Angeline the Baker

Confession time. I recently purchased a new, old instrument - but it's not a violin. There I said it...no more guilt. lol. It's a SS Stewart mandolin banjo and it is so sweet! I purchased it from Bernunzio Uptown Music in Rochester, New York (an awesome place to find both new and vintage stringed instruments) and had Steve Ryan, a highly skilled banjo luthier from Middlesex, New York set it up for me.

At first glance,this little mando reminds me of a banjo uke as the pot is a petite 7-1/2" rather than the traditional large 10-12" rims you typically see on mandolin banjos. It has an old-timey sound that is a blend of both a ringing mandolin tone and the plunky sound of a banjo - truly unique. The really cool thing, however, is that since mandolins have the same fingering as violins it's not at all difficult to learn to play and it's LOTS of fun too. (Don't worry, though, I still love my fiddle so Fiddler's Folly isn't in any jeopardy!)

Anyway, this past week I was noodling around on the Stewart (when I should have been practicing the fiddle - yeah, I know...) working out a version of Angeline the Baker that I had stuck in my head. As it's such a great tune (easy and very melodic) and as long as I was learning it for the mandolin banjo, I decided why not notate it, work out the bowings for the fiddle and and post it here for you.

I looked around on the Internet and pulled some of the most popular lyrics as well. Hope you like this version. Enjoy!