'Far Away' orgin?

Subject: 'Far Away' orgin?
From: GUEST,Nancy
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 10:12 PM

I found a great tune called "Far away" by Pete Jung. A friend of mine said he bought his fiddle from Pete Jung, I assumed he was American. Then I found the tune on an Irish Guitar site. Is this tune an old Irish traditional tune, or a more contemporary tune? Hmmmm....

Nancy

Subject: RE: 'Far Away' orgin?
From: BeauDangles
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 03:23 PM

Hey Nancy,

Yeah that's a really beautiful waltz. My understanding is that it is a contemporary (read, "composed") piece. But it really has a great feel to it doesn't it?

BeauD

Subject: RE: 'Far Away' orgin?
From: Lucius
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 07:21 PM

I read someplace that Peter Jung wrote it on his mandolin while riding in the back of a van. He was crossing New York in the early hours following a dawn dance in Brattleboro, VT. His alleged inspiration was a lovely dawn dancer, whose name he did not know. Hence the title.

Lucius

Subject: RE: 'Far Away' orgin?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 09:16 PM

It certainly is a haunting tune. You can find several versions of it at the tune finder (click) - the "M" links are MIDI files (all of the versions are fairly similar, but some are truncated). This is one of the very few tunes that clumsy musician Joe Offer can play on both guitar and harmonica. It took a lot of practice, and I'm still not very good.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: 'Far Away' orgin?
From: GUEST,Marko
Date: 29 Mar 09 - 01:52 PM

My band has been playing this for several years.
Yes, it was written by Pete Jung.
No it is NOT an old traditional tune, the copyright is 1985.

Subject: RE: 'Far Away' orgin?
From: michaelr
Date: 29 Mar 09 - 06:35 PM

This tune has given rise to an oft-repeated musician joke.

Punter: Can you play Far Away?

Musician: Sure, here you go.

Punter: No, I mean far enough so I can't hear you...

Subject: RE: 'Far Away' orgin?
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 06:24 AM

Thanks for info on the origins of this tune. The mazurka is danced here in France, where the tune is used at bal folk. Weird how any new folk dance tune gets called 'Irish' even though the mazurka is not an Irish dance.
Other recommended great (new) mazurkas to be found online are 'le canal en Octobre' and 'The Plane Tree'.

Subject: RE: 'Far Away' orgin?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 01:39 PM

There are many compositions with the title "Far Away."
(The most played is by Hubbard.

"Far Away" by Peter Jung can be heard on youtube, where a 'fakesheet', sheet musuc excerpt with chords, is shown.
It is called an arrangement of an Irish vocal song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAz4_sZ6poY

Another youtube version, played with fiddles at a Moscow "Irish" Session, called a waltz.

Subject: RE: 'Far Away' orgin?
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 02:35 PM

Just in case there is any question, Lucius (15 Aug 00 - 07:21 PM) has it right, and his quote is roughly what is found in the notes for the tune in Bill Matthieson's "The Waltz Book" (I).

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: 'Far Away' orgin?
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Apr 15 - 08:33 AM

it's a slow waltz but not a mazurka !

Subject: RE: 'Far Away' orgin?
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 18 Apr 15 - 09:44 AM

Nice tune and there's a couple of good versions on the session.