Cranford Publications Cape Breton Island

Contact information Search for references to any tune, book or recording on this site Cranford Pub Search Engine

Sign Up for our Email Newsletter | View past newsletters

Celebrating the 150th Anniversary The Alexander Walker Collection - Will be released as an expanded digital edition in 2017 Cranford Publications specializes in Celtic fiddle music from Cape Breton, Ireland and Scotland. Proprietor Paul Cranford is a fiddler, composer and retired lightousekeeper well-grounded in the traditions of music he sells, performs and arranges. This site provides resources for a continuing tradition. We both create and distribute books of music notation and related recordings; materials intended to help you learn to interpret music. We also link to many other educational sites as well as to other fiddlers, luthiers, festivals etc. Our online store has remained the same since 1999. and with luck, later in 2017, we will find time to upgrade the look, feel and functionality of the store. The new store will also be mobile friendly and have the ability to sell digital downloads. As you explore the site you will find links to thousands of tunes. Check out any page which features a book or CD that interests you - on most you will find links to tunes. Many are posted as free, on-screen musical notation others as sound clips, midi files, ABCs or link to articles, photos and descriptions - all relating to books and CDs which we make or have made available in our on-line store. Old newsletters are worth exploring since they both synopsize content and provide links to tunes, videos, artists, books etc.

Cape Breton's Musical Heritage	Our on-line store allows secure credit card purchases for all the books and recordings we feature. We also take phone and mail orders.	The 9th book in our Series
SPECIAL - any eight books - $100	The Cape Breton Musical Heritage Series (currently 9 books) is still being compiled. The long term plan is for a 12 volume set. The Cape Breton Musical Heritage Series (links to descriptions of the individual books) 2 CDs of 100+ Paul Cranford Tunes	The Cape Breton Highland Collection A compilation of older Scottish pipe tunes arranged for fiddlers.

Select DVDs from Antigonish Film-maker Peter Murphy

Buddy MacMaster	Cape Breton Island	Step Dancing instruction

Paul worked as a lighthousekeeper from 1975-2009. Lighthouses proved to be an ideal place to research, write and practice. Working month on - month off, he started publishing books of fiddle music in 1979 with a reproduction of The Skye Collection and over the years has published over a dozen collections. His final lighthouse posting was Machias Seal Island a bird sanctuary located on the Canadian-US border in the Bay of Fundy. Since retiring from lighthouses, Paul has settled into full-time life in Cape Breton. In 2009, he was artist in residence for The Celtic Colours International Festival. In 2010 he released a double CD of original music titled More Tunes from the Lighthouse which contains over 100 previously unrecorded tunes - soundclips & notation are posted for every tune!. In 2011, he once again worked with Celtic Colours, this time producing The Celtic Colours Collection, a book of music to celebrate the festival's first 15 years. The year, 2013 marked the release of The Cape Breton Scottish Collection. In 2015 he was appointed The Patron of World Fiddle Day. Also in 2015 Paul completed The Cape Breton Highland Collection, Vol 9 of his Musical Heritage Series. Currently he is working on vol. 10, 11 and 12 - the next of which will be titled The Cape Breton Irish Collection. 2016 - preparing existing collections for eventually digital releases Paul is married to artist, fiddler, piano player Sarah Beck. Well-known for her pottery, her specialty is Raku animals. If you are touring Cape Breton during the summer months Paul and Sarah work together in her shop, Wildfire Books and Pottery. Located on the Cabot Trail, the shop also carries a good supply of the music books and CDs described on this site.

Sign Up for our Email Newsletter | View past newsletters