The Civil War: Original Soundtrack Recording (Nonesuch 79256-2, 1990) assembles music performed for Ken Burns's nine-episode PBS documentary series about the American Civil War. Fiddler Jay Ungar is the album's central voice; his composition "Ashokan Farewell" — a haunting minor waltz — became the series' principal theme and has since been taken up by orchestras and folk ensembles worldwide. Molly Mason plays guitar; Russ Barenberg contributes guitar; Evan Stover and Matt Glaser each play fiddle on various tracks. The album moves from period songs, spirituals, and campaign marches to Ungar's original composition, which Burns's producers discovered on an existing recording and licensed for the series. The sustained broadcast presence of "Ashokan Farewell" gave a living musician's piece the cultural weight of a nineteenth-century artifact in the American public imagination.
Tracklist
- 1 Drums of War 0:10
- 2 Oliver Wendell Holmes 0:32
- 3 Ashokan Farewell Source Recording 4:05
- 4 Battle Cry of Freedom 1:40
- 5 We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder 4:26
- 6 Dixie / Bonnie Blue Flag 1:56
- 7 Cheer Boys Cheer 1:11
- 8 Angel Band alt version 2:15
- 9 Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier 1:42
- 10 Lorena alt version 4:07
- 11 Parade 3:30
- 12 Hail Columbia 2:16
- 13 Dixie 2:04
- 14 Kingdom Coming 1:00
- 15 Jaqueline Schwab, Matt Glaser 1:38
- 16 All Quiet on the Potomac 1:11
- 17 Flag of Columbia 1:02
- 18 Weeping Sad and Lonely 1:09
- 19 Yankee Doodle 0:41
- 20 Palmyra Schottische 3:11
- 21 When Johnny Comes Marching Home 0:44
- 22 Shenandoah alt version 4:06
- 23 When Johnny Comes Marching Home 0:58
- 24 Marching Through Georgia 0:57
- 25 Marching Through Georgia (Lament) 1:13
- 26 Battle Cry of Freedom II 2:31
- 27 Battle Hymn of the Republic alt version 2:46
- 28 Ashokan Farewell / Sullivan Ballou Letter 3:34