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Flop Eared Mule
Old-Time, Bluegrass, Canadian, American; Schottische, Quadrille, Breakdown. USA, Widely known.
ARTIST: Holy Modal Rounder's version from International Lyrics Playground
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Early 1800’s - Adam Couse, a dancing master who owned a music store in Detroit, Michigan, published "Detroit Schottische" in 1854. 100,000 copies were sold, a huge hit by the standards of the day.
OTHER NAMES: "Karo," "Asheville" (western N.C. title), "Big-Eared Mule," "Long-Eared Mule" (Don Messer's {Canada} title), "Lop-Eared Mule" (Pennsylvania), "Bluebell Polka," "College Schottische," "Detroit Schottische," "Ranger's Hornpipe," "Monkey in the Barbershop," "Hell Over the Mountain," "Peach Tree Limb," "Comin' Over the Mountain," "Hell Amongst the Slavish," "D-A Quadrille" (N.Y.); “Cajun Flop Eared Mule;” Quadrille in D and G; Blue Bell (Polka); Pine Top;” “Karo”; Dowbush Kozak; Cowhide Boots ; Polska from Vasstbjorka ; Kozak Zawydija (Fast Kozak); Kuo Sokis (When You Dance)
RECORDING INFO: Bluebird 5658B (78 RPM), Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers (1934). Brunswick 346 (78 RPM), Lonnie Austin (1929). Cassette C-7625, Wilson Douglas - "Back Porch Symphony." County 733, Clark Kessinger- "The Legend of Clark Kessinger." County CO-CD-2711, Kirk Sutphin - "Old Roots and New Branches" (1994). Elektra 217, Weisberg and Brickman- "Folk Banjo Styles." F&W Records 4, "The Canterbury Country Orchestra Meets the F&W String Band." Folkways 8826, Per's Four--"Jigs and Reels." Folkways FA 2336, Clark Kessinger- "Fiddler." King 787, Reno and Smiley- "Banjo Special." Living Folk LFR-104, Allan Block - "Alive and Well and Fiddling." MCA Records MCAD 4037, "The Very Best of Don Messer" (1994). Paramount 3171 (78 RPM), 1929, Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers. Prize 498-02, Carl Jackson- "Bluegrass Festival." Recorded Anthology of American Music (1978) - "Traditional Southern Instrumental Styles." Rounder 0021, "Ola Belle Reed." Rounder Records, Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers - "The Kickapoo Medecine Show" (appears as 1st tune of the Kickapoo Medecine Show skit);
MORE RECORDING INFO: Anderson, Bob; and the Country Ramblers. Indiana Hoedown, Puritan 5003, LP (1973), cut#A.03; Austen, Seth. Appalachian Fiddle Tunes for Finger Style Guitar, Kicking Mule KM 174, LP (1982), cut# 15b; Block, Allan. Alive and Well and Fiddling, Living Folk LFR 104, LP (197?), cut# 2; Clark, Roy. Guitar Spectacular, Capitol SM-2454, LP (197?), cut# 14 (Racing the Mule); Clayton, Paul. Dulcimer Songs and Solos, Folkways FG 3571, LP (1962), cut# 1; Clemens, Alice. Fiddlin' Fever, UCA, LP (197?), cut# 1 (Lop Eared Mule); Crow, Robert. Hill Country Tunes: Instrumental Folk Music of Southwestern Penn, Amer. Folklore Society, fol (1944), 56 (Lop Eared Mule); Davis, Carl. West Virginia Hills, Augusta Heritage AHR 011, Cas (1992), cut#1.09 (Lop Eared Mule); Davis, Grandma (Pearlie). Close to Home, Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40097, CD (1997), cut#16 (Old Time Reel); Dixie Ramblers. Cotton Mills and Fiddles, Flying Cloud FC-014, LP (1990), cut# 11 (Long Eared Mule); Douglas, Wilson. Back Porch Symphony, Douglas C-7625, LP (1995), cut#B.05; Fluharty, Russell. West Virginia Heritage, Page SLP 601, LP (197?), cut#A.08 (Lop Eared Mule); Gloucester Hornpipe and Clog Society. Gloucester Hornpipe and Clog Society, Fiddlin' Whale, LP (197?), cut#B.08; Hale, Theron; & Daughters. Nashville Early String Bands, Vol. 2, County 542, LP, cut# 9 ; Hall, Barry. Virtuoso 5-String Banjo, Folkways FG 3533, LP (1964), cut#B.07; Holy Modal Rounders. Holy Modal Rounders, Fantasy 24711, LP (1972), cut#1.01; Jenkins, Snuffy; and Pappy Sherrill. Snuffy Jenkins. Pioneer of the Bluegrass Banjo, Arhoolie 9027, CD (1998), cut# 9 (Big Eared Mule; Jenkins, Snuffy. American Banjo, Folkways FA 2314, LP (1966), cut# 4 (Big Eared Mule); Joyner, Carl. Hot Tarheel Fiddlin', Old Oblivion 00-4, Cas (199?), cut# 13; Kessinger, Clark. Clark Kessinger, Fiddler, Folkways FA 2336, LP (1966), cut# 8; Latty, Vee. Fever in the South, MSOTFA 101, Cas (1992), cut# 11; Light, Christopher. One Man Band, Kicking Mule KM 242, LP (1985), cut# 8a; Maphis, Joe. Anthology of the Banjo, Tradition TR 2077, LP (196?), cut# 3 (Joe's Breakdown); Maphis, Joe. Feuding Banjos, Olympic 7105, LP (197?), cut#A.04; Maxson, Charles; and Karen Skidmore. From the Heartland of West Virginia. The Hammered & Plucked Dul, Peaceable 4, LP (1975), cut# 2; McCoy, Paul (B.). Allegheny Trails, Jewel LPS 504, LP (1975), cut#A.05; McNew, Walter. Black Jack Grove, Appalachian Center Ser. AC005, Cas (1993), cut#A.09; Melton, Raymond. 1st Annual Brandywine Mountain Music Convention, Heritage (Galax) 006, LP (1975), cut# 12; Messer, Don; and his Islanders. Very Best of Don Messer, MCA (Canada) 2-4037, LP (1973), cut# 15; Paley, Tom. O Love Is Teasin', Elektra BLP-12051, LP (1985), cut#3.17c; Paley, Tom. Courtin's a Pleasure and Other Folk Songs of the Southern App..., Elektra EKL-122, LP (195?), cut#B.07e; Poole, Charlie; and the Highlanders. Charlie Poole and the Highlanders, 1927-29, Puritan 3002, LP (196?), cut# 4; Poole, Charlie; and the Highlanders. Charlie Poole and the Highlanders, 1927-29, Puritan 3002, LP (196?), cut# 8a (Trip to New York. On the Train); Rector, Red. Red Rector, Old Homestead 90023, LP (1973), cut# 12; Reed, Ola Belle. Ola Belle Reed, Rounder 0021, LP (1973), cut# 8; Royer, Rudolph. Fourteenth Annual Old Time Fiddlers' Contest, Green Mountain GMS 1056, LP (1976), cut# 12; Russell Family. Old Time Dulcimer Sounds from the Mountains, County 734, LP (1972), cut# 9; Salyer, John Morgan. Home Recordings 1941-42, Appalachian Center Ser. AC003, Cas (1993), cut# 9 (Big Eared Mule); Simmons, Jean and Tommy. Music of the Ozarks, National Geographic Soc. 0703, LP (1972), cut# 3; Smith, Glen. Traditional Music From Grayson and Carroll Counties, Folkways FS 3811, LP (1962), cut# 17 (Hell Among/Amongst the Yearlings); Snow, Kilby. Mountain Music On the Autoharp, Folkways FA 2365, LP (1965), cut# 5; Stanley, Peter;, Judith Lang and Christopher Stanley. When You and I Were Young, Talkeetna 25008, CD (1999), cut# 9a; Stanley, Peter. At the Sidekick, Talkeetna 25003, CD (1999), cut#10a; Stoneman, Ernest (V., "Pop"). Round the Heart of Old Galax, Vol 1. Featuring Ernest Stoneman, County 533, LP (1980), cut# 8; Stoneman, Ernest V.; Trio. Roots N' Blues - The Retrospective (1925-50), Columbia Legacy 47911/47912-15, Cas (1992), cut#1.09 (Untitled); Stripling Brothers. Lost Child, County 401C, Cas (1971), cut#A.05 (Rangers Hornpipe); Tanner, Gid and Gordon. Skillet Licker Music, 1955-1991. The Tanner Legacy, Global Village C 310, Cas (1992), cut#A.06; Tarriers. Tarriers at the "Bitter End", Decca DL 4342, LP (196?), cut#B.03c (Eric's Banjo); Thompson, Uncle Jimmy. Nashville Early String Bands, Vol. 2, County 542, LP, cut# 6; Weavers. Weavers at Carnegie Hall, Vanguard VRS 9010, LP (195?), cut#A.06a; Weavers. Reunion at Carnegie Hall- 1963 (Part 1), Vanguard VSD 2150, LP (1987), B.07b; Weissberg, Eric; and Marshall Brickman. Folk Box, Elektra EKL-9001, LP (1964), cut# 46; Weissberg, Eric. Folk Banjo Styles, Elektra EKL-217, LP (195?), cut# 1; Wiles, Don. Fiddle Jam Sessions, Voyager VLRP 301, LP (196?), cut# 19; Wilson, Nile. Tie Hacker Hoe-down, MSOTFA 202-CS, Cas (1995), cut#2.09;
SOURCES: The tune was in the repertories of Henry Reed and also Buffalo Valley, Pa., dance fiddler Harry Daddario, and of Black fiddler Cuje Bertram {Ky.} (as "Big-Eared Mule"). Charles Hagan (Oakland, California) [Thede]; John Dingler and Milo Kouf, 1977 (New York State) [Bronner]; Robert Crow, Claysville, Pennsylvania, September 13, 1943 (learned in that region) [Bayard]; Clark Kessinger (W.Va.) [Phillips]. Adam, 1928; Nos. 25 & 34. Bayard (Hill Country Tunes), 1944; No. 56. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 164A-S, pgs. 101-107. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 108. Bronner (Old Time Music Makers of New York State), 1987; No. 42, pg. 162. Christeson (Old Time Fiddler's Repertory, Vol. 1), 1973; pg. 110. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 121 & 157. Howe (Diamond School for the Violin), 1861; pg. 56 (appears as "Detroit Schottische"). Messer (Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes), 1980; pg. 44 (appears as "Long-Eared Mule"). Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, Vol. 1), 1994; pg. 89. Reiner (Anthology of Fiddle Styles), 1977; pg. 22 (appears as a schottisch). Ruth (Pioneer Western Folk Tunes), 1948; No. 24, pg. 10. Sannella, Balance and Swing (CDSS). Thede (The Fiddle Book), 1967; pg. 129. Traditional Music in America, Folklore Associates, Bk (1940/1965), p121b; Blevins, Frank. Old Time Herald, Old Time Herald OTH, Ser (1987-), 2/7, p30; Blevins, Frank. Devil's Box, Devil's Box DB, Ser (196?), 32/2, p19a; Hagan, Charlie. Fiddle Book, Oak, Bk (1967), p129; Bullington, Joseph Henry. Devil's Box, Devil's Box DB, Ser (196?), 28/2, p42; Hammond, Lorraine Lee. Dulcimer Player News, Dulcimer Player News DPN, Ser (1973-), 3/2, p29; Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc);
NOTES: "G Major ('A' part) & D Major ('B' part) [G Major in Galax, Va., tradition]. Standard or ADAE. AAB. Mark Wilson (1978) believes the tune is a polka of probable Central-European origin, while Ford (1940) says the tune is derived from the "College Schottische," which it closely resembles. Actually, melodies from several traditions sound similar, as, for example, a Ukranian-American 78 RPM record from 1930 (Victor V-21034) called "Dowbush Kozak," the Irish tunes "The Curlew Hills" and "Little Pet Polka," as well as the English "Bluebell Polka." Bronner (1987) states that northern United States fiddlers often mentioned to him that the piece was an old-time tune for a schottische dance, also called "The Barn Dance," popular in New York state before World War II, though apparently that form of the tune was popular elsewhere in the country at the time (for example, Arizona fiddler Kenner C. Kartchner mentioned he played the melody in the early 1900's as a schottishe)." (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
"Paul Gifford remarks that it seems reasonable to assume that Flop-eared Mule was derived from the "Detroit Schottische," a three-part melody written and published in 1854 by Adam Couse, a dancing master who owned a music store in Detroit. Other sources remark on the piece's popularity as a vehicle for the quadrille before the turn of the century. Bayard (1981 & 1944) believes "Flop-Eared Mule" to be a fairly modern tune, perhaps from the early 19th century, extremely popular in the South, and speculated that the tune spread north from there. It was recorded for the Library of Congress by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph in the early 1940's from Ozark Mountain fiddlers." (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
"This is a widely diffused instrumental tune throughout America. Nineteenth-century printed sets call it "Detroit Schottische," and one early printing, Howe's Leviathan Collection (1858), p. 110, indicates the composer as A. Couse and notes, "By permission of Amsdem and Carkill, proprietors of the copyright." Twentieth-century sets usually call the tune "Flop-Eared Mule" (see Ford, Traditional Music of America, p.121) or "Lop-Eared Mule" (see Bayard, Hill Country Tunes, #56; Artley, "West Virginia Country Fiddler," pp. 48, 50), but other titles also crop up. The tune, which modulates from the key of G in the first strain to the key of D in the second, is one of a class of tunes having strains set in different keys. In this respect it may be compared with "Richmond" which is also in the general "breakdown" category, as well as various schottisches and waltzes. It is the theme song of the Washington State Old Time Fiddlers Association, which was formed to perpetuate the dance music of the pioneers." (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
LYRICS:
Mule, mule, flop eared mule,
Flop eared, flop eared, flop eared mule.
Flop eared mule, flop eared mule
Flop eared, flop eared mule.
Mule mule mule mule
Flop eared flop eared flop eared mule
Mule mule mule mule
Flop eared flop eared mule.
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