Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle for TWO violins (2022)

Uncle Hokum’ s Fiddle is a fun, virtuosic solo violin “fiddle” piece with a Blue Grass flavor – think Wieniawski meets Orange Blossom Special! – originally commissioned for the 2013 Irving M. Klein International String Competition and performed by all the semifinalists (and some finalists). The title comes from two main sources. The first is the word “hokum,” which basically means nonsense, bunk, or something silly. It was also used in theater to describe some sort of stage gimmickry designed to elicit a response from a jaded audience. Perhaps a crowd pleaser? The second source is a type of bowing typical of virtuosic country fiddling pieces: hokum bowing (also referred to as the “double shuffle”). Check out Orange Blossom Special as an example of this “trick bowing.” I wanted to graft the traditions of 19th Century virtuosic violin writing with country or bluegrass fiddling. In 2022 Karen Bentley Pollick asked for a 2 violin version for her Virtuosos De Camara’s Fiddlefest  (Karen Bentley Pollick and Philip Brezina, violins) which will be rescheduled in 2023. Video will be posted on Virtuosos De Camara’s YouTube page. Audio is HERE.

The score is available through Grey Bird Music. To see a perusal score click here.

Both the revised solo (V. 2.0) & duo (with parts) versions are now bundled together as one 10×13″ PDF download for purchase for a total of $8.00 USD. Please contact me directly due to the recent changes in PayPal’s coding that have disabled the creation of new payment buttons. Payment can be accepted via Venmo until this site is updated.