December 14, 2006 @ 12:46 pm | Filed under: Little House

Remember all those great songs Pa Ingalls played on his fiddle? Ever wished you could hear them? A very kind reader just sent me the link to Arkansas Traveler, a program airing on NPR which features songs and stories from Laura’s Little House books.

A Prairie Home Companion’s regular Riders in the Sky and other
Nashville artists provide musical performances, and actress Cherry
Jones reads selected stories from the books. Hosted by Noah Adams.

Songs Heard In This Show:

• "F.C.’s Jig" – Mark O’Connor’s Appalachia Waltz Trio
• "Darling Nelly Gray" – Thomas Hampson (baritone) and Armen Guzelimian (piano)
• "The Arkansas Traveler" (arr. David Guion) – Eugene Rowley (piano)
• "Money Musk" – Pa’s Fiddle Band
• "The Girl I Left Behind Me" – Pat Enright and Pa’s Fiddle Band   
• "Arkansas Traveler" – Pa’s Fiddle Band
• "The Irish Washerwoman" – Pa’s Fiddle Band
• "Old Dan Tucker" – Elizabeth Cook and Pa’s Fiddle Band
• "Amazing Grace" – Mark O’Connor
• "Summer" from Harvest Home Suite – Jay Ungar and Molly Mason
• "The Blue Juniata" – Riders In the Sky
• "The Gum Tree Canoe" – Buddy Greene and Pa’s Fiddle Band
• "Uncle Sam’s Farm" – Riders In the Sky
• "Cold Frosty Morning" – Butch Baldassari and David Schnaufer
• "The Devil’s Dream" – Butch Baldassari and David Schnaufer
• "Happy Land" – Peggy Duncan Singers and Pa’s Fiddle Band

I pecked out many of these tunes from  The Little House Songbook several years ago, after which "Bonny Doon" (a song not included in the radio program, alas) became one of my favorite sweeping-and-scrubbing songs. (Right up there with "Loch Lomond," which my poor children have heard me belt out so many times that they probably shudder at the mere phrase "take the high road.") But I never learned "Nelly Gray"—wasn’t that one of Laura’s favorites?— and I hope I can get my computer to cooperate and let me listen to the radio show. Right now it’s being obstreperous.

Thanks so much, Monica, for the heads-up on this!

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1. Mary G says:

   This is great, Lissa! And thanks Monica for letting Lissa know.

   We love, love, love the LH books around here (altho we’ve recently been steeped in Eloise — can you tell).

   BLESSINGS!

   Posted on December 14th, 2006 at 3:19 pm

2. Nicole says:

   Thanks for the link. I’ve wondered what the many songs sounded like.

   Posted on December 14th, 2006 at 10:28 pm

3. Amy says:

   Ooooo! Thank you Lissa! I just put it on for the girls. This will certainly turn this gray day around!

   Posted on December 15th, 2006 at 5:53 am

4. Jane says:

   Mommy, how COULD you? “(Right up there with “Loch Lomond,” which my poor children have heard me belt out so many times that they probably shudder at the mere phrase “take the high road.”)”, huh?
   THAT SONG is one of my FAVORITES!!
   P.S. Please excuse any odd puncuation.

   Posted on January 2nd, 2007 at 3:49 pm

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