Autumn is a remarkable time here on Cape Breton Island. Not only are the trees undergoing a stunning transition that transforms the landscape, but the island also comes alive with local music and tradition. Fiddle music fills the island’s churches, halls, and theatres thanks to annual festivals and concerts. This year, Cape Breton University will … More Writing (About) Music on Cape Breton Island
It was a great pleasure to meet some of you at the University of Aberdeen and I am looking forward to working with you in October at Cape Breton University. I have been invited to present on the role of Performance Studies and memory at NAFCo Workshop 3: ‘Memory, Music and Movement’ (Thursday October 5th … More Performance, participation, documentation and the archive. What can Performance Studies tell us? – Anna Birch
Introduction In 2014 I was invited by the Music Publisher, Schott Music to produce a book and CD of Canadian fiddle tunes as part of their world music series. One major caveat was that the tunes should no longer be in copyright. It was quite a challenge, no less because I hadn’t fully realised how … More Challenges encountered putting together a book of Canadian Fiddle tunes – Iain Fraser
One of my greatest frustrations when I first started working in folklore was the difficulty I had finding things. I’d read a story or, as was more often the case, hear a snippet of one, and think, “oh, I’ve heard that before.” And then I’d spend an inordinate amount of time looking for something that … More Fiddling with Computers – Tim Tangherlini
To be creative, for me, requires the right frame of mind. Working in the Academic environment with overlapping deadlines, multitudes of parallel work paths and the constant backlog of emails and so forth makes finding peace of mind to choreograph a challenge. However, sometimes I find the spark… Choreographing in traditional dance in the Scottish … More Ruidhle an Eilein: aspects of the choreographic processes and ideas when creating a new solo step dance – Mats Melin
In the summer of 2016 I was commissioned to write a piece of music for Fèis Rois, Ross-shire’s top arts organisation. It was to be the second in their series of commissions after John Somerville’s ‘Hector’ which told the story of a boat which left Wester Ross for Nova Scotia in 1773 and those on … More Writing on demand – Lauren MacColl
One of the important aspects of the debate between William Lamb and myself about the history of the development of dance and dance music in the Scottish Highlands concerns the history of the violin / fiddle. A new form of the instrument was the favoured one for élite dance traditions in western Europe from the … More On the Introduction of the Baroque Violin into the Gàidhealtachd – Michael Newton
You’ve probably never heard of the Cape Breton Inverness County Dance Project. That’s because it’s been all but inaccessible since it was created in 1986. Carmelle Bégin, an ethnomusicologist who was working for the Museum of History in Ottawa (known as the Museum of Man at the time), commissioned Barbara Leblanc, a bilingual Cape Bretoner, … More Discovering the Cape Breton Inverness County Dance Project – Heather Sparling
It’s a cold, grey autumnal Saturday in Aberdeen and I’m in my armchair by the fire, gazing out at the sky through a large, top floor window. My fairy lights are on, the room is snug from preparatory heating, and I’m full of oatmeal porridge, chosen as breakfast today for its soothing sustenance. I’ve promised … More On Creating – Claire White
For those who have never heard of this before, I suggest you start by watching this video: So, the story of the Clog-Fiddle, “träskofiol” in Swedish, goes back to the late 18th century, when people wanted to get their hands on a violin, but it was too expensive or hard to get. So they built their own … More The Swedish Clog-Fiddle – Ale Carr
