Re: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Theory, etc. - history of positions

[Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

On Feb 23, 2007, at 8:29 PM, EGS1217@xxxxxxx wrote:

> Smojoe writes (snipped):
>
> "I took 34.5 million, tossed out the women, girls and very small boys
> and estimate 10.33 million males that could have had a harmonica.
> I divided this by 2,200 (10% of Hohner's production-a fair estimate)
> and that comes to 1 harmonica for every 4,697 males of harmonica
> bearing age."
>
> Hey!   thanks for "tossing out the women"! sheesh!   Who ever said  
> harmonica playing was strictly relegated to the male of the species?
> <VBG>

Oh golly, that was based on there being no women, girls or very small  
boys in the armies & navies (except nurses). Sooo, at almost 5,ooo  
men PER harmonica, it IS conceivable that in a large battle there  
'could' be a couple harp-l members engaged. (very big grin). Example:  
Battle: 2,ooo Confederates = 0.4 harp players, while 3,ooo Union =  
0.6 harp players. Conclusion? ONE Union solder (0.6) (who 'could'  
have actually been a southern sympathizer)(0.4) may have been present  
and playing A Stephen Foster classic (Way Down Upon The Suwanee  
River) around the campfire.
> No really, was it so back then?  I have no idea since the harmonica  
> never seemed to me to be a gender specific instrument, so am only  
> wondering if more women played it then than people today realize?

I believe a LOT more women played them that anyone realizes. I have  
seen a few pictures of very old Hohner posters and they show women  
and girls playing harmonicas while smiling and wearing their  
traditional Bavarian? (here we go again) costumes, while the men  
stand around in their Leider-Hosen looking stupid. I believe it was  
on a trip to Klagenfurt Austria in 1952?
In support of that, Europe (notably Austria, Holland, Italy) has  
produced numerous terrific women players. Admittedly, most have been  
on chromo.

>   Since I do know for sure there were several Black women mentioned  
> as players during the early days of the 20th Century....

Dunno, unlike some on this list, I am no expert by any stretch. What  
I DO remember is that as a hobo in 1961, I was working drifting the  
south and happened upon a woman player named Wilhelmina Mae Thornton.  
This girl could PLAY. And I'm so sure she wasn't the first.
> ...inquiring minds would be interested in the facts    :)

Can't help you there. I can only give my own speculations ascertained  
from a high degree of ascertainment. I'm not one to browse or Google  
anything. I'm on dial up, don't have the time, can't be bothered, and  
my genius comes straight from my brain. People oftentimes like to  
diplomatically correct me and this is fine as I sit here giggling, as  
I oftentimes write things just to start something new and get off the  
subjects involving things that no one cares about, and people who are  
long dead, and weren't that hot anyhoo. Oooops, I think the cat is  
out of the bag now.

smokey-joe
> Elizabeth
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