On Tue, 20 Feb 2001, SUZANNE MACDONALD wrote:
> Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 22:29:25 -0400
> From: SUZANNE MACDONALD <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [scots-l] Birlin'
>
> Wendy Galovich wrote:
>
> However it seems to me that at the dances and concerts I've been
> to on the island, and on the recordings I have, there is a sampling of
> Skinner tunes, but the Gows', the Lowes', Marshall's and MacIntosh's
> to name a few of the older composers. Among the more recent composers
> whose tunes I've frequently heard played in those venues are Dan R.,
> John
> Campbell, Donald Angus, Kinnon and Joey Beaton, Jerry Holland, Brenda
> Stubbert.. the list goes on.
> However if I'm understanding you correctly, it sounds like
> you're
> saying that there are more Skinner tunes in the Cape Breton repertoire
> than of any of the composers I just named off. That puzzles because it
> doesn't seem to line up with what little experience I've had of the
> tradition. Could you please explain further?
>
> The Gows published about 300 tunes [infamous for plagiarizing some of
> them] , Marshall about 250, Skinner about 600, Lowes collection is
> mostly traditional compositions. Skinner was not only the most prolific
> composer but he and Marshall are in a class by themselves. Winston
> Fitzgerald was, in the view of many, Cape Breton's most influential
> fiddler. If you check "Winston Fitzgerald, A Collection of Fiddle
> Tunes", edited by Paul Cranford, you will find that Winston's most
> popular composers were; Skinner, Henderson [ J. Murdock] Dan R. Mac
> Donald and Marshall in that order with Skinner having more tunes than
> all the others combined. Many of the local composes you list have added
> significantly to the repertoire. As you point out most of these are of
> relatively recent vintage.
Okay, if you're speaking from a "Winston perspective" I can
understand your comments better. I do have the book you mention and a
number of his recordings. And there is no denying the impact Winston's
playing has had on the present generation, and some of their choices of
tunes.
My question still isn't quite cleared up, however, because when I
asked it I wasn't thinking of just one player (however influential), but
all of the Cape Breton fiddlers I've been fortunate enough to hear either
in person or on recordings. Also the sheer number of tunes by each
composer doesn't really answer the question of how many of them actually
get played, how often, and in what venues.
The other unanswered piece of the question, which I didn't spell
out (my fault!), is where do Skinner's compositions fit into Cape Breton
step dance tradition - specifically the strathspeys.
The reason I'm still questioning this is that while I can think of
quite a few "listening strathspeys" by Skinner, I can only come up with
only one that is sometimes associated with him that is commonly played
for step dancers - Devil in the Kitchen - but The Scottish Violinist
credits a W.M. Ross for the composition, and Skinner for the fiddle
arrangement.
So perhaps looking at it from that viewpoint is my particular
"tunnel vision".. but the step dancing strathspey stands out in such sharp
relief for me as an important, distinctive part of the Cape Breton musical
tradition that I still don't see Skinner as a significant influence on
*that* part of it. Fair enough?
Wendy
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