The Lighthouse Collection
of newly composed Fiddle Tunes review by Mavis Hutchings.
Originally published in
Canadian Folk Music Bulletin (html links added to
original published review) Various Book-CD
bundles
available The Lighthouse
Collection of newly composed Fiddle Tunes, Original
Melodies in the Cape Breton, Irish, and Scottish Tradition,
Compiled by Paul Stewart Cranford (Cape
Breton Musical Heritage
Series) The
Lighthouse:
Cape Breton Fiddle Music by Lighthousekeeper Paul
Cranford and Friends (recording only - CD or
cassette) More
Tunes from the
Lighthouse
(2010)- 2CD set - 113 tunes from the Lighthouse
Collection performed by Paul Cranford and Mario
Colosimo.
The CD makes for enjoyable
listening as well as learning - I thought the best way to
approach writing about such a book would be to sit down and
learn a few of the tunes. Being particularly drawn to
several of the reels, I chose "Union
Street Session"
and "Aoife's
Come to Dublin,"
two of Paul Cranford's . The reels are all played fairly
slowly, with a lot of emphasis on phasing and timing, with a
lot of feeling which can be lost if the tunes are played too
quickly! I found with "Union Street" that I relied more on
the CD than on the notation to get the feel of the tune.
"Aoife's" was more straighforward for me. There's a very
nice waltz "The
Rocky Shore" also
by Cranford, which I have enjoyed playing - it has a great
deal of feeling as well as being very musical. I would say this book is a
must for anyone of intermediate and upwards ability wanting
to add some dynamic new tunes to their repertoire. It would
have been even better if accompaniment chords had been
added, and an index of the ornamentation symbols for those
not familiar with the language. It has certainly been an
enjoyable experience browsing throught the contents of the
collection and listening to the tunes. Playing them has been
quite magical; perhaps it's the feeling of being transported
to such an idyllic setting and capturing the feel of the
music. Thanks to Paul and friends. a different
review
... from Fiddler Magazine
book only
This 1996 collection is compiled by composer Paul Cranford,
a lighthouse keeper since 1975, who gains inspiration for
many of the tunes he writes by walking the shores, listening
sounds of the wind and waves. Many of the tunes in the
collection are his own, the rest collected from musical
friends. The tune types include marches, strathspeys, reels,
hornpipes, jigs,and waltzes, a a very well produced CD of a
large mumger of the tunes accompanies the book, as well as
being available separately. On the back cover is a detailed
list of the tunes featured on the recording, and at the
front of the book is an excellent index, with all selections
listed in their respective keys.Mavis
Hutchings, Calgary, Alberta
Photographs
from
The Lighthouse Collection
(all photographs by Wayne Barrett)
Machias Seal Island | Cranford the Birdwatcher | Cranford Biography
