It is my pleasure
to review this new collection as it has been my pleasure
to play the music ably presented within its covers. The
collection is subtitled "A Compilation of 267 Melodies/
Music arranged from the repertoires of past and present
members and friends of the Cape Breton Fiddlers
Association". And that's what it is. Distribution might
have been confined to membership but it was decided to
not horde treasure. Why should a fiddler not from this
island be interested in the repertoire of a provincial
club of amateurs? Because Cape Breton is to fiddle tunes
as Italy is to coffee. The worst cup of coffee I had in
Italy was better than the best I tasted anywhere else.
The least of the tunes in this collection is worth
playing and hearing. The best are classics. Many were
composed by members and friends of the Association; the
balance are traditional tunes in settings that differ
from what is found in the old Scottish collections and
which reflect past and present musical style on Cape
Breton Island.
The concept of "past
and present" is key to this book. There's a sort of
sci-fi Many Layers Of Time aspect to the collection.
Instead of a snapshot of typical or favorite tunes of the
Association at a moment in time, there's a kind of
palimpsest of various moments in its history. It's a
great idea and well realized.
About twenty-five
percent of the composers are women. Tunes composed by
fiddlers without Scottish ancestry and by those from
beyond the island are also represented. The newly
composed tunes and the eighteenth century tunes are of a
piece. Much of the old informs the new here, and newer
sensibilities do not destroy the beauty of the older
tunes as has happened elsewhere.
The repertoire is
presented according to tune type (reel or jig or lament
for instance) with tunes organized according to key.
Whether by design or happy accident the sequence of tunes
within each key makes musical sense. Within each tune
category there is a good variety of compositional style,
musical mood, and sonic color. Some of the tunes are
followed by commentary by the editor or by its composer.
Four pages of introduction provide context. There is an
alphabetical index and a composer's index. The print is
big and readable. The book stays open and doesn't close
like a clamshell and leap off your music stand knocking
over your cup of Red Rose tea. Highly recommended.
--- Jody Stecher
