Old Rosin the Beau Old Rosin the Beau "Old Rosin the Beau" (or "Rosin the Bow") is an American folk song popular in the 19th century, probably of British or Irish origin, first published in Philadelphia during 1838. An earlier version, "Rosin the Bow" (not "Beau") refers to rosin with the bow of a violin, but both cover the same general subject ("see below:" Full lyrics). There are many variations of the song(s), and the tune has been re-used in other songs for political campaign jingles, slave songs, comedy songs, or other folk songs. Early versions of "Old Rosin the Beau" relate the story
Rosin simply melted, poured into a hollow thin-skinned object, and left to harden. Prolonged exposure to rosin fumes released during soldering can cause occupational asthma (formerly called "colophony disease" in this context) in sensitive individuals, although it is not known which component of the fumes causes the problem. The type of rosin used with bowed string instruments is determined by the diameter of the strings. Generally this means that the larger the instrument is, the softer the rosin should be. For instance, double bass rosin is generally soft enough to be pliable with slow movements. A cake of bass rosin left