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The music of Ken Burns’ ‘Civil War’ coming to Kuss Auditorium

Jay Ungar and Molly Mason play Kuss Auditorium on Feb. 19.

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By Andrew McGinn, Staff Writer 4:36 PM Thursday, February 18, 2010

SPRINGFIELD — It’s the kind of tune that just seems to capture the anguish of a nation that lost 620,000 of its fathers, sons and brothers in four short years.

But “Ashokan Farewell” — the theme song to Ken Burns’ legendary documentary, “The Civil War” — wasn’t a period piece.

It was written by Jay Ungar in the MTV era, proving that the rustic sound of a fiddle can still explode in your heart like a lead shot at Antietam.

Ungar and his wife, guitarist Molly Mason, will march on Kuss Auditorium with a concert of acoustic music at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19.

They’ll be joined at one point in the show by 32 select string players from the Springfield Youth Orchestras for a rendition of “Ashokan Farewell.”

Married in 1991, Ungar and Mason performed the tune themselves for Burns’ 1990 documentary. Ungar picked up an Emmy nomination; the soundtrack won a Grammy for best traditional folk album.

Burns was such a fan of “Ashokan Farewell,” he’s actually used it twice — first in his 1985 documentary “Huey Long,” a portrait of the Louisiana politico.

The tune has gone on to become an American standard of sorts, recorded by the likes of James Galway, Jerry Garcia and even Jimmy Sturr, the dude who always wins the polka Grammy.

Ungar also played on the soundtrack to “Legends of the Fall” and his missus was a member of the house band in the early days of “A Prairie Home Companion.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0352 or amcginn@coxohio.com.

Jay Ungar and Molly Mason

When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19

Where: Kuss Auditorium

Tickets: $15 to $25; visit pac.clarkstate.edu or call (937) 328-3874. The Springfield YMCA will be offering child care for $10 beginning at 6 p.m.

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