"The Devil's Dream" is an old fiddle tune of unknown origins. Played as either a
jig
The jig ( ga, port, gd, port-cruinn) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It is most associated with Irish music and dance. It first gained popularity in 16th-century Ireland and parts o ...
or a
reel, it is attested to as a popular tune from at least 1834 in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. It also appears in a folk tale from central
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
dated to c. 1805.
''The Devil's Dream'' is, and has been since its introduction, a popular tune with fiddlers and dancers and has been recorded numerous times.
Recordings
The earliest known recordings of the tune include records by John Witzmann (in 1906 with the Victor Dance Orchestra and again in 1920), Harold Veo (1917), George Stehl (1920), William B. Houchens (February 1923),
Jasper Bisbee (November 1923) and Tommy Dandurand (March 1927).
Pop culture
It is used by
Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in composing for films. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely re ...
as one of the principal themes in the film score to the movie ''
The Devil and Daniel Webster
"The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1936) is a short story by American writer Stephen Vincent Benét. He tells of a New Hampshire farmer who sells his soul to the devil and is later defended by Daniel Webster, a fictional version of the noted 19th-c ...
'' to represent the plight of the New Hampshire farmers.
Mentioned in
Michael Martin Murphey
Michael Martin Murphey (born March 14, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter best known for writing and performing Western music, country music and popular music. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including ''Cowboy Songs' ...
's song ''
Cherokee Fiddle
"Cherokee Fiddle" is a song written by Michael Martin Murphey. Murphey's version of the song went to number 58 on the Hot Country Singles chart in 1977. The story is based on a fiddle player named "Scooter"; his real name was Dean Kirk. He was of ...
'', popularized by
Johnny Lee. The song was also featured on the consonant sound animated insert on ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...
'' that featured an animated violinist playing the song on a violin until the violinist's violin strings broke. Pa from ''
Little House on the Prairie'' plays the song on the fiddle in the first book of the series, ''
Little House in the Big Woods''.
It is used in the film ''
12 Years a Slave
''Twelve Years a Slave'' is an 1853 memoir and slave narrative by American Solomon Northup as told to and written by David Wilson. Northup, a black man who was born free in New York state, details himself being tricked to go to Washington, D.C., ...
'' in the opening scenes, played by the character Solomon Northup during a small gathering of white individuals dancing. It was played by
Tim Fain
__FORCETOC__
Tim Fain is an Americans, American violinist, best known for his performances in the movie ''Black Swan (film), Black Swan'' and his work with American composer Philip Glass.
Early life and education
A native of Santa Monica, Califo ...
, an accomplished violinist who co-arranged the soundtrack for the movie.
Appears in the film ''
Rosemary's Baby'' (1968) on a television showing a Western film's barroom brawl.
See also
*
Quebec fiddle
References
Bibliography
*Allies, Jabez. ''On the Ignis Fatusus: Or Will-O'-The-Wisp, and the Fairies''. London: Simpkin, Marshall, and Co. (1846).
*Gilman, S. (A Member). ''Memoirs of a New England Village Choir with Occasional Reflections''. Boston: Benjamin H. Greene (1834).
External links
"The Devil's Dream", score and midimdas
''Scotty the Fiddler''The Hillbilly Gypsies - "Devil's Dream"mdash;YouTube.
Jasper Bisbee - Edison 51382 - "The Devils Dream Reel" - 1923mdash;YouTube.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devil's Dream, The
American folk songs
Bluegrass songs
Celtic music
Fiddle music
Irish songs
Scottish songs
19th-century songs
Year of song unknown
Songwriter unknown