4/27/2023 0 Comments Natalie macmaster sheet musicA 1971 CTV documentary by Ron MacInnis, “The Vanishing Cape Breton Fiddler” highlighted the potential loss of this valuable piece of musical culture, and the community was galvanised to do something about it. Even in an isolated and close-knit community like Cape Breton traditional music was not safe from the corrosive effect of commercial entertainment, and by the 1960’s fiddling was seen to be in decline. The pump organ was then introduced, followed by the piano from around 1930 with a driving and syncopated style this has now become a strong and important part of the musical tradition. Before 1900 there was usually no accompaniment. The typical set will consist of an air, a march, a strathspey and several reels. For sets in the key of A, the tuning ADAE is often used, allowing for a bagpipe- like drone. “Sets” or groups of tunes are also usually improvised on the spot, often all in the same key, unlike in many other traditions when the same sets are widely and repeatedly played. Where fiddlers gather together, they tend to take it in turns to play rather than, as in the typical Irish “session” all playing in unison. Unlike in the US, contest fiddling never really took hold, partly because individuality of style and performance has always been valued in Cape Breton, rather than striving for a single ideal. The chief environment for fiddling in Cape Breton was and remains the house dance- an informal gathering for music, dancing and partying. Alasdair Fraser, in the notes on his 1998 “Driven Bow” album, contends that “Fortunately the fiddle and dance traditions of Cape Breton…provide us with a window which sheds light on the way 18th and 19thC dance fiddlers such as Niel Gow used to play in the Highlands of Scotland…let’s hope that some of the great fiddle and dance tradition that has been absent from Scotland for so many years can be restored” Unlike in Scotland, fiddling has also maintained its roots in step-dancing as well as square-dancing, and generally the style can be seen as a “living fossil”- a unique preservation of true Scottish fiddling. This was before the era of Scott Skinner changed Scottish fiddling for ever in the late 19thC, adding a strong and to some people unwelcome dose of classical technique, generally cleaning up and gentrifying what was previously a much more gutsy and raw style of fiddling. It was established between 18 with the arrival of around 25,000 Gaelic-speaking Scots- refugees from the infamous Highland Clearances. These were the first parts to be settled, in the early 1600’s, and since they have remained relatively poor, rural and isolated, they have had every opportunity to develop mature and distinctive fiddle styles.Ĭape Breton, the North Eastern part of Nova Scotia, is widely seen as the heart of Scottish fiddling in Canada, and has a particularly important place in that tradition. They may a tiny area perched on the eastern edge of Canada, but the Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are the heart and wellspring of Canadian fiddling. Across Canada these traditions have been mixed in different ways, and spiced up with contributions from native and mixed (metis) peoples, English, Ukrainians and Americans, to give an incredibly rich and diverse tapestry of fiddling. So here we go!Ĭanadian fiddling has many branches, but three main roots Scotland, Ireland and France. Rarely has an album so surprised, delighted and inspired me as that one! I’ve also had, over the years, a steady stream of emails from Canadian fiddlers demanding, in the politest possible terms, to know why their great nation was not represented in my ramshackle website alongside all the US, Celtic and east European fiddle traditions. Since I’d admitted I didn’t know many Canadian fiddle tunes they sent me a few cd’s, including something by a band from Quebec called La Bottine Souriante. I was asked a while back by the Canadian Embassy in London to provide some solo fiddle for a function there. I’ve been researching into different fiddle styles for many years now, and this website has been up for a decade or more, but I have to admit that Canadian Fiddle has always been low down on my list of priorities.
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