The folk music found in Hoe-Down

Hoe-Down comes from a larger symphonic work called "Rodeo."  The work consists of five sections: "Buckaroo Holiday", "Ranch House Party", "Corral Nocturne", "Saturday Night Waltz", and "Hoe-Down".  The well-known main theme of Hoe-Down is based on a unique version of the American folk song "Bonaparte's Retreat," played by Kentucky fiddler William Hamilton Stepp.

This is the actual recording of Bill Stepp performing this piece, as recorded by Alan Lomax in 1937 for the Library of Congress:



The secondary theme of Hoe-Down quotes "Old Miss McLeod’s Reel," a popular folk tune in the 19th century British Isles and North America.

For further reading on Alan Lomax and his contributions to American folk music history, read "In the Footsteps of Alan Lomax: The Artists Behind the Music" from the Wall Street Journal.