DOCSLIB.ORG

2006 Issue 2 the Participaper

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
2006 Issue 2 the Participaper TTHEHE PPARARTICIPTICIPAPERAPER AN INVERNESS COUNTY PERIODICAL John Dan (Smokey) MacNeil of Creignish Volunteer of the Year 2006 Vol 27, No 2 April/May 2006 The Participaper Page 1 FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK The Participaper INVERNESS COUNTY RECREATION, TOURISM, Editor, Graphic Design and Production Marie Aucoin CULTURE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICE PO Box 43, Cheticamp, NS, B0E 1H0 Phone: (902) 224-1759 VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION email: [email protected] This year the Municipality received (for subscription requests see below) over 30 nominations from organizations The Participaper is published five times a year by the Inverness County Department of Recreation and Tourism: throughout the County wishing to honour John Cotton, Director. Contributions of information and their hard working volunteers. Congratulations to all! articles, photos and artwork are welcome. We also welcome For more information on the volunteers who received your letters and comments. This publication is a service for the residents of Inverness County. Others may subscribe at awards at this year’s ceremony, see inside this issue. the following rates (postage included): $8.00/yr in Canada or $9:00/yr in the US. Send subscription request, with payment, to the attention of: JUNE IS RECREATION MONTH – Marie Cameron STAY ACTIVE AND HEALTHY YOUR WAY Recreation and Tourism Department PO Box 179, Municipal Building In Nova Scotia, June is proclaimed Recreation Month, Port Hood, NS, B0E 2W0 a celebration in which we recognize and celebrate the Email: [email protected] contributions recreation makes to the quality of life in Copyright 8 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be used or reproduced in any Nova Scotia. manner whatsoever without the written permission of the Publisher. Printed by: The Pictou Advocate Inverness County has boundless sources of recre- Vol 27, No 2 ational opportunities - from school gymnasiums, playgrounds, dance halls, hiking trails, and horseback riding, to ballfields, boardwalks and beaches, to beach- TABLE OF CONTENTS combing, sailing or fishing – it doesn’t matter what Director’s Desk ........................................... Page 2 recreation means to you, the important thing is to get Ancestors Unlimited ................................... Page 3 out, have fun and make the most of life! Be active and Travel in the Early Days .............................. Page 7 healthy, your way, every day! Volunteer biographies and photos .............. Pages 8 - 19 Centre For the Arts Exhibit Schedule ............. Page 19 Trans Canada Trail Update ........................ Page 20 SUMMER RECREATION PROGRAMS “Trail Mix” - Inverness County Trails ............ Page 21 INSTRUCTORS NEEDED! Show Off Students Exhibit .............................. Page 24 Inverness County Recreation/Tourism Department is Old Traditions Made New .............................. Page 25 currently planning summer recreation programs for Tips on Composting ................................. Page 27 Inverness County children/youth and adults. These ECRL ...................................................... Page 28 programs include recreational day camps for children; Seniors’ Games notice .................................... Page 29 morning and evening recreational classes for youth and Crib Championship results .............................. Page 29 Municipal notices ........................................... Page 30 adults; as well as sports clinics and workshops. If you Municipal Contact Information ................. Page 31 are interested in instructing any of these classes, be sure to check out page 30 of this issue for more information. The Participaper is in its twenty-seventh year of publication and is distributed free of charge, as a SENIORS’ GAMES service to residents of the Municipality of Inverness On Saturday June 3, the 2006 Seniors’ Games will County. Non-commercial advertising is accepted for take place at the Inverness Academy in Inverness. The publication at no charge. games are open to all county residents 50 years+. Lots of activities and time to socialize. Registration for the Seniors’ Games is being taken by DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT local Seniors’ clubs throughout Inverness County. See ISSUE OF THE PARTICIPAPER page 29 of this issue for more information on the 2006 Seniors’ Games. IS JUNE 2, 2006 Director’s Desk continues on page 31 Page 2 The Participaper ANCESTORS UNLIMITED HELPING TO FIND YOUR INVERNESS COUNTY ROOTS By Dr. Jim St. Clair For a quarter of a century, this column has been published through the support of the County of Inverness, the encouragement of the staff of the Department of Recreation and Tourism and the assistance of the Editors of The Participaper. May I express my appreciation to all of these people and to those readers who have answered queries, sent in questions and commented on items. Please continue to send contributions and responses and suggestions for future columns. I. LAST WILLS AND TESTAMENT 4. To his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Poigndestre, his REVEAL FAMILIES AND CULTURE. mother, and his brother Philip, all remaining A. In Will Book A in the Inverness County Probate proceeds of real and personal estate “when Records, number l8, the wishes of David Gruchy collected.” of Port Hood are recorded in the presence of The Last Will and Testament of David Gruchy witness: Archibald MacQueen, was probated in August of 1836, so he died between May of 1836, Mathew Hawley and Thomas “Everyone has ancestors and it Perry. The will is dated 28th day is only a question of going back when will was signed, and that of May in 1836. Gruchy was a far enough to find a good one.” date. native of the Channel Islands, a — Howard Kenneth Nixon Gruchy reveals in his will, in the member of a family long settled in amount of his bequests, that he had Guernsey, some of whom came to considerable assets. He also shows Massachusetts in the 1600s. that he was in touch with his Others came to Cape Breton in the late 1700s and relatives in Jersey, and, that he had a social early 1800s. Gruchy was apparently a fish buyer conscience in his gifts to “poor widows” (one of the and seller. very few wills of that time which recognized the He appointed James Bull, Archibald MacQueen needs of those people, in the days before a social and Edward Joseph Perry of Port Hood to be the safety net to take care of those living in poverty). executors of the following bequests: It is interesting to note that he believed he 1. To his wife, Margaret Gruchy, all of the wearing owned his wife’s clothes and could leave them to apparel which she has in her possession, a feather her. He appears to have had no children. bed, two pillows, a pair of sheets on the bed in the Four properties are recorded as having been sold back room, a pair of blankets, a counterpane and after his death by his executors. In contrast to thirty pounds of legal money of Nova Scotia, in many other wills of the time, he makes no mention lieu of her one-third dower rights. She was to pay of leaving his soul to God. Other information all of his debts. about him can be found in the MacKeen Papers at 2. Executors to sell all of his “real estate, premises the Beaton Institute at Cape Breton University. and tenements” and to “distribute the proceeds to B. Also recorded in Will Book A, are the wishes of the following:” a. to his sister-in-law of the Island John McIsaac of Low Point, Inverness County. Jersey, Elizabeth Poigndestre a widow, five- This will is dated 6 February 1838 and witnessed hundred pounds of legal money of Nova Scotia. by Archibald Cameron, Donald McDonald and b. to “my dear mother” twenty pounds. Angus McDonald. He appoints his sons John c. to his brother, Philip Gruchy, one hundred McIsaac and Alexander McIsaac to be his sole pounds. and, d. to “poor widows of Port Hood,” executors. The following are the items in his last ten pounds of legal money. will and testament: 3. Executors to buy and set up a tombstone over 1. He leaves his soul to God. his grave - twenty pounds. Continued next page...ANCESTORS The Participaper Page 3 Continued from previous page...ANCESTORS 2. He leaves his body to be buried in the earth write his from which it came. name. He 3. To his wife, Margaret, her “livelihood all the obviously days of her life”, out of the proceeds of his estate, had much and also, one third of the household furniture and trust in his one-half of the dwelling house. two sons, 4. To “well-beloved” son, John McIsaac, the north John and one-half of the farm at Low Point, and, one-half of Alexander, the stock and one-third of the household furniture. to provide 5. To “well-beloved son, Alexander, south one-half for their of the farm, the other one-half of the stock, and, mother and one-third of the household furniture. to divide 6. John and Alexander are to determine on whose the side of the property the dwelling house stands. property The son, on whose side of the property the and the dwelling house stands, will assist the other son to stock construct buildings which are as good as those now equitably. At the turn of the century, pictures on the farm. It was were enlarged from a tintype to make 7. To each of the other children one-shilling generally a "parlour picture" as seen above. sterling - and nothing else: believed that Pictured is the first ordained Presbyte- a. son, Donald McIsaac. b. son, Robert McIsaac. by leaving rian Minister to settle in Cape c. daughter, Margaret McIsaac. d. daughter, Mary the other Breton. Reverend William Millar, McIsaac. children one- the first Minister of the Mabou-Port John McIsaac Senior signed his will with an “x”, shilling, the Hood Presbyterian church, b. Scotland indicating that he was either illiterate or too ill to will could not be 1787. He came to Cape Breton in contested.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Daly Berman 1 Amanda Elaine Daly Berman Boston University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Department of Musicology And
    Daly Berman 1 Amanda Elaine Daly Berman Boston University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Department of Musicology and Ethnomusicology Repression to Reification: Remembering and Revitalizing the Cape Breton Musical Diaspora in the Celtic Commonwealth INTRODUCTION Cape Breton Island, the northeast island of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, has long had a strong connection with New England, and the Boston area in particular, due to its maritime location and relative geographic proximity. At its peak in the mid-20th century, the Boston Cape Breton community is estimated to have numbered close to 100,000 members. However, as Sean Smith writes in the June 3, 2010 issue of the Boston Irish Reporter, Greater Boston’s Cape Breton community is undergoing a transition, with the graying of the generation that played such a major role during the 1950s and 1960s in establishing this area as a legendary outpost for music and dance of the Canadian Maritimes. Subsequent generations of Cape Bretoners have simply not come down to the so-called “Boston states” on the same scale, according to the elders; what’s more, they add, the overall commitment to traditional music and dance hasn’t been as strong as in past generations.1 Further, he notes that it is “non-Cape Bretoners [e.g., members of other Maritime communities, non-Cape Breton Bostonians] who seem to make up more of the attendance at these monthly dances” held at the Canadian-American Club (also known as the Cape Breton Gaelic Club) in Watertown, Massachusetts. The club serves as a gathering site for area members of the Cape Breton and the greater Maritime diaspora, offering a monthly Cape Breton Gaelic Club Ceilidh and weekly Maritime open mic sessions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Tune-Making of John Macdougall
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by DigitalCommons@USU Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 5-2009 Music from the Dead: The Tune-Making of John MacDougall Robert Macdonald Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Macdonald, Robert, "Music from the Dead: The Tune-Making of John MacDougall" (2009). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 414. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/414 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MUSIC FROM THE DEAD: THE TUNE-MAKING OF JOHN MACDOUGALL by Robert Macdonald a report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in FOLKLORE Approved: Jeannie B. Thomas, PhD Lisa Gabbert, PhD Major Professor Committee Member Patricia Gantt, PhD Committee Member UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2009 1 Introduction In the last week of July 2007, I landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, headed for Cape Breton. It was my first trip to the little maritime island. The plane had bumped through rain and fog in its descent, and the dark, pine-covered landscape was completely invisible beneath. My economy rental car turned out to be an oversized SUV, and as I drove through the storm for the city center I became lost and disoriented on the dark Interstate.
    [Show full text]
  • John Campbell and the Cape Breton Fiddle Tradition
    studying culture in context John Campbell and the Cape Breton fiddle tradition George Ruckert Excerpted from: Driving the Bow Fiddle and Dance Studies from around the North Atlantic 2 Edited by Ian Russell and Mary Anne Alburger First published in 2008 by The Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen, MacRobert Building, King’s College, Aberdeen, AB24 5UA ISBN 0-9545682-5-7 About the author: George Ruckert, Senior Lecturer in Music at MIT, is a long time student of the great Indian sarod master, Ali Akbar Khan. In his career as a sarodist, he has played at concerts throughout the USA, India, Europe, and Canada. He has published five books on the music of North India. A fiddler as well, he is the author of The Music of John Campbell – A Cape Breton Legacy, due to be published by MelBay. Copyright © 2008 the Elphinstone Institute and the contributors While copyright in the volume as a whole is vested in the Elphinstone Institute, copyright in individual contributions remains with the contributors. The moral rights of the contributors to be identified as the authors of their work have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. 12 John Campbell and the Cape Breton fiddle tradition GEORGE RUCKERT e are at a Saturday night dance in the Mabou region of Cape Breton Island in WJuly, 2004. The fiddler, young Andrea Beaton, accompanied on piano by Mac Morin, plays a set of jigs for the noisy, sweaty, joyful dancers.
    [Show full text]
  • Experiencing Celtic Culture Through Music Practice on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
    TRANSNATIONAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH GLOBAL TOURISM: EXPERIENCING CELTIC CULTURE THROUGH MUSIC PRACTICE ON CAPE BRETON ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA Kathleen Elizabeth Lavengood Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology Indiana University (April, 2008) Accepted by the Graduate Faculty, Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Doctoral Committee ______________________________ Dr. Ruth Stone, Ph.D ______________________________ Dr. Richard Bauman, Ph.D ______________________________ Dr. Jeffrey Magee, Ph.D ______________________________ Dr. Daniel Reed, Ph.D Date of Oral Examination November 20, 2007 ii © 2008 Kathleen Elizabeth Lavengood ALL RIGHTS RESERVED iii Dedication This work is dedicated to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Whom through all things are possible (Phil 4:13). My deepest thanks to Dr. Ruth Stone, Dr. Richard Bauman, Dr. Daniel Reed, and Dr. Jeffrey Magee. Your love for discovering the ways human beings understand themselves, each other, and the world through musical performance is terribly infectious, and I will be forever grateful for the tools you have given me to communicate those ideas to the world. I am forever indebted to Mairi Thom, Adam Chiasson, David Papazian, Sarah Beck, Paul Cranford, Winnie Chafe, and Doug MacPhee, for opening your hearts and homes to me in Cape Breton. You have changed my path in life, for now I will always be seeking ways to make a place for you as musicians and artists here in the states. To Sheldon MacInnes, Hector MacNeil, Paul MacDonald, and Janine Randal, I thank you for your help in research at the Beaton Institute, the University College of Cape Breton, the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts, and the Ceilidh Trail School of Celtic Music.
    [Show full text]
  • Celtic Celebration: Natalie Macmaster & Leahy
    2007-2008 Student Matinee Concerts The National Arts Centre Orchestra presents CCeellttiicc CCeelleebbrraattiioonn:: NNaattaalliiee MMaaccMMaasstteerr && LLeeaahhyy Teacher Study Guide Grades 4 to 12 Table of Contents Welcome Teachers! Page 3 Concert Programme Page 4 About the Centre and the Performers Page 5 The National Arts Centre Page 5 The National Arts Centre Orchestra Page 6 Stéphane Laforest, conductor Page 7 Natalie MacMaster Page 7 Leahy Page 8 Programme Notes and Suggested Classroom Activities Page 9 A Short History of the Celtic Civilization Page 9 Information about Cape Breton Island Page 9 Classroom Activity ~ Geography Page 10 Music of Cape Breton Page 11 Classroom Activity ~ Composition Project #1 (easy) Page 12 Classroom Activity ~ Composition Project #1 (advanced Page 12 Step Dancing Page 13 Classroom Activity ~ Dance Page 14 Fun Facts about the Performers Page 14 Celtic Music for School Ensembles Page 15 How to Speak Gaelic Page 16 Resources and Links Page 17 Elements of Music Page 18 Performance Hall Etiquette Page 19 A Day in the Life of an Orchestra Musician Page 20 All about the Orchestra Page 21 Map of the NAC Orchestra Sections Page 22 Bibliography of Resources Available at the Ottawa Public Library Page 23 Nova Scotia Page 23 Prince Edward Island Page 24 Newfoundland and Labrador Page 24 East Coast Page 25 Acadians Page 26 Fiddles and Fiddling Page 27 Other available NAC Teacher Study Guides Page 28 This programme is made possible in part by the National Youth and Education Trust, which is supported by Founding Partner TELUS, Sun Life Financial, Bruce Power, Michael Potter and Véronique Dhieux, supporters and patrons of the annual NAC Gala and the donors of the NAC Foundation’s Corporate Club and Donors’ Circle.
    [Show full text]
  • The Heart of Cape Breton: Fiddle Music Recorded Live Along the Ceilidh Trail
    Document généré le 26 sept. 2021 06:21 Ethnologies The Heart of Cape Breton: Fiddle Music Recorded Live Along the Ceilidh Trail. Compiled, produced and annotated by Burt Feintuch. Recorded and mixed by Pete Reiniger. (Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40491, 2002, one compact disc and pp. 34 notes booklet). Sherry Johnson Négocier la transcendance / Negotiating Transcendence Volume 25, numéro 1, 2003 URI : https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/007141ar DOI : https://doi.org/10.7202/007141ar Aller au sommaire du numéro Éditeur(s) Association Canadienne d'Ethnologie et de Folklore ISSN 1481-5974 (imprimé) 1708-0401 (numérique) Découvrir la revue Citer ce compte rendu Johnson, S. (2003). Compte rendu de [The Heart of Cape Breton: Fiddle Music Recorded Live Along the Ceilidh Trail. Compiled, produced and annotated by Burt Feintuch. Recorded and mixed by Pete Reiniger. (Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40491, 2002, one compact disc and pp. 34 notes booklet).] Ethnologies, 25(1), 291–296. https://doi.org/10.7202/007141ar Tous droits réservés © Ethnologies, Université Laval, 2003 Ce document est protégé par la loi sur le droit d’auteur. L’utilisation des services d’Érudit (y compris la reproduction) est assujettie à sa politique d’utilisation que vous pouvez consulter en ligne. https://apropos.erudit.org/fr/usagers/politique-dutilisation/ Cet article est diffusé et préservé par Érudit. Érudit est un consortium interuniversitaire sans but lucratif composé de l’Université de Montréal, l’Université Laval et l’Université du Québec à Montréal. Il a pour mission la promotion et la valorisation de la recherche. https://www.erudit.org/fr/ REVIEWS / COMPTES RENDUS 291 The Heart of Cape Breton: Fiddle Music Recorded Live Along the Ceilidh Trail.
    [Show full text]
  • Fiddle Grooves
    Fiddle Grooves: Identity, Representation, and the Sound of Cape Breton Fiddle Music in Popular Culture by Jeffrey James Hennessy A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Music University of Toronto © Copyright by Jeffrey James Hennessy 2008 Abstract Fiddle Grooves: Identity, Representation, and the Sound of Cape Breton Fiddle Music in Popular Culture Doctor of Philosophy, 2008 Jeffrey James Hennessy Graduate Department of Music University of Toronto This dissertation investigates Cape Breton fiddle music from a popular culture perspective. It introduces a conception of musical groove comprising two interrelated components: a social component wherein individual musical actors retain their own identities and relationships with the music while also uniting collectively in their response to the music, and a sonic component consisting of an acoustical repeating of a rhythmic idea that forms the metrical underpinning for a piece of groove music. Each of these two components is informed and mediated by the other. Cape Breton fiddle music is considered here as a form of groove-based popular music, similar to other groove musics. The two dimensions of the groove are analyzed in turn, revealing aspects of social identity, political and commercial representation, and processes of intercultural syncretism that have resulted in the evolution of the music within the pop culture mainstream. The dissertation is divided into two large sections. The first section concerns the social component of the Cape Breton fiddle groove, considering aspects of cultural representation, social identity, globalization and perceived external threats, and intersections with popular culture. The second section examines the sound of Cape Breton fiddle music as a form of groove-based music by first proposing a general model ii for the analysis of groove-based musics, and then applying the model to the Cape Breton fiddle context.
    [Show full text]
  • The Pipes of Christmas the 16Pipesth Anniversary, of 1999Christmas - 2014
    The Pipes of Christmas The 16Pipesth Anniversary, of 1999Christmas - 2014 Proudly presented by the Clan Currie Society. Step Back In Time The Grand Summit Hotel Welcomes you in an historic and picturesque setting. 150 spacious and luxurious guest rooms including five grand Presidential Suites. Home of the HAT Tavern. An exceptional catering staff who will indulge your THE PIPES guests with elegant cuisine and unsurpassed service, no matter what the occasion or special event, in the comfort and elegance of our Grand Ballroom. OF Providing generous hospitality for over 130 years CHRISTMAS (908) 273-3000 www.grandsummit.com 570 Springfield Ave., Summit, NJ Presented by The Clan Currie Society Proud sponsor of The Pipes of Christmas More than 6,000 international students from over 100 different countries worldwide call Edinburgh Napier home. They live in Scotland’s inspiring capital, renowned as the world’s international festival city, and learn with confidence in developing excellent career prospects. More than 95.4% of our students are in work or further education within six months of graduation*. Photos: our Craiglockhart campus Find out more at: and graduates in Edinburgh. www.napier.ac.uk Edinburgh Napier University is a registered Scottish charity. Reg. No. SC018373. *UK Higher Education Statistics Agency 2013. IDEA 2437. 431 Springfield Avenue, Summit, New Jersey 07901 phone: (908) 277-1398 • www.LoisSchneiderRealtor.com The Clan Currie Society proudly presents The 16th Annual Production of TheThe Pipes ofof ChristmasChristmas! Sponsored by Edinburgh Napier University The Grand Summit Hotel Saturday, December 20, 2014 Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church New York City Sunday, December 21, 2014 Central Presbyterian Church Summit, NJ There will be one fifteen-minute intermission.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cape Breton Fiddling Narrative
    THE CAPE BRETON FIDDLING NARRATIVE: INNOVATION, PRESERVATION, DANCING by JESSICA HERDMAN A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Music) UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) August 2008 © Jessica Herdman, 2008 Abstract With the fear of decline of the Cape Breton fiddling tradition after the airing of The Vanishing Cape Breton Fiddler by the CBC in 1971, both the Cape Breton community and ethnographers clamored to preserve and maintain the extant practices and discourse. While this allowed for performance contexts and practices to burgeon, it also solidified certain perspectives about the “diasporic preservation” and resultant “authenticity.” This work aims to trace the seeds and developments of the beliefs surrounding the Cape Breton fiddling tradition, from the idealizations of Enlightenment Scotland to the manipulation and commercialization of the folklore and Celticism of twentieth-century Nova Scotia. These contexts romanticized older practices as “authentic,” a construct that deeply impacted the narrative about the Cape Breton fiddling tradition. One of the most rooted and complex concepts in this narrative is that of “old style,” a term that came to represent the idealized performance practice in post-1971 Cape Breton fiddling. As models were sought for younger players to emulate, pre-1971 “master” fiddlers with innovative stylistic approaches began to be identified as “old style” players. The interstices of the tradition allowed more extreme stylistic experimentation to be accepted as “traditional,” while the symbiotic social practice of dancing necessitated relative conservatism. Analysis will show that “listening” tunes fell into the interstices of allowable innovation, while dance (particularly step-dance) tunes demanded certain “old style” techniques.
    [Show full text]
  • THE PARADOX of the PERIPHERY Evolution of the Cape Breton Fiddle Tradition C1928-1995 Elizabeth Anne Doherty Phd University of L
    THE PARADOX OF THE PERIPHERY Evolution of the Cape Breton Fiddle Tradition c1928-1995 Elizabeth Anne Doherty PhD University of Limerick Supervisor: Professor Micheal O Suilleabhain Submitted to the University of Limerick, May 1996. THE PARADOX OF THE PERIPHERY' EVOLUTION OF THE CAPE BRETON FIDDLE TRADITION c1928-1995 Elizabeth A. Doherty During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries hundreds of Highland Scots traversed the Atlantic Ocean to escape social, politcal, and religious repression or simply in search of better opportunities in the New World. Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, became home to many of these emigrants. The vast numbers of Highland Scots who settled in this isolated area successfully maintained much of their Gaelic culture, such as the language, music, song and dance. Ironically, while the old ways were strictly adhered to in the peripheral enclave which was Cape Breton, rapid change was shaping the culture, particularly the music, in the homeland. Under the influence of James Scott Skinner the fiddle music tradition underwent irrevocable changes, separating from the dance, becoming dependent on literate sources, and moving onto the concert platform. As such, Cape Breton may be regarded as a marginal survival, maintaining the old traditions, specifically the 18th Highland fiddle music in a new geographic location, while at the original centre these old traditions were being replaced by the new. With the arrival of the twentieth century, specifically the 1920s, the outside world began to impinge noticeably on Cape Breton. The recording industry, radio, television, travel opportunities, out-migration, the building of the Canso Causeway linking the island to the Nova Scotian mainland were all factors which were significant in stimulating a social and cultural awakening in Cape Breton.
    [Show full text]
  • Cape Breton Fiddling and Amplification Practices
    “Our fiddles sound big. That’s the way I think it should be”: Cape Breton fiddling and Amplification practices IAN HAYES Abstract: This article is a case study of amplification in Cape Breton fiddling, exploring its relationship to material culture, globalization, and aesthetics of place. Amplified performances create a high-volume, live aesthetic closely associated with local dance halls that differs significantly from acoustic performances. While the technology used in amplifying Cape Breton fiddles is standardized, it is subject to debate among musicians. These critiques pertain to discussions of technology that are part of longstanding discourses of modernism and romanticism. As such, this technoscape shapes the sound of Cape Breton as a place, through the consumption, negotiation, and production of global flows. Résumé : Cet article est une étude de cas de l’amplification du son du violon au Cap-Breton, qui explore la relation de cette pratique à la culture matérielle, la mondialisation et l’esthétique du lieu. Les interprétations amplifiées créent un fort volume dans les spectacles « live » dont l’esthétique est étroitement associée aux salles de danse locales et qui diffèrent fortement des interprétations acoustiques. Bien que la technique utilisée pour l’amplification des violons du Cap-Breton soit standardisée, elle fait l’objet de débats parmi les musiciens. Ces critiques relèvent des discussions au sujet de la technologie qui font partie des discours de longue date sur le modernisme et le romantisme. En tant que tel, ce « paysage technique » façonne le son de Cap- Breton en tant que lieu, par l’intermédiaire de la consommation, de la négociation et de la production de courants mondiaux.
    [Show full text]
  • Buddy Macmaster (October 18 1924 – August 20 2014) by Jody Stecher
    Remembering Buddy MacMaster (October 18 1924 – August 20 2014) By Jody Stecher It is not unusual for a listener to be moved by the skillful playing of slow airs by a good Scottish fiddler. The only fiddler to make me weep from his playing of reels has passed away. The tears well up again as I remember Buddy MacMaster, a great musician and a great man. When I first started hearing about Buddy in the early 1980s, people said that should Inverness County ever secede from Canada, or Nova Scotia, or from the rest of Cape Breton, Hugh Alan “Buddy” MacMaster would automatically become Premier. Then I heard a fellow get so worked up while hearing a young Cape Breton fiddler play that he just had to yell. He didn’t yell Photo: Mary Larsen “yahoo” or “drive her,” though. He yelled “Buddy MacMaster!” But to really understand his near-mythic stature, consider this: it At the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts & Crafts, Cape Breton, 1996. was said that if you hired him to play at your wedding, Buddy would play at your funeral for free. The implication is that, being Born in Ontario in 1924, Buddy MacMaster was four years old immortal, Buddy would outlive everybody. It was not to be, of when his parents moved the family back to Judique, Cape Bret- course, but that’s how his music affected a listener. on. His father played fiddle, but it was his mother’s singing and lilting to which he especially attributed his love of music. By Buddy balanced all this with soft-spoken dry wit and an unassum- age twelve, Buddy was performing in public, and at fourteen he ing personality.
    [Show full text]