I’ve got a lovely waltz for you today. Chatter and Chitter, aka The Pressley Girls, learned Midnight On The Water during last summer’s Dance Musicians Week at the John C. Campbell Folk School. It’s a song we’re familiar with. It’s often played for the traditional ending waltz of a contra dance.
I googled around trying to discover who wrote the song. I assumed it was a traditional fiddle tune, meaning it’s too old to know who wrote it. And maybe that’s the case, however there is much information to wade through and I decided I’d really rather just sit here and listen to the waltz.
If you’d like to discover the intricacies surrounding the history of Midnight On The Water go a quick google. But before you go listen to The Pressley Girls and if you have someone handy or even if you don’t feel free to waltz about the room.
I hope you enjoyed the waltz. I’m not sure I could ever get tired of hearing it.
Tipper
Lovely rendition. Thanks for sharing this.
A beautiful waltz. I love it!
Thank you. girls. How lovely. What a blessing you are.
Back to add a second comment, because this song played in my head all day yesterday 🙂
Just amazing talent and a beautiful rendition!
I saw this on youtube and put a link to it in my own website. I think it is a beautiful song played on a beautiful sounding violin by a beautiful young lady accompanied by an equally beautiful guitarist.
A mesmerizing tune – those girls are right in there! The other comments say it better than I can.
This is truly a beautiful waltz, no wonder you like it so much! The girls did a wonderful rendition. Their playing is continuing to improve, better and better. Or “gooder and gooder” as my grammarless grandson would say! I say one day soon they are going to be “finer than frog hair and gooder’n snuff!” and that’s purty good!
I would love to learn to play it on the dulcimer as well, after reading Ken Ryan’s post. I am afraid my dulcimer playing is not good!
The waltz that constantly lingers in my mind of course, is the Tennessee waltz. I also like the New Tennessee Waltz that Paul played.
Another waltz that I am not so fond of is “Blue Waltz”! Did you ever hear of getting sick on a waltz? I did, very sick and nauseous until my Mother washed my pillowcase and sheets the next day. In the late forties I spilled a half bottle of Blue Waltz perfume I got as a Christmas gift. The longer the night went on the stinkier it got. I finally had to get up and go in the living room to the couch to sleep. “Blue Waltz” perfume was all the rage back then, but it wasn’t meant to wear half a bottle on your night clothes, pillowcase and sheet…Ewwww!
Thanks Tipper,
PS…I was so sick I couldn’t even wear a dab of the perfume for weeks….LOL
PSS…In our gym classes we had maybe three weeks of dance, learning about the rumba, samba, two-step, waltz, etc. My favorite was the waltz. Once in a while someone could talk the teacher into playing the “twist” at the end of the class, which of course everyone knew! LOL
Beautiful! You girls did a wonderful job on such a lovely tune!
Pam
scrap-n-sewgranny.blogspot.com
Beautiful! I’ve been missing from the blogging world for quite some time and it’s been way to long since I’ve heard Chitter and Chatter play. Not only do they play beautifully but they’ve become such beautiful young women as well!
My Goodness! How professional have we become? Beautifully done, and the first time I’ve ever heard that tune. Thanks, girls!
You can tell Chatter that she got danced with – I found myself weaving back and forth with her as I listened. From what I’ve noticed in the past, Chitter’s the one most likely to be moving with the music, but I reckon Chatter’s heart beats to 3/4 time.
Excellent job! We play the tune with the dulcimers, but we play it a bit slower. I have always loved that waltz. I’m glad they learned it.
Oh that minor run, like water sliding over stones in an autumn stream. Winter coming. But beautiful.
I can picture the long formal dresses and the men in their finery as couples progress around the hall. So beautifully performed. Thanks Chitter and Chatter! Great for a quiet Sunday morning!
Midnight on the Water was composed by
Lewis Thomasson, father of the great Texas fiddler, Benny Thomasson who, as far as I know, was the first to record it.
Benny played it with the fiddle tuned DDAD, an old time tuning often called Bonaparte’s Retreat Tuning since it is most often used for that well known tune.
The Pressley Girls did a wonderful job on “Midnight on the Water.” I loved the way they “got into” the feeling of the waltz! Thank you, girls, for bringing back to life this old, beloved waltz!
Listening now, it is hauntingly beautiful