The schottische can be traced back to 1830s Germany where it eventually developed into the polka. The Germans called it “schottische” (German for “Scottish”) perhaps because some of the steps resembled the Scotch reel. The music of the schottische consists of strong dotted rhythms and a slow march tempo. A number of variations to the schottische developed during the 1870s but by the end of the 1880s the dance had been forgotten. During the 1880s, the schottische notation was used to represent the syncopations of black dance music. The dance was revived in the early twentieth century as a rustic dance and was referred to as a “barn dance.”

Tunes From Home is from The Old-Time Fiddler’s Repertory, a two-volume set of fiddle tunes from Missouri collected and transcribed by R. P. Christeson, the dean of traditional Missouri fiddling. A fine fiddler himself, Christeson began traveling throughout Missouri in the late 1940s with a wire recorder, collecting field recordings of fiddle tunes. The two highly-praised volumes, along with an accompanying LP, were published by the University of Missouri Press.

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