Autoharper's Index
Introducing the Whither Zither Autoharper's Index, with apologies to Harper's Magazine's The Harper's Index, which monthly "provides a statistical snapshot of the world's economic, political, and cultural climate." My index is much less ambitious. It is dedicated to a quote from Donald Barthelme: "Fragments are the only forms I trust." Following are a few somewhat folk-music related fragments for the bottom of your birdcage:
1. Year Neanderthal flute was found to have been made:
2. Year Ling Lun of China invented what some call the first accordion:
3. Year the first English round, Sumer Is Icumen In, was written:
4. Year the Arabs brought kettledrums and trumpets to Europe:
5. National sales ranking of Goodnight, Irene in 1950:
6. Number of weeks its author, Huddie Leadbetter, had been dead when this occurred:
7. Number of tracks Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded between 1925 and 1929:
8. Phone number to dial in Vienna to hear the European A note of 435 vibrations per second (Hz):
9. Number of vibrations per second (Hz) of the A note in most of the US:
10. What Stephen Foster received for selling a bunch of songs, including Oh Susannah, to a publisher in 1848:
11. How much the publisher made:
12. Year F. Barraud painted his dog, Nipper, listening to a phonograph:
13. Number of songs Steve Allen wrote in one day in the lobby of a Kalamazoo hotel in plain view of 200 witnesses:
14. Number of songs Woody Guthrie composed in thirty days for the US Dept. of the Interior when commissioned to write about the Bonneville Dam:
15. Google hits for the word "accordian" ending with "-ian":
16. Google hits for the word "accordion" ending with "-ion":
17. Year a Palo Alto Pete Seeger concert inspired Joan Baez and Dave Guard to turn to careers in folk music:
18. Year Elvis entered the army:
19. Year Kinston Trio had a hit with Tom Dooley:
20. Number of buttons on the bass side of an average piano-accordion:
21. Number of buttons, knobs, and sliders on the average PA mixer:
22. Percentage of Lutherans who say music is their favorite part of worship:
23. Percentage of Lutherans who say fellowship is their favorite part of worship:
24. Year the TV show "Hootenanny" was introduced on ABC:
25. Year it was canceled by ABC:
26. Number of words in Oh Susannah by Stephen Foster:
27. Number of words in Desolation Row by Bob Dylan:
28. Year CF Martin (of Martin guitar fame) set up shop in New York City:
29. Year CF Martin & Co built guitar #500,000:
30. Year CF Martin & Co built guitar #1,000,000:
31. Number of years Madison's Judy Rose has been host of Wisconsin Public Radio's Simply Folk:
32. Number of years Madison's Chris Powers has been host of WORT Radio's Mud Acres Bluegrass Special: