COLONIAL FAIR

Using history as a guide, Shostak and friends present a well-researched and playful glimpse into life at the colonial fair. Musicians, dancers, fortune-tellers, merchants, and travelers come to life through the songs, stories, and riddles that were popular in seventeenth and eighteenth-century America. Delightfully eccentric fictional characters and colorful vignettes create a context for songs as familiar as "Simple Simon" or "Yankee Doodle" and as unusual as "The Swapping Song" or "The Fiddle Contest." Effective sound effects, appropriate vernacular, and period instruments--from the fiddle, drum, and harpsichord to the hurdy-gurdy and the harmonica--add authenticity and charm to the renditions. Each selection is accompanied by a short explanation of its origin. R.M. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 01]