Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship Report

Transcription

1 Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship Report NURTURING AND DEVELOPING TRADITIONAL MUSIC IN CANADA Mabou, Inverness County Alison Mackenzie Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland 2014

2 Contents: 3 Introduction 5 Executive Summary 7 Background 9 The Origins and Tradition of Scottish Music 11 Traditional Music In Cape Breton 14 People, Places and Performance 22 Traditional Music In Newfoundland 23 People and Places 30 Relevance To Other Traditions 32 Nurturing and Developing Traditional Music: My Contribution 33 Summary of Progress to Date 34 Itinerary 35 A New Land 36 Acknowledgements

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4 Introduction In August 2013 I met for coffee with a friend. The main purpose was to discuss applying for a Churchill Fellowship as my friend had been a recipient twenty five years earlier and was encouraging and guiding me to apply. To my delight I was selected for interview and awarded a Fellowship jointly funded by the Finzi Trust, to travel to Canada to study for seven weeks, the continuance of traditional music carried to Canada by emigrants from Scotland and Ireland centuries previous. So my journey began. I had previously taken my school Ceilidh Band to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in 2012 and had made some contacts whilst there. These contacts would be invaluable to my study and were therefore my first port of call. As well as Cape Breton I would also be visiting Newfoundland where I had no previous contacts but, through the internet, I would approach several individuals I thought would be important contacts in that province. In both Cape Breton and Newfoundland, the influence of traditional music from Scotland and Ireland is evident and an intrinsic component of their culture. For the first part of my Fellowship I was to be based in Cape Breton, travelling around the island to the areas where traditional music is vibrant and flourishing, in particular to Inverness County on the west side of Cape Breton, renowned for its rich Scottish culture of music, dance and language. Then it would be on to Newfoundland to study the influence of Irish music and finally back to Cape Breton to attend and participate in Celtic Colours, the annual international music festival, before finally retracing some of my steps and returning back home to Scotland. I flew to Nova Scotia accompanied by my eldest son Graham, who was on an exchange with Cape Breton University as part of his Masters Degree in Scottish Fiddle. We spent two days in Halifax before driving to Port Hawkesbury, the first town on Cape Breton on crossing the causeway which links the island to mainland Nova Scotia. For the next two weeks we travelled around Inverness County, attending concerts and informal music events, meeting and talking with musicians; and north, as far as Cheticamp before travelling over to Sydney on the east coast where Graham was to study. 4

5 In Sydney I visited the Beaton Institute in Cape Breton University, a rich archive of every aspect of Cape Breton life. It was then back to the west coast to Mabou and Creigneish before flying to Newfoundland. I spent two weeks in St John s, the capital of Newfoundland, before returning to Cape Breton for the final part of my Fellowship. My husband, Colin, and my younger son Robbie flew from Scotland to join me for two weeks as I had a break in my Fellowship, although, as we were attending many concerts at the Celtic Colours Festival this also contributed to my Fellowship studies. I finished my Fellowship by spending time in Sydney and in Mabou and finally staying in Creigneish. Colin and Robbie on Mackenzie Mountain 5

6 Executive Summary In Cape Breton and Newfoundland, two and a half centuries after the earliest settlers arrived, traditional music is thriving as a mainstay of the culture and identity of the communities of Eastern Canada. These traditions have not only survived but strengthened, shaped and evolved by the influences of subsequent generations, accessible to more people and more young people. That "growth" - particularly in Cape Breton - is partly a result of remoteness and the tight knit way of life. In Cape Breton, the Scots culture and identity is manifested in community institutions such as the Gaelic College, the Celtic Music and Interpretive Centre and "Celtic Colours". These are "flagship" icons of the traditions and roots of its people, a focus for community life and a reference point for visitors. The strength and survival of traditional music and culture supports the economy and draws visitors. A strong economy and appeal to a wider tourism market will in turn, strengthen and support traditional music. In Newfoundland, the population is larger and more diverse and the range of musical influences broader. Most people inhabit a small part of the province's eastern seaboard. Newfoundland is a province in itself, nearly half the population reside in the capital, St Johns. These circumstances appear to have fostered a prolific fusion of musical styles. In Newfoundland, the Celtic musical tradition displayed strong and subtle French influences. Communities world-wide will change more rapidly in future. Established old ways are less secure and individuals have greater mobility and accessibility to outside influences. Technological advancement offers scope to promote local culture and identity globally, in real time. These should be nurtured as a means of promoting traditional music. 6

7 However the future of traditional music has always depended on people inspired by their heritage, passing down their experience from one generation to the next. This must continue to respect the old and integrate the new if it is to sustain whole communities and their traditions. My ambition - strengthened by my Fellowship in Cape Breton and Newfoundland - is to offer my experience to others in the communities in which I work, through one-to-one instrumental teaching, group tuition, accompaniment and administrative assistance, to continue to grow traditional music as an integral part of the Highlands, share its riches and promote its reputation overseas. 7

8 Background Where does my interest in traditional music come from? I was born in Inverness, Scotland the Highland capital into a Orcadian family. My early school days were spent in the parish of Quoyloo, Orkney where my father was born and raised. His mother came from a noted musical family. Her three brothers were musicians. Jim was a fiddler, Alfie an accordionist, and Jock, the eldest, also a fiddler. Jock was the only brother who lived in Orkney and it was to his house that I would be taken to enjoy musical evenings and learn traditional tunes as well as tunes written by Jock. Jock Linklater and his son Jack Linklater I could play the piano a little and was encouraged to vamp an accompaniment to Jock s fiddle playing. No piano stool so I was perched on the back of the sofa! Jock led one of the oldest and most popular Scottish Dance Bands in Orkney. So my love of and connection with traditional music had begun. I was given an accordion at this time and 8

9 began to learn to play the tunes I had heard. My family moved from Orkney in the mid 1960s and settled in Fort William in the West Highlands. I gained a Degree in music from Glasgow University, qualified as a Music Teacher and was appointed Principal Teacher of Music at Culloden Academy, Inverness, in 1981 where I worked for 33 years. Over the years I embedded my love for traditional music within the curriculum whenever the opportunity arose. In due course the level of interest in traditional music within the school was sufficiently strong that the department was able to support a junior and a senior Ceilidh Band which became an identifying feature of the school. The result of this was that traditional music had become accessible to many, both within and outwith the school, who might not otherwise have had this experience. The Bands had many successes including two commercially produced CDs and many trophies for performances at festivals, which resulted in cultural visits to Orkney, Donegal and Cape Breton. I was very proud not only of the Bands achievements but also that I had made a significant contribution to ensuring the Band members had a good understanding of their traditional music roots. As a mother I have ensured my sons embrace the rich cultural heritage of the Highlands and of Orkney from an early age. They share my love of traditional music and have gone on to study traditional fiddle at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. 9

10 The Origins and Tradition of Scottish Music There are distinctive and recognised styles of traditional Scottish music. These owe their roots to the location of settlement in the 17C and 18C in Highland Scotland; and reflects the movement of people to Eastern Canada during that period. The West Coast style exudes a close association with the bagpipes and Gaelic culture; the North-East style reflects the strong dancing traditions of the nobility connections which underpinned the social structure of Aberdeen-shire and Moray; the Shetland style with its strong Nordic influences; and the Cape Breton style which was carried by the original immigrants to Eastern Canada and which is renowned today for sustaining an idiom that is as close to the (West Coast) style played in their native lands 150 years ago. The 18C and 19C spawned the great fiddle Collections most overtly associated with the Highland Perthshire and Aberdeenshire traditions of the great composers Neil Gow and James Scott Skinner. On the West Coast the Skye Collection, Knock Collection and Gesto Collection documented Highland Music both instrumental and vocal. Traditional Scottish music has ebbed and flowed with changing social circumstances, economic fortunes and competing forms of entertainment and musical genres through the 20C. However and moreover, it was the renaissance of the Gaelic language and culture, government-driven at national and regional levels through the late 20C and early 21C that began a revival through a major commitment to developing the Arts, principally through the national educational institutions and the Feis movement. I would find all of the primary influences of the Scottish idiom alive and flourishing in Cape Breton. Cape Breton music today draws it strength from the roots of its tradition. It combines the same two instruments that were the mainstay of its 17-18C origins: the bagpipes and fiddle, albeit that the piano has been subsequently been embraced; it has sustained the diverse styles of the Scottish regions reflected in the place names of Cape Breton communities (the West Coast style, Inverness/Aberdeen - East Coast, Shetland); it has its foundations in a structure of families: amongst the most renown of contemporary 10

11 exponents being the MacMaster, MacIsaac and Beaton families; and individual guardians of the tradition - those (Paul Cranford) whose dedication to collating and publishing new and reprinting old collections - are ensuring the musical heritage continues to be accessible to future generations. My objectives were: to explore the ways in which the regional styles of Scottish traditional music are being adapted in contemporary arrangements to reflect on the strength of "the family" and community "life" in sustaining traditional music to understand the importance of individual exponents of the musical idiom in sustaining Scottish traditional music to consider whether world-wide pressures for change affecting the present and future generations present an "early warning" for a higher level, collective response to sustaining Scottish traditional music as part of the culture and identity of Cape Breton 11

12 Traditional Music In Cape Breton How did Scottish traditional music reach Canada? The Scots were amongst the earliest European settlers of eastern Canada, hence the name of the province, Nova Scotia. It was the Highland Clearances of families from traditional land tenancies in Highland Scotland and the supplanting of the hitherto Clan affiliations, the foundation of their social and economic life, by a system of feudalist governance by wealthy landlords, that forced their displacement in the 18th and 19th Centuries. The result of the clearances in Scotland was, in substantive part, to dismantle the Gaelic culture. For some 40,000 Scots who resettled in Cape Breton - 4,500 miles across the Atlantic - in the period up to 1850, emigration to the new world was to maintain a traditional way of life : a subsistence economy gleaned from working the land and the shore, the Gaelic language and the cultural identity of its people. Similar to the communities they left behind, the early settlers established small isolated townships, devoid of outside influences. Social and economic life was based within the family unit; the tradition and the culture - music and language - dependent on the fiddle and pipes and Gaelic, passed down from one generation to the next. Life in Scotland and in particular the Highlands was extremely difficult during the period of the Highland Clearances in the 18th century and the pull of a better life across the Atlantic was very strong and resulted in an exodus of many Highlanders. The first Scottish emigrants landed at Pictou in Nova Scotia aboard The Hector in 1773 having survived a challenging journey from the north-west of Scotland. They brought with them their Scottish culture which they fiercely clung on to, language, music, dance and distinctive dress, the kilt. This was the beginning of similar journeys for many Highlanders and it is thought there were in the region of 85,000 Scottish Gaelic-speaking settlers in Cape Breton Island by

13 The Hector, Pictou To commemorate this epic journey, a replica of The Hector was constructed between 1990 and The ship is now moored beside an Interpretive Centre which documents the early settlers who were on board. I was interested to note that among the names of the Highlanders who made the perilous journey from Scotland was one Colin Mackenzie, the same name as my husband! Were some of his distant relatives early settlers? I was very moved by the stories of these early settlers and composed an air to capture that feeling. This piece is attached on page 31. Extract from the passenger list of The Hector 13

14 Commemorative stone for The Hector Within a century, the industrial revolution had established a role for eastern Canada in coal mining and export. The resultant investment in new communications, notably the extension of a national railroad network from the United States, also opened up the eastern States to Cape Bretoners. Employment opportunities drew the descendants of the first native Scots south. Their cultural experience of the eastern United States was to bring back to Cape Breton, the influence of a third instrument on their musical traditions. The piano brought to traditional Scottish music, a rhythmic style that remains distinctive around the world today. The culture and traditions of a country and its people evolve with their development, their infrastructure, opportunities and aspirations. Culture and tradition are dynamic, they do change and extend their roots. That "evolution" is founded in the strength of communities, their interaction with one another and respect for the old ways and the new. That is the strength of Cape Breton and how its culture and traditions are sustained. That in turn, depends on people, their understanding, influence and expertise 14

15 People, Places and Performance There is no single reason why Cape Breton sustains the vibrancy of its traditional music but one key element is that the culture has inspired a community and individuals who are passionate about their roots. This fierce pride in all things Scottish has seen the continuation of traditional Scottish music in Cape Breton. Cape Breton Fiddlers Association A well-documented milestone in the resurgence of interest in Cape Breton music was the result of a CBC documentary, The Vanishing Cape Breton Fiddler. The message in the documentary was that the tradition of Cape Breton Fiddling was in jeopardy of being lost. This was enough to stir into action a dedicated, diverse group of individuals who were determined to disprove this. So in 1972, under the leadership of Father John Angus Rankin, The Cape Breton Fiddlers Association was formed which initially culminated in a well-documented performance at Glendale in 1973 of over 100 Cape Breton fiddlers playing to a gathering of thousands. The result of this was a resurgence of interest in fiddling among the younger generation. Cape Breton Fiddlers 39th Annual Concert August Finale Frank MacInnis Frank MacInnis is attributed with being one of the key individuals who rose to the challenge of disproving that the fiddle was falling out of favour in Cape Breton. Frank along with some other enthusiastic people met and decided to send out an invitation for a meeting of all fiddlers on the Island. This created the Cape Breton Fiddler Association. Frank is a respected expert on the musicians and music of Cape Breton possessing recordings and articles which document the last 50 years of music on the island. I was privileged to stay with Frank and his wife Mary. Frank continues to play an active part in the Cape Breton music scene. 15

16 Frank MacInnis, Creigneish, Cape Breton Rodney MacDonald Rodney MacDonald former Premier of Nova Scotia is now Director of the Gaelic College. Rodney is well-suited to this position given his background in the culture of Cape Breton. He is a highly sought after fiddler for accompanying at Square Dances and is a talented step dancer himself. I met Rodney at Frank MacInnis's house and had a short discussion on his vision for the future of the Gaelic College. We discussed the growth of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the Gaelic College on Skye, in the Highlands of Scotland, which has proved very successful from its foundation in 1973 of summer schools and short courses to the present day where full Degree courses are available. Such is Sabhal Mòr Ostaig s success and in partnership with local Trusts an exciting project is being planned to establish a new Highland village nearby, symbolically reversing the migration of the 18th century. Rodney has been CEO at The Gaelic College in St. Anns since He has advanced the vision of the the Gaelic College following the example of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and in Spring this year ran a six week Gaelic immersion course in conjunction with Cape Breton University. Rodney MacDonald playing for a Set Dance at The Red Shoe, Mabou 16

17 Paul Cranford Paul Cranford has played a key role not only in promoting Cape Breton music but also reprinting many old collections of Scottish music which had been all but forgotten back in Scotland. Paul has painstakingly recorded and printed nine volumes of Cape Breton music giving ready access to the wealth of Cape Breton and Scottish traditional music, both old repertoire and newly penned pieces. He started his first collection when serving as a lighthouse keeper. Paul is a prodigious composer as well as a performer and publisher. Some of his pieces have been adopted into standard repertoire by traditional musicians in many countries. Paul Cranford playing Strathspey and Reel Paul Cranford, Fiddler and Publisher in Wreck Cove, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada Paul Cranford Traditional Music In Schools Recognising that the family unit cannot be the only source of the continuance of traditional music, the Nova Scotia administration introduced Advanced Music units for students who intend to further their music studies at University. I met with two teachers during my time in Cape Breton, Lawrence Cameron of Cape Breton Highlands Academy and Monica 17

18 MacNeil of Riverview High School both of whom were using traditional music in their curriculum. Lawrence s focus is on the square sets which are danced in Cape Breton and through this medium his students learn about the different timings of the dances as well as the instruments used to accompany the dances and stories behind the tunes. The Gaelic College The Gaelic College was founded in 1938 to combat the decline in the Gaelic language which was in danger of dying out in Cape Breton. Today it has a broader remit, encompassing all aspects of Scottish Highland culture. The summer is a busy time for The Gaelic College with many residential language and traditional music courses which attract students from Cape Breton and all over the world. The mission statement of the College is To promote, preserve and perpetuate through studies in all related areas: the culture, music, language, arts, crafts, customs and traditions of immigrants from the Highlands of Scotland. Celtic Music Interpretive Centre The Centre is situated in Judique, Inverness County and opened in 2006 with the aim of preserving, promoting and sharing Cape Breton s music and culture. An archive of musicians, families, stories and traditions has been established ensuring the preservation of valuable historical and cultural material. The centre stages daily music sessions featuring local fiddlers demonstrating the Cape Breton style. Wendy MacIsaac with Graham and Robbie Mackenzie (Buddy MacMaster Fiddle School Kimberley Fraser with Graham and Robbie Mackenzie (Buddy MacMaster Fiddle School) 18

19 The Red Shoe, Mabou The Red Shoe, restaurant and pub, is arguably the most important venue for the performance of traditional music in Cape Breton. Situated in Mabou, the Red Shoe is owned by the Rankin family. The Rankins are a very popular band in Cape Breton and throughout Canada. They are credited with giving Cape Breton music an international audience. Their dedication to keeping the tradition alive has resulted in a seven-day-aweek menu of programmed and informal music performances at the Red Shoe featuring the cream of Cape Breton musicians. The cuisine promotes high quality Cape Breton produce. Graham, Robbie and Alison Mackenzie at The Red Shoe, Mabou Celtic Colours Celtic Colours is the annual celebration of Cape Breton s music and also the traditional music of other countries. Since its inception in 1997 it has grown to be a hugely successful International festival attracting the cream of traditional musicians from around the world as well as promoting home grown talent. Recently an important element of the festival has been to promote traditional music in Cape Breton schools through the Outreach Project. Young traditional players perform during the festival in schools encouraging students to embrace their musical heritage. Yvette Rodgers is the Outreach Coordinator and I met her in Cape Breton. Celtic Colours invests in a youth programme to bring traditional music to schools where otherwise they would not otherwise have that opportunity. I attended many concerts during the festival, listening to a wide range of Cape Breton musicians and participating in informal performances with my sons. One of the most memorable was the Buddy MacMaster Fiddle School Tutors concert. The Fiddle School is an annual festival event featuring ten fiddle tutors all steeped in the Cape Breton fiddle tradition. Prior to the commencement of the Fiddle School week the tutors stage a concert in Judique, the home of Buddy MacMaster one of Cape Breton s best known musicians. This concert for me demonstrated the dedication of the Tutors to their musical heritage. 19

20 To commemorate the historic voyage of the Hector, Feis Rois, a prestigious traditional music organisation based in the Scottish Highlands, commissioned a traditional suite. A collaboration with Celtic Colours resulted in a performance of the suite in Mabou performed by Scottish and Cape Breton musicians. The suite was also performed in Pictou where it was particularly poignant to hear the music at the exact point at which the original voyage had come ashore, and where the Scottish emigrants who came to a new land with so much hope and expectation, first set foot on Canadian soil. Square Dances, Step Dancing and Ceilidhs Square Dances evolved from the original set dances, the fourhanded reel and eighthanded reel the early settlers developed from the solo dances they had danced in Scotland. Community halls throughout the summer stage weekly square dances where the popular Inverness Set is danced to an accompaniment of fiddle and piano. Step dancing is now an integral part of the dance. At the Square Dances I attended there was a period for solo step dancers to perform, young and old demonstrating original and more modern steps. Step dancing has remained an intrinsic element in the Cape Breton culture and is a key feature in sustaining interest in Cape Breton music. The fiddle would have originally been the instrument of choice for playing at Square Dances. The fiddler is now accompanied by the piano using the rhythmical style associated with Cape Breton music. Square Dances are also socially significant because they are a regular community event drawing people together and keeping the music live. Step dancing had all but died out in Scotland and it is mainly through its continuance in Cape Breton that it has been successfully reintroduced in Scotland. Throughout the summer Ceilidhs (Gaelic name for a concert) are held across Cape Breton featuring mainly the fiddle and piano style associated with Cape Breton. At these Ceilidhs, attending musicians are invited to play and it was at one such evening that Graham, my eldest son, and I performed. Graham and Alison Mackenzie playing at Ceilidh in Indian Brook, Cape Breton 20

21 Performances During my stay in Cape Breton I attended many concerts and informal music events. The following were the musicians I heard and events I attended: Artist Venue Town Dwayne Cote and Hilda Chaisson The Red Shoe Mabou Andrea Beaton and Troy Macgillivray The Red Shoe Mabou Melody and Derrick Cameron The Red Shoe Mabou Kenneth MacKenzie The Red Shoe Mabou Kinnon and Betty Lou Beaton The Red Shoe Mabou Lucy and Stewart MacNeil St Ann s Bay Church Hall Indian Brook Colin Grant Governors Sydney Blue Mist Tavern Session Paul Cranford Doug MacPhee Mario Colosimo Celtic Music Interpretive Centre Shelley Campbell Allan Dewar Kimberley Fraser Glenn Graham Troy MacGillivray Mairi Rankin Wendy MacIsaac Colin Grant Celtic Colours Mac Morin Ashley and Wendy MacIsaac Nuallan Dawn and Margie Beaton Dawn and Helen MacDonald Blue Mist Tavern Celtic Music Interpretive Centre The Ties That Bind Such Devoted Sisters Bra d Or Judique Port Hawkesbury Inverness Glenn Graham and Rodney MacDonald Whycocomagh Gathering Whycocomagh Mac Morrin Mairi Rankin Harvey MacKinnon Joe Rankin Mac Morrin Tracey Dares MacNeil Troy MacGillivray CloseTo The Floor Keys To The Cape Breton Piano Mabou Mabou 21

22 Rachel Davis Maxim Cormier Anita MacDonald Féis Mhàbu Gaelic Singers Natalie MacMaster J.P.Cormier Bèolach Square dances Brook Village Hall West Mabou In Good Hands Together Again Mabou Sydney 22

23 Traditional Music In Newfoundland Similar to Cape Breton, the roots of traditional music in Newfoundland can be traced back to Celtic origins. The influence of Irish, Scottish and French traditional music can be distinctly heard in Newfoundland music and the Newfoundland adaptions of the traditional tunes from these countries. In 1949, when Newfoundland became a province of Canada, the then premier, Joe Smallwood embarked on a period of modernisation and economic development. The result of this was positive in some areas such as mining and hydroelectricity but the impact his philosophy had on the culture of the province resulted in a decline in the interest in traditional music in some areas of Newfoundland. To this day Newfoundlanders both at home and abroad appear divided on the lasting success the impact of his initiatives had on Newfoundland. This was coupled with a greater awareness of musical genres outside Newfoundland because of the advent of the radio. In the 1950s and 1960s the electric guitar became the instrument of choice rather than the popular folk instruments, accordion and fiddle. These traditional instruments were still played at kitchen parties and family gatherings but to the general public this was a style of music which was fast falling out of favour. In the 1970s there was a renewed interest in Newfoundland traditional music which can be in part accredited to the emergence of the band Figgy Duff. The band played traditional music but merged this with elements of rock music. The style was embraced by some and hated by others but what the band did achieve was to heighten public awareness of traditional Newfoundland music. And so the renaissance of Newfoundland traditional music began, due in no small part to some key people, Kelly Russell, fiddler, composer and publisher, arguably the most important of these. 23

24 People and Places Frank Maher Frank Maher is a first generation Irish descendant with his father coming from Tipperary and his mother from Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. This explains Frank s great love of traditional Irish and Newfoundland music. In his early life Frank lived in the Battery, a close-knit community which is situated at the east end of St John s harbour. Frank very proudly showed me around the Battery and most proudly a mural which celebrates people who have lived in the Battery, including himself, playing the Button Box. Frank Maher beside the mural at the entry to The Battery, St Johns, Newfoundland I was introduced to Frank by Christina Smith who plays in a traditional band with him, the Mahers Bahers (pronounced Mars Bars). Frank s initial musical influence came from his mother who taught him to play the diatonic Button Box. In Newfoundland, unlike Cape Breton, the instrument of choice for dances was the accordion. Frank s mother played for dances and was called a fiddler which meant that she played for dancing. 24

25 Frank writes: This is my Mother and her Aunt who was my Grandfather's Sister. Her Mother was a MicMac Indian from a Tribe on the West of Newfoundland. She was a talented Accordion player and a mid wife. She was very well known as a player for dances in Placentia Bay where she was from. My Grandfather (her Brother) was also a good box player as was my Mother..Irish and Newfoundland Music was very prevalent in Placentia Bay. Frank has been a keen musician all his life and is a regular performer in Newfoundland both as a soloist and in bands. I met Frank at The Rocket Bakery in downtown St John s where he plays at a weekly session. It was strange to hear so many familiar Irish tunes being played so far away from Ireland. As part of the lead up to the Commonwealth Games in 2014, BBC Radio 3 featured different countries of the Commonwealth and this is an extract from one of those programmes, Canada, A Postcard from Newfoundland. Frank Maher and Christina Smith at The Rocket Bakery Session, St John's Frank invited me to meet up with him and some friends to join their weekly music get together. They found me a piano accordion so that I could join in. The button box is the most popular type of accordion in Cape Breton, just as it is in Ireland. The tunes the group played were a mix of Irish, Newfoundland and Scottish, with a Newfoundland twist. Later in the week Frank and I visited Cape Spear, the most Easterly point of Canada where Frank described the outdoor concerts which he had played at in a second World War battery. Frank is not only well known for his musical prowess but also his uncompromising wit! In recognition of his contribution to Newfoundland folk music the St.John's Folk Arts Council in 2003 bestowed on him a Lifetime Achievement Award. In an interview at this time Frank was asked how old he was and he replied "I was very young when I was born and I cried 25

26 like a baby..i was so ugly, the Doctor slapped my Mother. I was thrown out of Grade 3 in School for not shaving. My age you ask? My dear, I am in my EXTREMELY late forties." Frank was a member of the group Figgy Duff, credited with bringing Newfoundland traditional music to a larger audience by mixing it with elements of rock music. This fusion was not wholly embraced in Newfoundland but there is no doubt that through this, a traditional music renewal within Newfoundland occurred which and brought these traditional tunes to a wider audience in Canada and abroad. Frank and Christina Frank Maher and accordion friends Christina Smith Christina Smith was my first contact in Newfoundland following some research on the internet. She is a tutor of Newfoundland fiddling at Memorial University, St John s. Christina s interest in Newfoundland fiddle tunes began when she met Emile Benoit the renowned Newfoundland fiddler at the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival in the1970s. Emile Benoit lived all his life on the West Coast of Newfoundland in area which was mainly French speaking. Surrounding areas were noticeably influenced by the Scottish tradition and so Emile s music was a curious mix. The association Christina had with Emile resulted in her passion for sustaining this strand of traditional Newfoundland music. As well as her teaching at Memorial University Christina also teaches at the Suzuki school in St John s. 26

27 As part of the Suzuki Talent Education Programme, in 1982 Christina founded the STEP fiddlers. The aim was to teach young Newfoundlanders their own traditional music with particular emphasis on the repertoire of Emile Benoit and Rufus Guinchard, another renowned Newfoundland fiddler, as well as the traditional dance music of Newfoundland. Such has been the success of the group during the ensuing years that in excess of 200 players have passed through the group carrying the tradition with them. Many of these musicians have become teachers in their own right. Christina along with Frank Maher, Jean Hewson and Rick West are the members of the Mahers Bahers. Christina Smith and STEP fiddlers with Frank Maher Kelly Russell Kelly Russell is a key figure in the documentation and teaching of traditional Newfoundland music. In 1974 Kelly started to play the fiddle at a time when there were more or less no young fiddle players in Newfoundland. The Centralization Policy of 1954 and its replacement, the Resettlement Program of 1962, in Newfoundland resulted in many small communities, where previously there had been a rich vein of traditional music, dying out, which had a devastating impact on the music. Kelly single-handedly recorded many of the old fiddlers who had more or less given up playing due to the demise in the interest in traditional music and the social dances they played for. Many of them had all but forgotten the tunes they had played and only through this meeting with Kelly did the tunes gradually come back to them, sometimes in fragments. Kelly has transcribed these recordings in two volumes of music. This has become an invaluable source of traditional Newfoundland music and of the Newfoundland version of traditional Irish and Scottish tunes played by the old fiddlers. Kelly met and recorded two of the mainstays of Newfoundland fiddle music, Emile Benoit and Rufus Guinchard and has been recognised with various prestigious awards for his dedication to documenting Newfoundland s traditional music. Kelly also ensures a lasting tradition through his teaching and although he does not dictate a particular style, he gives his pupils the 27

28 elements of the Newfoundland fiddle style and encourages them to experiment and find their own style. This keeps the tradition vibrant, respecting the origins and a desire to see it continue to flourish. Frank Maher and Kelly Russell in O Brien s music shop, downtown St John s Kelly Russell and Rufus Guinchard Emile Benoit and Rufus Guinchard Korona Brophy Korona Brophy is a professional musician and sessional instructor of Music Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Director of The Celtic Fiddlers. Korona s interest in traditional music comes from her Irish ancestors In 1993 Korona formed the Celtic Fiddlers, a group which has enjoyed success in the province and throughout Canada and has travelled to perform on several occasions in Ireland. The focus of the group is to play music associated with the Irish influence on Newfoundland music and also the indigenous music of Newfoundland, in particular the music of Emile Benoit. Korona attributes Kelly Russell as being an initial influence on her interest in Newfoundland traditional music as well as Emile Benoit, the renowned Newfoundland fiddler. 28

29 I had a short meeting with Korona in the Rocket Bakery in downtown St John s where we discussed our common interest in traditional music and the establishing and running of traditional groups. We agreed that I would attend a rehearsal of the Celtic Fiddlers to teach the group some Scottish repertoire but unfortunately following our meeting Korona fell ill and was in hospital the remainder of my time in Newfoundland. Nevertheless I will keep in contact with Korona to further develop our shared interests with the possibility of our groups meeting together at some time in the future. The Rocket Bakery The Rocket Bakery in St John s hosts a weekly session for traditional musicians. I attended this session and listened to an interesting mix of traditional music, many pieces I knew but which, through the aural tradition, had been slightly changed. The music being performed was predominantly Irish with Frank Maher leading the sets. On a personal note, the Rocket Bakery was not only a source of excellent music but of excellent cakes! The Rocket Bakery, downtown St John s Relevance to Other Traditions 29

30 Cape Breton, Newfoundland and Scotland - My Thoughts Meeting with key people in Cape Breton and Newfoundland and attending various traditional music events confirmed that the continuance of traditional music now has to rely on a combination of Government funded initiatives and the passion and enthusiasm of individuals to retain the fundamentals of the tradition as well as nurturing its development, in the context of contemporary music trends. I would like to make particular mention of Paul Cranford, Cape Breton, and Kelly Russell, Newfoundland. Through their dedication to print publications of music, which might otherwise have been lost, they have given traditional musicians a wealth of material to play and appreciate the foundations on which the traditional culture in Cape Breton and Newfoundland is based. Paul Cranford has also painstakingly transcribed many compositions written by Cape Breton musicians as well as publishing his own extensive catalogue of compositions. This demonstrates a continuing development of Cape Breton s traditional music. This is an invaluable resource for musicians providing ready access to Cape Breton music and also the music from which it originated. In Scotland printed music has also become more readily available than it was fifty years ago when it was mainly pipe music that was in print. Two collections by the Feis movement and publications by performing musicians have given todays musicians access to a much wider range of Scottish traditional music to perform. Finally, Scotland now has a well-established policy of supporting the development of cultural initiatives and it is to be hoped that this will continue as its success has reaped great reward both economically and culturally. Cape Breton is embarking on a period of identifying ways in which more formal means can be put in place to support traditional music and dance to ensure that a similar success can be achieved. 30

31 Relevance To Other Traditions The revival and strength of traditional music in Scotland has been part of a central and regional government-led renaissance of the national identity and culture in response to a political imperative, at a time when the survival of the Gaelic language and culture was under scrutiny and resources were available. In Eastern Canada, at the present time, the musical tradition is strong and flourishing, supported by exponent performers with global appeal and a community that recognises and supports its heritage. However, Cape Breton's population is approximately the same as that of the Scottish Highlands, and like the Highlands 30 or 40 years ago, there is uncertainty in economic prospects and a pull - geographically and culturally - on the attention of younger generation to other places and interests. The origins of Cape Breton's people are rooted in those of Canada. Scotland and a worldwide diaspora is connected to Cape Breton and there is a strong custom of exchange between them. The strength of culture and tradition is dependent on the activities and priorities of the generations. Whilst there is a "network" of performers and "administrators" to detect any requirement for initiatives to sustain the interest of younger people, these factors might present sufficient gravitas to aid "a movement" at national or regional level - as had been the case in Highland Scotland - lest time might find it needed. In the UK, it is the Celtic fringe that would appear to bear comparison with Scotland. Wales is a country, with its own culture and identity, language and musical traditions, international festival; and now it's own government and aspirations of independence. There would appear to be scope - subject to a national imperative decided by its own people - to resource the development (and its promotion to future generations) of their musical traditions. Elsewhere in the UK, there are regional customs, dialects and mores. Local identity and custom is strong and recognisable in a variety of ways, and the indicators are that identity at a regional level is to be recognised to some degree in governance in future. A particular 31

32 theme in my findings, is that the continuance of tradition is dependent on people, whether individuals or governments. This may be the foundation for stronger local identity and available resources. If it is, then it is the value placed on their musical tradition by local people and their motivation to act and inspire, that will determine the direction it takes and the strength at which it survives and prospers. I would inspire them to open up and maximise the opportunities presented by traditional music to their own people, young and old. 32

33 Nurturing And Developing Traditional Music My Contribution My visit to Cape Breton and Newfoundland and subsequent meeting with the musicians and individuals with a shared passion for traditional music has seen me return home with a resolve to continue to encourage and teach the next generations the joy of our traditional music culture. There is no single reason why traditional music sustains itself but one key element is the passion of individual people. They act as a conduit for others to learn about traditional music but also to acquire a better understanding of their own roots, musically and historically. As did those involved in nurturing and developing traditional music, I intend to apply my motivation and experience fourfold to influence and inspire future generations within the Highlands of Scotland and further afield: through personal tuition by encouraging young people individually or as groups of musicians to develop their skills as technically able instrumental and vocal performers. I run individual private classes for piano and accordion and weekly - two traditional 5-6 piece Ceilidh bands for young people between the ages of and through supporting traditional music tuition through the community-based educational structure, by voluntary involvement in school education for primary children; and by working within the Feis "movement" including by accompaniment and arranging music through continuing and strengthening cultural connections with the diaspora, notably exchange visits for young musicians trans-atlantic, within the British-European Celtic arc and further afield through personal development of my musical knowledge and experience, and in particular an understanding of the means of access to support mechanisms and resources necessary to fulfil these ambitions and opportunities for young musicians. 33

34 Summary of Progress to Date November 2014 ongoing - I have established two bands which have been successful at Festivals and have supported professional musicians at two concerts January Yvette Rodgers, Outreach Coordinator for Celtic Colours, visited Inverness to observe the bands I have set up and discuss the organisation of them February 2015 ongoing - I work freelance for the Feis movement April 2015 ongoing - volunteering for teaching in Primary School using traditional music when appropriate to the curriculum September establishing cultural links for my Ceilidh Bands with similar groups in Donegal, Eire sharing our respective cultures September investigating the possibility of establishing a voluntary organisation to promote the teaching and performing of traditional music\\ 34

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36 Itinerary Places Nova Scotia - August 21st to September 22nd Cape Breton Creigneish Judique Whycocomagh Cheticamp Mabou Sydney Englishtown Baddeck West Mabou People Frank MacInnis - Founder member of Cape Breton Fiddlers Association Celtic Music Interpretive Centre - Archive Allan Dewar - Music Director - Celtic Music Intrepretative Centre Burton MacIntyre- Founder member of Cape Breton Fiddlers Association Lawrence Cameron - Music Teacher Shelly Campbell - Fiddle Teacher and school teacher Paul Cranford - Composer, Publicist, Cranford Publications Heather Sparling - Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology, Cape Breton University Jane Arnold - Archivist Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University Kenneth Mackenzie - Professional Traditional Musician Newfoundland - September 22nd - October 5th Rodney MacDonald - Gaelic College Christina Smith - Fiddle Tutor Frank Maher - Accordionist Kelly Russell - Fiddle Tutor, Composer, Publisher Cape Breton - October 6th - 10th Cape Breton - October 11th - 19th Venues throughout out the region Cape Breton - October 21st - 24th Sydney / Judique - October 25th - 30th Holiday Break Celtic Colours Festival 2014 Various concerts and workshops (music and dance) Invited to perform in Whycocomagh Holiday Break Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University Celtic Music Interpretive Centre - Archive 36

37 Acknowledgements I would like to give sincere thanks to The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and the Finzi Trust for giving me the opportunity to broaden my understanding of traditional music in Canada in Cape Breton and Newfoundland. Without this support I would not have been able to enrich my own passion for traditional music and in turn bring added inspiration to the musicians, young and old, that I work with. I would also like to thank the generosity of the many people I met whilst in Canada. In particular in Cape Breton - Frank MacInnis, Burton McIntyre, Rodney MacDonald, Shelley Campbell, Allan Dewar, Lawrence Cameron, Monica MacNeil, Paul Cranford, Heather Sparling, Chris MacDonald, Jane Arnold and in Newfoundland - Frank Maher, Christina Smith, Korona Brophy and Kelly Russell. Finally I would like to pay tribute to my great uncle, Jock Linklater, who caught the musical imagination of a seven year old would-be pianist and accordionist. He saw something in that wee girl and had the patience to nurture her musical thirst! Churchill monuments St John s, Newfoundland and Halifax, Nova Scotia 37