Ashokan Farewell

I finally broke down and downloaded three different versions of Ashokan Farewell from the iTunes Music Store this morning, and I can't stop listening to them. I really recommend both of the Jay Ungar versions of the tune (he originally wrote it), but the Mark O'Connor version is great too. Of the two Jay Ungar versions, I prefer the version on Songs of the Civil War, the soundtrack to the 11-hour miniseries from the 80s of which this was the main theme.

Ashokan Farewell has been coming up over and over again in my life this past year, mostly at Bluegrass jams. It's a beautiful, haunting fiddle air that everyone seems to love -- including me. It's next on my list of fiddle songs to learn, after I master Uncle Pen.