“Bonaparte’s Retreat” is a traditional fiddle tune of long standing, its title a reference to Napoleon’s disastrous 1812 retreat from Russia. Its roots are generally thought to lie in Irish or British music, and scholars have linked it to older marches; like many old-time tunes, it traveled and changed as it passed from player to player.
The tune is often modal and is frequently played in a slow, lonesome manner rather than as a fast breakdown. It holds a notable place in American music history: a Kentucky fiddler’s version of the tune was the basis for the “Hoedown” section of Aaron Copland’s ballet “Rodeo.”
This recording features the fiddler Chubby Wise, a foundational bluegrass fiddler known for his early work with Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. It appears on his album “An American Original.”
