Stubbert Book Review
Brenda Stubbert's Collection of
Fiddle Tunes 131 traditional and original
melodies edited by Paul Stewart
Cranford Review by Kate
Dunlay This beautifully produced
book is the second in The
Cape Breton Musical Heritage
Series, which
editor Paul Cranford introduced in 1992 with Jerry Holland's
Collection of Fiddle Tunes (Revised Edition). These
collections focus on contemporary performers and the
continuing musical tradition in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
They contain both traditional and newly composed tunes from
Cape Breton, Scottish, Irish, and other sources, as played
by the featured performer. A significant number of the
melodies are compositions by Jerry Holland and Brenda
Stubbert, as both are prolific composers of tunes that are
being learned and played by others in the
tradition. Cranford is no newcomer to
the field, having previously published several facsimile
reproductions and new editions of old Scottish music
collections. While these are useful, especially to the
researcher, it is with his most recent projects that
Cranford makes his greatest contribution. His new, personal
approach is effective because it gives the reader a
meaningful cross section of a tradition, rather than reams
of dry notation. Because the pieces are selected and
filtered by one performer's taste, a style is conveyed.
Pictures and biographical information further flesh out the
music. One even gets a sense of the editor's own personality
through his editorial commentary, which is written in first
person. The informal, yet highly informative footnotes
provide some history and context for the music, and draw the
reader into the fiddler's circle. Even more of these brief
notes would have been welcome. The tunes are organized
with the convenience of the user in mind. In Brenda
Stubbert's Collection, jigs are in one section while slow
airs, marches, strathspeys, reels, and hornpipes are in the
other; Cape Breton fiddlers normally play jigs in separate
medleys from the other tunes, which are grouped together
according to custom. The melodies in the book are also
organized alphabetically by tonic note, as Cape Breton
fiddlers usually base each medley on one tonic note
(although they may switch back and forth between
modes). The music setting in the
book is attractive. Conventions used are appropriately those
familiar to "folk" fiddlers. It would have been helpful for
classically trained musicians had Cranford included the
paragraph explaining ornamentation in Brenda Stubbert's
Collection that he printed in Jerry Holland's Collection.
However, those who are unfamiliar with how the symbols are
being used can always purchase and listen to
Stubbert's
recordings. Even an E-flat accidental
which appears in "Beautiful Point Aconi," written in the key
of E (four sharps) can be excused on the basis that it does
communicate clearly. Classical musicians may have to look
twice because the note ought to be a D-sharp (already
indicated by the key signature), but "folk" fiddlers don't
see a D-sharp played on the D string very often; presumably
the E-flat is less confusing. Publishers of tune books
always struggle to find a binding that is flexible, yet can
stand up to heavy use. The stapled, single-signature format
of Brenda Stubbert's Collection allows the book to lie flat
for sight-reading ease. 'This type of binding also is easily
repaired, if ever torn, and the cover seems
sturdy. At the end of this volume,
there is an index of tunes compiled from selected books
available from Cranford Publications. This is useful for
researchers or anyone looking for a particular tune. Until
someone compiles a huge computer data base to find tunes by
name, it at least eliminates looking through six separate
indexes! This reviewer will reserve
space on her bookshelf, in hopes that Cranford continues to
expand his Cape Breton Musical Heritage Series.
Brenda
Stubbert's Collection of Fiddle
Tunes is certainly
an excellent product. review by Kate
Dunlay, 1995
Cranford Publications.
Mississauga, Ontario