The Fiddle in Our Country, Canada

The Fiddle In Canada Introduction Hello, my name is Lanelle, and I am thirteen years old. Ever Since I can remember, I’ve been one of those kids who could not function without music. Music is not just background noise you put on at a party, music puts thoughts, feelings, emotions and life into song. Personally, my favourite type of music is that which comes out of a four stringed, wooden, hollow instrument, played by a bow moving across strings. Yes, the fiddle is my favourite type of music and I’ve been playing it since I was six years old, that’s over half of my life already. So, this project is dedicated to the fiddle, past and present in our country, Canada. The fiddle was introduced to Canada by settlers who were immigrating here, mainly from Europe. That means we would have had some fiddle traditions How and happening in the mid to late 1600’s, but it would have become a lot more popular, and a lot more vibrant type of music in the 1700’s. why did As an instrument, the fiddle was really convenient for settlers to bring over to Canada, as it was small, light and the fiddle portable. When you are packing up your entire life in a few bags, sailing for six weeks and then coming to a land that doesn’t have roads, trains or any easy way of getting around... it’s kind of a necessity to have things that are come to portable. As my fiddle instructor, Rowan Teasdale put it, “you can’t exactly pack up a piano, and hall it across the Atlantic.” Canada? What are the different fiddle styles in Canada? 5. the Northern fiddle style is the fiddle style played all across the northern territories. It is very distinctive, because of how isolated it is up there, so it has lost a lot of it’s European ties and sort of become a completely different fiddle style. 1. Metis fiddle music is a style common all over the prairie 4. Newfoundland also is in the Maritime provinces, specific to fiddle category, but its influences came from the Metis culture. It much deeper Irish roots rather than a mix evolved out of Celtic, of both Irish and Scottish French- Canadian and First Nation influence to become the very 3. Maritime fiddle interesting fiddle style style, often referred that it is today. to as east-coast fiddle is one of the main fiddle groups in Canada. It comes 2. French Canadian fiddle music is a fiddle style from strong Scottish straight out of Quebec. It’s a very distinctive style, that and Irish evolved directly out of its French-European roots. backgrounds. The main groups of fiddle in Canada, that are the most common and known are the Metis, French-Canadian and What are Maritime fiddle styles. They each have very unique roles in their cultures, from some fiddle how they are used in daily in life, to what distinct dances accompany them traditions in on the stage. It’s important to Canada? remember that these styles don’t just sound different, they are applied and used differently within their culture… Metis Fiddle Traditions In the Metis culture, when it came time for music there were few homes that did not have a fiddle hanging on the wall. The fiddle was a relatively cheap instrument, and if families could not afford them, they’d simply make their own out of birch or maple trees. Another reason fiddles were so common, is that they were the perfect instrument to play at dances. If a family decided to host a dance, word would quickly spread throughout the community and almost the whole town would show up. Chairs and other furniture would be moved outside, and a dance floor would be cleared in the center of the home. The dance would last late, late into the night and everyone was welcomed through the door. The most common dances were the polka, two-step, waltz, schottische and square dances. As well of course, the Red River jig was danced non-stop at both recreational dances and in competitions. Dances were fun events that kept peoples spirits high, and at the heart of most every Metis dance, there is a fiddle. Example of me playing a Metis fiddle tune French-Canadian Fiddle Traditions French-Canadian dances are fairly similar to Metis dances. Word would spread through a person's whole community and really, anyone who could dance was welcome. The dance would take place in someone's household, or dancehall if there was one prevalent in the community. Everyone who could, would dance into the night with the sound of fiddles, guitars, accordions...etcetera accompanying the dancers. At a French-Canadian dance, you would most likely see Contra style dance. Everyone has a partner and forms two long lines; each pair of lines is called a set. There are usually six to twelve different figures, each figure is one move that usually takes about eight counts. All the while, feet are stamping, jigging or simply stepping to the sound of the music. There are lots of variants in French-Canadian contra dance, depending on the specific dance you are doing, each figure might vary in length and complexity. Example of me playing a French- Canadian Tune Maritime fiddle traditions are a little bit more removed from French-Canadian and Metis traditions. Though, their main purpose is to entertain, bring people together and make for fun. It is quite easy to tell that there's closer ties in their fiddle music to Scottish, Irish and Gaelic roots. The dances Maritime especially differ further from Metis and French-Canadian folk dances. The Maritimes are big into square dances and when you watch from the side, you can really see how complicated they Fiddle get. Usually there are three dance forms in a row that make up a set, then the sets get repeated several times over an evening. There is also a fun, lively caller usually located at the head of the dance floor. The caller calls out the moves of the Traditions dance as they are supposed to happen, to ensure no one falls out of order. There are also strong step dancing traditions in the east-coast, both as solos and incorporated into square dances. Example of me playing a Maritime fiddle tune The Canadian Grand Masters is easily Canada’s biggest fiddle competition. Fiddlers from all around our country gather to the Canadian celebrate the tradition of fiddle and of course, compete against one another. This competition was Grand established in 1989, by a group of people who wanted to preserve Masters Canada’s fiddle traditions and also give recognition to all the outstanding fiddle players across Fiddling the country. This goal remains the same today and it has given fiddle players of all kinds, the chance to Association come compete in the spotlight and take part in Canada’s fiddling roots. Who are some of the current great fiddlers of Canada? Shane Cook Shane Cook is a three-time Canadian Open National Champion, a three-time Canadian Grand Masters Champion, a Grand North American Champion. He is the only fiddler to come from a different country and win the US Grand National Championship, which he accomplished at the stunning age of 17. He is most known for his mastery of old-time style fiddle music, but he is also extremely skilled in Irish, Scottish, bluegrass and French- Canadian fiddle genres. The Canadian Fiddler's Hall of Fame claims he "is one of the finest fiddlers in the world today." Andrea Beaton Andrea Beaton is an amazing Maritime fiddler from Nova Scotia. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her several times, and I’ve even had fiddle lessons from her at workshops and camps. Andrea tours internationally, she has released 6 solo albums (most of them nominated for awards), her 2010 album ‘Branches’ won the Canadian East Coast Music Awards, and she is in high demand for fiddling/dancing classes all over the world. She is respectably one of Cape Breton's best fiddle players and comes from a long line of Celtic fiddle tradition. Natalie MacMaster Natalie McMaster might be Canada’s most famous Maritime fiddle player. She has received many Canadian music awards, including several "Artist of the Year" awards, two Juno Awards, and "Fiddler of the Year" from the Canadian Country Music Association. Also in 2006, Natalie was made a member of the Order of Canada, and in 2020, she was made a member of the Order of Nova Scotia. Patti Kusturok Patti Kusturok is one of Canada’s best fiddlers. She is a 6-time Manitoba Champion, a 3-time grand North American Champion, and in 1994, 1995 and 1996 she was the first woman to win the Canadian Grandmasters. Also, in 2010 Patti was inducted into the Manitoba Fiddle Association Hall of Fame, and in 2016 she was also inducted into the North American Fiddler’s Hall of Fame. These are just a small fraction of her most notable achievements. Calvin Vollrath is probably Alberta’s best fiddler. He has written nearly 700 fiddle tunes, and most of them have gone on to become extremely popular. He Calvin composed 5 fiddle tunes for the opening ceremonies of the 2010 winter Olympics, and he has taught at the Canadian Grandmasters Fiddle Camp since Vollrath it was established in 1996, both very big accomplishments. Calvin has an amazing ability when it comes to teaching and song writing, that’s why he is known all across North America and Europe.

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