"I only know two tunes: one of them is 'Yankee Doodle,' and the other one isn't." - Ulysses S Grant
Cushing Fifer's Companion #1
I may be getting a bit "long in the tooth," but I have been playing in jam sessions and musters since I was a young child. There are many tunes that I have performed frequently since then that remain very popular today among fifers and drummers everywhere, including:
Belle Catherine
Black Cockade
Boston March (Road to Boston)
Captain Macintosh
Care, Thou Canker
Haste to the Wedding
Devil's Dream
First of September
God Save America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)
Go to the Devil and Shake Yourself
Hollow Drum
Harum Scarum
March in Bluebeard
Marquis of Granby March
Norman Toy
Paddy Whack
Pleasures of Spa
Races
Rosline Castle
Swiss Guard's March
Soldier's Joy
Yankee Doodle
York Fusiliers
Published in 1805, Joshua Cushing's Fifer's Companion #1 (76 pages) contains 149 tunes from the American Revolutionary period, including all of the above, many of which were played during the War of 1812 and during the Civil War. A bonus is that all of the tunes in the book have harmony parts provided! It has been digitally restored to its original appearance. Available January 12, 2008
