---
name: "Jay Ungar"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jay-ungar"
fi1m_id: "jay-ungar"
imdb_id: "nm0881090"
tmdb_id: 1096253
wikidata_id: "Q6167280"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "14 November 1946"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-10-07T11:33:29.657803+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jay Ungar

## Identity

Jay Ungar

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/jay-ungar
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** jay-ungar
- **IMDb ID:** nm0881090
- **TMDB ID:** 1096253
- **Wikidata ID:** Q6167280
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Ungar, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6167280, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0881090/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1096253

Composer. Born 14 November 1946 in The Bronx.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 14 November 1946, The Bronx
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Ungar, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6167280, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0881090/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1096253

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Civil War*](https://film.one/tv/the-civil-war.md) (87)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Jay Ungar is an American folk musician and composer. Born in the Bronx, New York City, on 14 November 1946, he began playing the violin at the age of seven and later studied at the High School of Music and Art.

He is best known for composing the fiddle tune 'Ashokan Farewell' in 1982. It was used as the main theme in Ken Burns' documentary series *The Civil War* (1990), for which Ungar and Molly Mason also supplied additional music and performances. The piece features on the series' soundtrack album.

Ungar has contributed to other Ken Burns documentaries, including *Baseball* (1994) and *The National Parks: America's Best Idea* (2009). He performs and records with Mason, whom he married in 1991, and with family bands.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, latimes.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Civil War* (1990), Fi1m 87, Original Music Composer, Music — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-civil-war.md)

## Complete filmography (4)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *MOUNTAIN RIVER - The Esopus Creek: Headwaters to the Hudson* (2020), as Music
- *Rabbit Ears - Rip Van Winkle* (1991), Music
- *Rabbit Ears - Davy Crockett* (1991), Music
- *The Civil War* (1990), series, Original Music Composer — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-civil-war.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jay-ungar