FTX-910 - MIDNIGHT ON THE WATER

MICHAEL PUNZAK - fiddle

Tunes & Tunings. Solo violin played with a particularly fine lyrical style, using special folk tunings developed by country fiddlers. Includes 10 Irish tunes from O'Neill's collection and 2 by the blind harpist, Carolan: SI BHEAG, SI MOR and his FAREWELL TO MUSIC. In addition, Michael also plays some outstanding American & Celtic fiddle tunes and folk-songs, and talks about the techniques he uses. This recording was made at Folktrax Studios, Portishead, Bristol, August 1982.

1. JORDAN JIG (New England style) talk bef & aft - 3'51"

2. Talk about re-tuining, lowering the G string down to D and the E to D - 1'07"

3. Talk about the origin of the next item - 0'16"

4. BUONAPARTE'S RETREAT (Texas style) - 2'49"

5. Further talk about tunings - 1'05"

6. MIDNIGHT ON THE WATER (from the Hartford Tunebook) - 1'58"

7. Talk about his training and discovery of traditional playing - 1'04"

8. THE ENCHANTED VALLEY/ THE PARSON BOASTS OF MILD ALE (O'Neill) - 2'59"

9. Talk about the next set of tunes - 0'33"

10. LAMENT FOR LIMERICK/ Slip Jig: THE GRINDER/ ANOTHER JIG WILL DO (or TIGHT BREECHES)/ FOR IRELAND I'LL NOT TELL HER NAME - 5'12"

11. Welsh Folksong: MAE'R DURTUR BER (Sweet Turtle Doves) talk bef - 1'44"

12. CHARLESTON TUNE - 0'56"

13. THE MEXICAN WALTZ - title given before - 2'50"

14. THE WILD ROSE OF THE MOUNTAIN - 2'18"

15. SILVER AND GOLD/ SOLDIER'S JOY (Hartford Tunebook) talk bef - 2'23"

16. THE LITTLE BENCH OF RUSHES/ LOGAN WATER (Airs from O'Neill) - 2'53"

17. Talk about tunings used for the next two tunes - 1'17"

18. SI BHEAG, SI MOR (Carolan)/ LIZA JANE (Theide) talk bef - 3'23"

19. LAMENT FOR OWEN ROE O'NEILL - 2'00"

20. Talk about the need for retuning followed by retuning - 1'17"

21. CAROLAN'S FAREWELL TO MUSIC - 2'47"

Recorded & edited by Peter Kennedy & first published on Folktrax cassettes 1982.

MICHAEL PUNZAK comes from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His first interest was classical music. He was in his Junior High School orchestra and the Pittsburgh Junior Symphony for several years. When he turned his attention to folk music, he went first for "the sound" rather than the notes which he saw written in the tune books. Then he started playing "Old-Timey" music and jazz, and later moved into slow laments and ballads.

Michael is also a storyteller and a puppeteer, and sings folksongs from many countries, accompanying himself on auto-harp and percussion, and encouraging audience participation.

He has 11 years of teaching experience with pre-school and elementary children and a teaching certificate awarded by the Kodaly Musical Training Institute. He is currently a member of St. Bartholomew's Fair (Young Audiences of Massachusetts), the Quadrivium, and has performed in several of the Spring and Christmas Revels in Boston. He has degrees from Haverford College and Harvard Divinity.