Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Fiddle music’s long and influential place in Canada’s history will be the topic of discussion at this month’s Tuesday Night at the Museum, held March 20 at the Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives.
Mixing a brief historical overview with toe-tapping jigs and reels, the talk will include Scottish, Irish, East Coast, French, Metis and Ottawa Valley tunes.
Mary Kennedy will lead the talk, accompanied by her band The Irish Trio.
“I talk a little bit about the invention of the violin,” explains Kennedy. “How it became a popular instrument. It’s easy to carry and pretty easy to make. (The talk) is basically how it came to be part of the culture of Canada.”
The talk begins with the instrument’s origins in Italy and how it became a household item for many families during the industrial revolution before working its way to Canada. She’ll touch upon the influences other cultures had on the music when they brought their songs and stories over to Canada starting in the 1600s during the fur trade, right up to the era of Don Messer.
“I’ll talk a little bit but then we’ll play some fiddle tunes and we’ll do some singing,” said Kennedy. “Songs like ‘I’se the B’y’ that go with the music we’re playing.”
The talk will also cover the traditions of early generations when entire towns would gather for fiddle dances. Before radio and television, songs were passed from one community to another by simply gathering together and playing music. With that came a uniquely Canadian sound, which drew upon influences brought over by immigrants from places like Ireland and Scotland.
The audience will experience the jigs, reels, hornpipes and songs that have been played in homes and dances for centuries. They’ll find out who the artists were that wrote the music, how they played their tunes and why the music continues to be popular in Canada to this day.
The event will get underway at 7 p.m. Tickets are $3 at the door.