ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nora Brown - Musician
Nora Brown sings ballads and plays traditional old-time music with a heavy interest in eastern Kentucky banjo playing.

Why you should listen

Nora Brown started learning ukulele at age six from the late Shlomo Pestcoe. With a focus on old-time music, he laid a foundation of love of music and the community it creates, and he instilled in her the lesson that music is meant to be shared. Now 13 years old, Brown plays banjo and accordion. She plays and sings with many of her old-time mentors including fiddler Stephanie Coleman, under the band name Little Leatherwood, and harmonica player Trip Henderson, under the band name Tin+Bone.

Nora is mentored by many of her favorite old-time musicians including Alice Gerrard, John Cohen, Anna Roberts-Gevalt, Sammy Lind, Mark Simos, KC Groves, Courtney Hartman, Mac Traynham, John Haywood and Brett Ratliff. In the last two years, she's won the blue ribbon in the youth banjo competition at the Clifftop Appalachian String Band Music Festival in West Virginia. In 2018 she also placed third in the adult banjo competition at Clifftop. In 2017 she landed second place in the banjo competition (all ages) at the Oldtone Roots Music Festival in Hillsdale, New York. More recently, Brown traveled to eastern Kentucky to visit with 90-year-old master banjo player and former coal miner Lee Sexton and master banjo player and historian George Gibson.

Brown has played on the Floyd Radio Show in Floyd, Virginia, the Washington Square Park Folk Festival, Brooklyn Folk Festival, Brooklyn Americana Festival, Oldtone Roots Music Festival, both Summer and Winter Hoots at the Ashokan Center and NYC Trad Fest. She has had multiple month-long residencies at famed Barbès in Brooklyn, New York.

The Tribeca Film Festival funded a short documentary by Josh Weinstein about Nora called "Little Nora (the Banjo Prodigy)."

More profile about the speaker
Nora Brown | Speaker | TED.com
TED Salon: Education Everywhere

Nora Brown: "East Virginia" / "John Brown's Dream"

Filmed:
255,994 views

Su un palco ipnotizzante, la musicista Nora Brown rievoca due classici del banjo, "East Virginia" e "John Brown's Dream", in una performance evocativa accoppiata a una breve narrazione della storia del banjo.
- Musician
Nora Brown sings ballads and plays traditional old-time music with a heavy interest in eastern Kentucky banjo playing. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
(MusicMusica: "EastEast VirginiaVirginia")
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(Musica: "East Virginia")
00:15
(BanjoBanjo)
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(Banjo)
00:52
(SingingCanto) I'm from
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(Cantando) Vengo
00:56
oldvecchio EastEast VirginiaVirginia.
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dalla vecchia Virginia dell'Est.
01:04
NorthNord CarolinaCarolina
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Carolina del Nord.
01:08
I did go.
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ci sono andato.
01:11
I metincontrato
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Ho incontrato
01:13
a fairgiusto, younggiovane maidennubile.
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una fanciulla giovane e bella.
01:21
Her namenome I did not know.
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Non conoscevo il suo nome.
01:26
(BanjoBanjo)
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(Banjo)
02:05
Don't that roadstrada
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Non sembra quella strada
02:08
look roughruvido and rockyroccioso?
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ruvida e rocciosa?
02:16
Don't that seamare look widelargo and deepin profondità?
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Non sembra quel mare vasto e profondo?
02:21
Don't my darlin'Darlin'
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Non sembra
02:25
look
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il mio tesoro
02:29
the sweetestpiù dolce ...
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il più dolce...
02:33
When she's in my armsbraccia asleepaddormentato?
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Quando è addormentata fra le mie braccia?
02:36
(BanjoBanjo)
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(Banjo)
03:05
Her haircapelli
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I suoi capelli
erano ricci e castano scuro.
03:08
was a dark-brownmarrone scuro curlyRicci.
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03:16
Her cheeksguance were chestnutCastagna redrosso.
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Le sue guance erano rosso castagna.
03:22
On her breastSeno
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Sul suo petto
03:24
she woreindossava a whitebianca lillyLilly.
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portava un giglio bianco.
03:32
ThroughAttraverso the night, the tearslacrime she shedcapannone.
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Nella notte, versava lacrime.
03:35
(BanjoBanjo)
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(Banjo)
04:06
CaptainCapitano,
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Capitano,
Capitano, sto morendo.
04:10
CaptainCapitano, I am dyin'morire.
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04:17
Won'tNon you take these wordsparole for me?
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Porteresti queste parole da parte mia?
04:24
Take them back
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Portale indietro
04:26
to oldvecchio EastEast VirginiaVirginia.
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alla vecchia Virginia dell'est.
04:33
Tell my darlin'Darlin' she is freegratuito.
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Di' al mio tesoro che è libera.
04:38
(BanjoBanjo)
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(Banjo)
04:41
(MusicMusica endsestremità)
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(La musica finisce)
04:44
(ApplauseApplausi and cheersCheers)
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(Applausi)
04:52
That was a songcanzone calledchiamato "EastEast VirginiaVirginia"
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Questa era una canzone intitolata
"East Virginia",
04:54
I learnedimparato from a man nameddi nome CliftonClifton HicksHicks
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l'ho imparata da un certo Clifton Hicks
04:56
who livesvite down in GeorgiaGeorgia.
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che vive in Georgia.
04:59
The nextIl prossimo songcanzone ...
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La prossima canzone ...
05:02
I have for you
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che ho per voi
05:05
is calledchiamato "JohnJohn Brown'sDi Brown DreamSogno."
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si intitola "John Brown's Dream".
È una vecchia melodia da ballo.
05:07
It's an oldvecchio dancedanza tuneTune.
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2017
05:09
And you maypuò noticeAvviso that the banjobangio
that I'm holdingdetenzione lookssembra a little differentdiverso
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Il banjo che ho in mano è un po' diverso
05:13
than banjosbanjo you mightpotrebbe be used to seeingvedendo
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rispetto a quelli
che siete abituati a vedere
05:15
or the one I just playedgiocato, for exampleesempio.
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o a quello con cui ho appena suonato.
05:18
And this banjobangio
is sortordinare of an earlierprima modelmodello.
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Questo banjo
è un modello più vecchio.
05:24
BanjosBanjo kindgenere of evolvedevoluto like a humanumano has.
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I banjo si sono evoluti
un po' come gli esseri umani.
05:27
And I like to say that the soundsuono
that comesviene out of this banjobangio
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Mi piace dire che il suono
che esce da questo banjo
05:31
is a soundsuono that was
just a little closerpiù vicino to the sourcefonte,
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si avvicina un po' di più alla sua fonte,
05:36
whichquale is AfricaAfrica,
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che è l'Africa,
05:37
and some people forgetdimenticare that,
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alcuni se lo dimenticano
05:39
so, yeah ...
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quindi, sì ...
05:40
(BanjoBanjo tuningmessa a punto)
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(Nora accorda il banjo)
05:51
(MusicMusica: "JohnJohn Brown'sDi Brown DreamSogno")
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(Musica: "John Brown's Dream")
(Banjo)
05:54
(BanjoBanjo)
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06:54
(BanjoBanjo continuescontinua)
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(Banjo)
07:43
(SingingCanto) JohnJohn Brown'sDi Brown dreamsognare,
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(Cantando) Il sogno di John Brown,
07:45
JohnJohn Brown'sDi Brown dreamsognare the devildiavolo was deadmorto.
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era che il diavolo fosse morto.
07:47
I'm gonna get that, get that, get that,
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Prenderò, prenderò, prenderò,
07:49
I'm gonna get that prettybella little girlragazza.
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prenderò quella bella bambina.
07:51
(BanjoBanjo)
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(Banjo)
08:38
JohnJohn Brown'sDi Brown dreamsognare,
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Il sogno di John Brown,
08:40
JohnJohn Brown'sDi Brown dreamsognare the devildiavolo was deadmorto.
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era che il diavolo fosse morto.
08:42
(BanjoBanjo)
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(Banjo)
08:46
Come on, LizaLiza, LizaLiza, LizaLiza.
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Dai, Liza, Liza, Liza.
08:48
Come on, LizaLiza we'llbene be pickin'Pickin ' it again.
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Dai, Liza, ce lo riprenderemo.
08:50
I'm gonna get that, get that, get that,
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Prenderò, prenderò, prenderò,
08:52
I'm gonna get that prettybella little girlragazza.
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prenderò quella bella bambina.
08:53
(BanjoBanjo)
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(Banjo)
09:00
(MusicMusica endsestremità)
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(La musica finisce)
09:02
(ApplauseApplausi and cheersCheers)
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(Applausi)
09:08
Thank you very much.
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Grazie mille.
Translated by Serena Poggi
Reviewed by Anna Cristiana Minoli

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nora Brown - Musician
Nora Brown sings ballads and plays traditional old-time music with a heavy interest in eastern Kentucky banjo playing.

Why you should listen

Nora Brown started learning ukulele at age six from the late Shlomo Pestcoe. With a focus on old-time music, he laid a foundation of love of music and the community it creates, and he instilled in her the lesson that music is meant to be shared. Now 13 years old, Brown plays banjo and accordion. She plays and sings with many of her old-time mentors including fiddler Stephanie Coleman, under the band name Little Leatherwood, and harmonica player Trip Henderson, under the band name Tin+Bone.

Nora is mentored by many of her favorite old-time musicians including Alice Gerrard, John Cohen, Anna Roberts-Gevalt, Sammy Lind, Mark Simos, KC Groves, Courtney Hartman, Mac Traynham, John Haywood and Brett Ratliff. In the last two years, she's won the blue ribbon in the youth banjo competition at the Clifftop Appalachian String Band Music Festival in West Virginia. In 2018 she also placed third in the adult banjo competition at Clifftop. In 2017 she landed second place in the banjo competition (all ages) at the Oldtone Roots Music Festival in Hillsdale, New York. More recently, Brown traveled to eastern Kentucky to visit with 90-year-old master banjo player and former coal miner Lee Sexton and master banjo player and historian George Gibson.

Brown has played on the Floyd Radio Show in Floyd, Virginia, the Washington Square Park Folk Festival, Brooklyn Folk Festival, Brooklyn Americana Festival, Oldtone Roots Music Festival, both Summer and Winter Hoots at the Ashokan Center and NYC Trad Fest. She has had multiple month-long residencies at famed Barbès in Brooklyn, New York.

The Tribeca Film Festival funded a short documentary by Josh Weinstein about Nora called "Little Nora (the Banjo Prodigy)."

More profile about the speaker
Nora Brown | Speaker | TED.com