Australia: Music from the New England Tablelands of New South Wales, 1850–1900 represents a reconstruction of traditional Australian New England music, known as “bush music,” from the second half of the 19th century. The material for the album was drawn from fieldwork gathered by researchers between 1983 and 1990, and only songs that could be traced back to 1850–1900 were included.

The music, all of English, Irish, Scottish, and other European origins, includes solo and ensemble performances ranging from hunting songs to dance songs to hymns. The songs were an important part of the social life of Australian New Englanders before the turn of the century; musicians, audience, and dancers participated together, and community was favored over virtuosity. The main instruments featured on the album and of that historical time period are fiddle, button accordion, mouth organ, and the Anglo system concertina.

FREE DOWNLOAD
Please enjoy a free download of the song “Bruce Smith’s Set Tune”

This album is part of the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music. More than 125 albums are being released by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings to make the series publicly available, including a dozen never-released albums of musical traditions from around the globe.

Track Listing