The Maine Musical Compendium

By Paul Wells

This is a book of the Maine fiddler's repertoire from the 1820s, as it would've been at the beginning of Maine statehood.

The Maine Musical Compendium sources tunes from The Melodist (1823 - Augusta, Maine), a manuscript from Daniel Ham (1826 - Hallowell, Maine), and The Instrumental Director, (1820 - Hallowell, Maine). These two sources provide a unique insight into a homegrown fiddle tradition before subsequent waves of immigration from Ireland and Quebec, and before the rise of blackface minstrelsy.

This collection contains 104 tunes, selected by the author, which are of interest and importance in the New England fiddle repertoire.