australia). And with the exception of Eskimo tradition, no evidence (so far) suggests this instrument existed in North and South America or Africa prior to its introduction by European traders.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Jew's Harp was introduced to the New World (specifically South America) in 1593 by a Spanish exploratory party. Five hundred Jew's Harps were part of a transaction used to acquire land from the natives. This is not the only occurrence of Jew's Harps used to obtain land. They were also part of a trade deal with Native Americans to purchase Maryland. A land deed dated 1677 lists 100 Jew's Harps as part of the payment for a tract of Indian land. Jew's Harps continued to be used to barter with Native Americans until the early 1800s. Archaeologists have discovered 17th- and 18th-century Jew's Harps among native artifacts from Maine to Florida. One archaeological site in Michigan produced more than 120 Jew's Harps!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen an old Jew's Harp was found, it usually was broken with the tongue missing. The majority of Jew's Harps from the North American Colonial period have been found in rubbish heaps and at the bottom of wells. Their quantities and condition suggest they were discarded as useless, which further suggests Jew's Harps were not only popular, but played until they broke -- and in significant numbers!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Jew's Harp is considered by some Americans to be a \"hillbilly\" instrument used by backward frontier folk. This is certinly not the case for Europeans. In fact, the Jew's Harp was a respected instrument (even by royalty!) and held a remarkable prominence in Western European music well into the late 1800s. Some of Europe's virtuosos with the Jew's Harp include Benedictine monk Father Bruno Glatzl, Karl Eulenstein, and Franz Koch. During his lifetime, Eulenstein was considered one of the finest performers in London and played for such English nobility as the Dukes of York, Queen Victoria's mother (the Duchess of Kent), and the King of England!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne should not believe the Jew's Harp is something only a \"hillbilly\" plays. Even one of Ludwig van Beethoven's music teachers wrote a number of concertos for the Jew's Harp. His name was Johann Georg Alberchtsberger, an Austrian composer and organist who succeeded Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (at Mozart's request) as the assistant to the Kapellmeister of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo matter what you call it, this instrument is fun to play. With enough practice and patience, one can become a virtuoso and perhaps even perform for royalty!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe ironworks at Saugus, Massachusetts (near Boston), started producing Jew's Harps as early as 1650.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe Jew's Harp has been associated with shamanism by Siberian and Mongolian cultures.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e: Jew's Harps were introduced to European recital rooms around 1750 by Johan Heinrich Hörmann in his compositional setting \"Partita in C.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePACKAGE DIMENSIONS -\u003c\/strong\u003e 5.5 x 4.25 x 1\"","brand":"Historical Folk Toys, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12583436255309,"sku":"TOYS1HF203","price":13.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2187\/2175\/files\/cts_crsdler_9.jpg?v=1769793743"},{"product_id":"historic-folk-toys-music-kazoo","title":"Kazoo","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eKazoo\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur Kazoo is a popular folk instrument that anyone can play! Made today of metal, just as they have been since the mid-1800s. Kazoo comes with instructions on how to play. These kazoos are made in the same manner as original instruments produced at the beginning of the 20th century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistorical Background:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe kazoo is a simple musical instrument (membranophone) that produces tonal qualities when a player hums into it. The kazoo is also a type of vibrating membrane instrument known as \"mirlitons.\" The kazoo dates back hundreds of years to its oldest known relative, the horn-mirliton, an African version of the mirliton. Horn-mirlitons' tubes were made from cow horns, and the eggshells of spiders were used for the membranes. African horn-mirlitons were often used at tribal gatherings to distort or mask voices.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe first European mirlitons were created in the 17th century and were called \"eunuk flutes.\" During the 1800s, various forms of kazoos could be found throughout North America. And even though these instruments varied in construction, they were all similar to the kazoo. These early American mirlitons were based on the African version and primarily used for folk music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy the mid-18th century, the kazoo began to become popular and make its mark on music history. The first kazoo as we know it today came as an idea in the 1840s to Alabama Vest of Macon, Georgia, and was made with the help of a German clock manufacturer, Thaddeus von Glegg. The kazoos they made were soon adopted by musicians in Jazz, Jug, and Hillbilly bands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA traveling salesman by the name of Emil Sorg chanced upon Vests and von Glegg's kazoo. Sorg was so impressed with the market potential for this instrument, he went to New York to produce his own kazoos. Sorg eventually partnered with a Buffalo tool and die maker by the name of Michael McIntyre. The first production run of kazoos occurred in 1912.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA year later, McIntyre had obtained the knowledge necessary to manage kazoo production by himself. What he lacked was a larger factory. To solve this problem, McIntyre partnered with Harry Richardson, the owner of a large metal factory in Eden, New York, and they began mass producing kazoos in 1914. Soon, sales of kazoos increased as their popularity grew. These two men renamed their partnership in 1916 and called it The Original American Kazoo Company.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs the popularity and sales of kazoos continued to grow in the 1920s and 1930s, so did the competition. Others thought making and selling kazoos was a smart idea. To stave off this competition, McIntyre applied for and was granted a U.S. patent in 1923. The Original American Kazoo Company continued to produce kazoos the same way they did in 1916 until the factory closed in 2003. The company also maintains a working museum housed in the original factory that tells the history of kazoos, provides amusing trivia, and demonstrates the manufacturing process.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur metal kazoos (5001) are made according to the historical specifications established by The Original American Kazoo Company in 1916.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e The Kazoo was exhibited at the 1852 Georgia State Fair and was later manufactured under the name \"Down South Submarine\" because of its shape.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eAlthough the origin of the kazoo is African, it has since become as American as apple pie and considered by some to be the \"most democratic musical instrument\" since anyone who can hum a tune can also play a kazoo!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e König Ludwig von Bayern had a 2.13-meter-long mirliton made for an opera by Wagner. This instrument was constructed with extremely \"fat\" eunuks that were imported from the Ottoman kingdom.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e You can \"make\" a kazoo by wrapping a tissue paper or piece of wax paper around a hair comb. Try it if you have not already!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePACKAGE DIMENSIONS -\u003c\/strong\u003e 3.75 x 6.5 x 1.5\"","brand":"Historical Folk Toys, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12583436353613,"sku":"TOYS1HF204","price":13.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2187\/2175\/files\/cts_crsdler_14.jpg?v=1769794798"},{"product_id":"historic-folk-toys-music-penny-whistle-in-d","title":"Historic Folk Toys: Music, 'Penny Whistle in D'","description":"\u003cstrong\u003ePenny Whistle - Melodies in D\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOur Penny Whistle in D is also known as a \"tin whistle.\" It was a \"common folk\" instrument in early American homes. Our package includes basic instructions, fingering chart, and a brief history. Our Five-Note Melodies Book in D (95301) is a perfect companion music book for the beginning penny whistle player.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHistorical Background:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe whistle is a member of the family of woodwind instruments called \"fipple flutes.\" A fipple is a wood block in the mouthpiece that constricts air to make sounds. Early whistles were made from animal bones or baked clay. Early whistles were called \"vertical flutes\" until the 17th century when fipple flutes were named \"flageolets.\" These flageolets had four finger holes on the front and two thumb holes on the back.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eToday's tin whistle (or penny whistle) belongs to a group of musical instruments called flageolets. (Another member is the recorder.) The terms \"whistle flutes\" and \"fipple flutes\" refer to the method of sound production and are also used to designate flageolets. Again, the fipple is a wood block or clay plug that is inserted into the mouthpiece. Sometimes a wood whistle was carved so that the fipple was part of the mouthpiece. The fipples found in ancient bone pipes from the Middle Ages were made of clay.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt is the fipple that gives whistles, pipes, and flutes their distinctive sounds. A small space is created between the edge of the fipple and the inside wall of the instrument. When the player blows into the mouthpiece, the fipple compresses the air stream to make a sound. By covering (or closing) a combination of finger and thumb holes, a musical note is produced.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhistles are thought to have originated in ancient China around 5,000 ago. By the 11th century, whistles could be found in Europe. There is evidence, according to medieval literature, of whistle players in Ireland. Whistles made from the bones of birds have been uncovered in Dublin that date back to the Viking era of the 12th century. Over time, whistles have been given many names. Besides fipple flute, flageolet, and vertical flute, other names are \"faedan,\" \"feadóg stáin\" (an Irish name), \"penny whistle,\" \"tin flute,\" and \"tin whistle.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTo Irish musicians, this instrument has a noble pedigree in the history of Irish music. Besides the 12-century bone whistles found in the oldest Norman quarter of Dublin, other types of whistle flutes are mentioned in ancient Irish tales and the laws of ancient Irish society. One such Irish tale gives the account of Ailen, a chief of the Tuatha de Danann fairy tribe, who carried out his annual November vengeance by using his feadan to cast a spell of sleep over the inhabitants of the High King's palace at Tara. A description found in the Brehon Laws from the King of Ireland's court in the 3rd century mentions musicians playing feadans.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA 12th-century poem about the pre-Christian Fair of Carman also mentions players of the \"cuisle\" (pipe) among the entertainers. Despite an obvious disapproval by the poet for the \"cuisleannach\" (players of the cuisle), a more complimentary view is given by the 12th-century compiler of \"Acallam na Senorach\" when comparing the cuisle's timbre to the sound of a maiden's speech.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn interesting reference occurs in a poem found in the ancient \"Teach Miodhchuarta.\" This poem recounts the seating plan of the royal feasts at Tara. Cuisleannach are seated with the same respect and status as fishermen, jugglers, shield-makers, shoemakers, smiths, and trumpeters (to name a few). At these royal feasts, cuisleannach received the pig's thigh as their allotted portion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAccording to 19th-century experts on the ancient Irish society, both the feadan (also called \"feadóg\") and cuisle (also called \"cuiseach\") were made by hollowing out plant stalks. Cane and elder was used as well as certain wild grasses and reeds. Hence, another meaning for feadan is \"a hollow stick.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMedieval stone-high crosses of the 9th, 10th, and 11th centuries suggest Irish vertical flutes to have been straight and sometimes slightly curved at the bottom. They also had narrow, conical bores that widened toward the bottom and are estimated to be from 14 to 24 inches in length. (Today's manufactured tin whistles in the key of B flat are 14-3\/4 inches long.) And while this key is pitched two whole tones below concert pitch, there is little reliable information about the scales and pitch resources of the feadan and cuisle. It is possible that harmonics or overblown notes may have been used since this was usually the case with similar flutes throughout the world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEnd-blown pipes found in Somerset and Monmouthshire, England, are thought to be representative of the general type used in British Isles during the Medieval Period. Both these pipes were made of deer bone and have five front finger holes. One has a rear thumb hole and the other has two. One pipe has a range of 1-1\/2 octaves and the other 2-1\/2 octaves. By the way, these pipes were restored to a playable condition, and it was found that both pipes give diatonic scales (same as today's tin whistle). Therefore, it is conceivable that sophisticated music could be played on ancient bone pipes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe tin whistles we know today have six finger holes. These began to appear in England during the beginning of the 19th century. The first tin whistle was made in 1843 by Robert Clark, a poor English farm laborer and amateur musician who played a wooden whistle. Clark wanted to copy his wooden whistle and decided to use tinplate instead of wood. The fipple in the mouthpiece was still made of wood, which he cut and shaped with a handmade saw.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eClark was forced to leave his employer after having been unjustly accused of dishonesty. In need of a way to make a living, Clark decided to mass produce his new whistle. So, he loaded his tools and materials into a hand barrow and walked with his son from Suffolk to Manchester. Along the way, Clark stopped at village markets, set up his \"hand barrow workshop\" to show people how he made his whistles and sell them. When a crowd gathered around, he would stop working and begin playing songs to entertain the audience. Clark's most popular song was \"Danny Boy,\" and it is said that an entire marketplace would stop doing business to listen as Clark played this piece.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen he arrived in Manchester, Clark began manufacturing his tin whistles. In the years that followed, Clark's whistles became world famous under the name \"Penny Whistle.\" No one is certain just how this name came into existence. The name \"penny whistle\" may have come about because Clark originally sold his tin whistles for a penny. Then again, this name may have been coined (excuse the pun) by Victorian street musicians who were given pennies by passersby for playing tin whistle songs. The company Clark started over 150 years ago, The Clark Tin Whistle Company, continues to produce tin whistles today.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDuring the 1950s, a straight, cylindrical tube with a plastic mouthpiece was introduced. This design was an alternative to the traditional conical bore of whistles, such as the Clark tin whistle. Twenty years later, Bernard Overton of Overton Whistles started making the \"low-D whistle.\" The popularity of this whistle soon grew and remains to this day as a highly desirable wind instrument.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFun Fact:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e The world-renowned flautist, James Galway, learned to play music on a Clark Penny Whistle.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePACKAGE DIMENSIONS -\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 2.75 x 13.5 x 0.5\"\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Historical Folk Toys, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":12583436451917,"sku":"TOYS1HF208","price":21.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2187\/2175\/products\/TOYS1HF208.jpg?v=1537128575"}],"url":"https:\/\/store.benningtonmuseum.org\/collections\/kids-music\/kids.oembed","provider":"Bennington Museum STORE","version":"1.0","type":"link"}