Fiddling Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Despite a rich musical history and reputation as the “Land of Song,” Wales, with its array of musical traditions, remains largely absent from scholarly musical study. Research regarding Welsh traditional music is relatively limited,... more
Despite a rich musical history and reputation as the “Land of Song,” Wales, with its array of musical traditions, remains largely absent from scholarly musical study. Research regarding Welsh traditional music is relatively limited, particularly in comparison with research regarding traditional music of other areas of the British Isles, and outdated, as few studies have been conducted recently enough to comment on the contemporary revitalization of Welsh language and culture and its effect on Welsh music. Seeking to bridge this gap in Celtic music research, I have studied Welsh traditional instrumental performance repertoire and practice through the medium of Welsh traditional music sessions in and around Cardiff. My findings suggest that, though several elements distinguish the Welsh session from other types of Celtic sessions, the texture of the Welsh session, which incorporates a significant homophonic element, an aspect that is absent from the majority of group instrumental traditions in the British Isles, contributes the most significantly to imbuing Welsh musicians with a sense of continuity with the past. Using Hobsbawm’s concept of invented tradition, I explore a continuum of musical traditions from the medieval bardic order in Wales to the modern Welsh session, identifying trends in the texture of sacred and secular music throughout history, their connection to current trends in Welsh traditional music texture, and the significance of those trends to the musicians of modern Welsh traditional music.
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... more
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. A more holistic view of the complexities of the Cape Breton fiddling tradition follows from a perspective not only of the socio-musical elements that shaped the historical narrative, but also of the musical elements of this dance-oriented “old style.”
In the first decades of the institution's establishment, Claflin University board members indicated all enrolled students should have access to a string instrument, preferably a violin. The guideline fostered a tradition of string music... more
In the first decades of the institution's establishment, Claflin University board members indicated all enrolled students should have access to a string instrument, preferably a violin. The guideline fostered a tradition of string music at the Historically Black University; however, it is also representative of the broader traditions of string band, and old-time music performed by African Americans. Within this essay, I explore the history of string music at Claflin University in an effort to situate this local tradition within the larger regional tradition of Black string bands in the Carolinas. The Piedmont region of North Carolina is frequently cited within the discourse of Black string band and old-time music, as well as the revival of the traditions with the recent success of the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
The requirement of accessible string instruments for Claflin University students indicates a potential expansion of Black string band musicians beyond the Piedmont region and into Spartanburg and Orangeburg counties of South Carolina. Using archival research I present a history of Black string music at Claflin University within the context of Black old-time traditions in South Carolina. Within the last year, I have been working with students to transcribe and perform Black string band music. Along with the historical analysis, I also present an ethnographic study of Claflin students and their ideas on race and identity as they engage with Black string band traditions.