Delbert's Tear: A Song History

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“Delbert’s Tear” comes from the music Jay Ungar and Molly Mason made for Brother’s Keeper, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s 1992 documentary about Delbert Ward and his brothers, elderly bachelors who worked a farm in Munnsville, New York.[1] Angel Records’ 1998 edition of the soundtrack album, titled Waltzing With You, names Ungar and Mason as the composers of this track.[2]

Watercolor of a rocky mountain stream flowing over boulders through dense green woods

William Rickarby Miller, Catskill Clove, watercolor, gouache, and graphite on light green wove paper, 1856. Shown for its subject; it has no connection to the song.

Credits differ: dulcimer arranger Melanie Johnston attributes the tune to Jay Ungar alone in 22 Selections From Jay Ungar & Molly Mason’s Book “Catskill Mountain Waltzes And Airs”, a set of mountain dulcimer tablature arrangements, mostly in DAD tuning, with an audio file for each tune.[3]

Our book that contains the song "Delbert's Tear"

Sources

  1. Video Librarian: "Brother's Keeper".
  2. Qobuz: "Waltzing With You (Music From The Film Brother's Keeper)".
  3. Melanie Johnston: "22 Selections From Jay Ungar & Molly Mason's Book Catskill Mountain Waltzes And Airs".
  4. Image: William Rickarby Miller, Catskill Clove, watercolor, gouache, and graphite on light green wove paper, 1856. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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