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   Newsletter - Autumn 2010

The North Atlantic Fiddle Convention, 2010

NAFCo 2010, the largest celebration of fiddle and dance held in the UK, fulfilled expectations in all respects. Artistically it was a huge success with many inspirational performances and great chemistry between all the performers and participants. Workshops were of a consistently high quality with an excellent take up, as well. The concurrent conference was both stimulating and enlightening with new ideas and original research presented. One particularly notable success was the event’s media impact with a number of advance features in newspapers and magazines, complemented by extensive national radio and television coverage. Significantly, the impact on the city and shire was considerable in terms of cultural tourism such that hotels and restaurants benefited substantially, and the wider general public were fully aware of the event, taking advantage of the many free performances, both by busking groups and at the free concerts at St Andrew’s Cathedral, the Kirk of St Nicholas, and the Cowdray Hall.

It was a truly North Atlantic event with twelve countries represented and many different cultures, besides, with the artists from Canada, for example, comprised of fiddlers from five distinct traditions – Cape Bretoners, Newfoundlanders, francophones from Québec, natives of Toronto, and First Nations people including Ojibwe and Métis. Of the several Scottish traditions represented, the Papa Stour Sword Dancers from Shetland on only their third visit to the mainland proved to be stars in more ways than one, alongside many well-kent names – including Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas, Paul Anderson, Lori Watson, Ronan Martin, Jonny Hardie, Liz Doherty, Kimberley Fraser, Troy MacGillivray, Lauren MacColl, Göran Premberg, Éric Favreau, Sabin Jacques, Alfonso Franco, Bryan Gear, Violet Tulloch, and many more. It is perhaps invidious to single out any one performance but the magic of Nic Gareiss’s dancing to Bruce Molsky’s masterful Appalachian fiddling is a memory that will abide, just as the energy and excitement of the First Nations fiddlers – the Oméigwessi Ensemble led by Teddy Boy Houle – infected everyone who saw and heard them.

Congratulations are due to all those who helped make NAFCo 2010 such a success – our partners Scottish Culture and Traditions (SC&T, especially Malcolm Reavell), our local steering committee, our funders and sponsors, our volunteers and stewards, our many supporters, and the organising team based at the Institute – Alison Sharman, Jill Strachan, Tom McKean, Norma Russell, and Carley Williams
(from the University’s Events Team).

The next NAFCo is all set for the City of Derry, Northern Ireland, in late June 2012, under the expert stewardship of Dr Liz Doherty of the University of Ulster.

Ian Russell

NAFCo 2010 – A Participant’s View

The latest incarnation of an extraordinarily successful combination of festival, multiple workshops, and scholarly conference, the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention, returned to Aberdeen in July of 2010, hosted by the Elphinstone Institute in partnership with the Scottish Culture and Traditions Association. This was, once again, a truly delightful and stimulating composite event. One could attend the academic conference on four successive mornings, then adjourn to one of many free concerts over lunch, then attend workshops and concerts in the afternoons, and finally enjoy still more concerts in the evenings and long into the nights. At the morning paper sessions at King’s College, I sampled papers and multi-media presentations exploring the ‘Roots and Routes’ of fiddling offered by scholars from as far away as Australia and as nearby as northeastern Scotland itself. Though I did not attend any workshops, I saw lots of happy faces emerging from them, and found the concerts uniformly excellent. My personal favourites included Scottish fiddler Carol Anderson, Hardingfele virtuoso Ingebjør Sørbøen, and fiddle/accordion duet of Éric Favreau and Sabin Jacques from Québec. These performers, whose homes’ geographical spread aptly represents that of the total event, weren’t even among the distinguished headliners, who included Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas playing at the opening reception.

Aberdeen itself and the surrounding countryside contributed mightily to my enjoyment of the visit, with its bustling centre – a gargantuan cheeseburger I vanquished there was both the costliest and best in my considerable experience – a pleasant introduction to haggis, and daunting spectacle of salmon negotiating cascades on their way inland. But the strongest impression I retain of my trip is of how the constituent parts of NAFCo reinforced each other. The caution characteristic of responsible scholarship and the boldness required of performance interacted, so that papers were uncharacteristically adventurous and concerts historically-informed without becoming stuffy. I look forward eagerly to NAFCo 2012.

Chris Goertzen, University of Southern Mississippi

From the Director

Inevitably we are experiencing a very busy and exciting time in the lead-up to the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention this summer, but, of course our other work continues apace.

I am pleased to welcome a new research student, Máire Ní Bhaoill from Dublin, who has commenced her part-time PhD studies. Her field of research is traditional singing among children in Ireland and she is particularly interested in identifying the Scots-Irish component in the North. She is also a fine singer, having been an All-Ireland Champion in both Irish (sean-nós) and English Traditional Singing at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and Oireachtas na Gaeilge during the 1980s. Two of our other research students are very near the completion of their PhD studies, having submitted their dissertations.

Recent PhD graduate, Frances Wilkins, will be lecturing at Rostock University of Music and Theatre, Germany, for a semester, teaching courses on Scottish music, Scottish traditional music by ear, and another on practical fieldwork, the outcome of which will be a public exhibition in March.

Over the past few years we have been offering support and guidance to Alison McMorland, who has been compiling and editing a book, with Elizabeth Stewart, of Elizabeth’s memories, stories, and lore of her Traveller family, the Stewarts of Fetterangus.  Alison has partnered Elizabeth in this laudable project, ‘Up Yon Wide and Lonely Glen’, presenting Elizabeth’s narrative, alongside transcriptions of her ballads, songs, and tunes (some of which are her own compositions). The book will also contain full scholarly apparatus and a fine set of photographs from Elizabeth’s family collection. Plans are in hand to publish the book jointly with a major publisher.

Two of my research articles are about to be published.  ‘Scotland’s Traditional Music and Song as Cultural, Social and Economic Assets’ in the Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies explores the contribution that the traditional arts makes to contemporary Scotland by using, in part, the methodology developed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. ‘Songs for the Bothy: Re-Creating Realities for a Fictive World’ in Folklore Historian discusses the history and development of song writing in the bothy idiom, the songs’ changing concerns and continuing relevance, from the nineteenth century to the present day.

Fiddle Papers Published

NAFCo 2010 also saw the launch of Crossing Over: Fiddle and Dance Studies from around the North Atlantic 3, edited by Ian Russell and Anna Kearney Guigné. This volume, the third in the series, features selected, refereed essays drawn from NAFCo 2008 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The theme of ‘crossing over’ highlights longstanding two-way intercultural communications between communities and cultures, across generations, between tradition and modernity, between innovation and revival, between music and dance, and between artistic performance and academia. The twenty-one selected essays cover a range of themes, from cultural politics to the aesthetics of fiddle music and dance, from the performer’s creativity to the contesting forces of continuity and change. Rhythm and local accent are acknowledged as the distinguishing features of different fiddle styles. The North Atlantic, in providing a unifying frame for these studies, is not conceived in terms of boundaries that separate and divide peoples, but rather as corridors through which cultures have flowed and continue to flow in a process of exchange and communication. (See back page to order).

Contributors include: Paul Anderson, Elaine Bradtke, Liz Doherty, Greg Dorchak, Laura Ellestad, Karin Eriksson, Holly Everett, Alfonso Franco Vásquez, Chris Goertzen, Jessica Herdman, Juniper Hill, Andy Hillhouse, Sherry Johnson, Anna Kearney Guigné, Anne Lederman, Mats Melin, Colette Moloney, Mats Nilsson, Evelyn Osborne, Ken Perlman, Sarah Quick, Owe Ronström, Ian Russell, Frances Wilkins.

Traditional Singing Celebrated at Cullerlie

The Cullerlie Traditional SingingWeekend got off to a great start on Friday night with the informal ‘come-all-ye’ ceilidh. In the relaxed atmosphere of the tea room, the organisers, guests and audience had equal opportunity to chat, sing and recite. Despite a few thoroughly deserved sore heads, a diverse range of workshops got underway on time next morning – all well attended. Elizabeth Stewart talking about her forthcoming book, Up Yon Wide and Lonely Glen about the Stewarts of Fetterangus, was a perfect end to the morning activities, and after lunch a series of informal sessions and singarounds made the afternoon fly past.

The Grand Ceilidh Concert on Saturday night was the first ‘formal’ event, and in their selection of guests, the organisers had ensured a varied and interesting line-up: Dave McCracken (Northumberland), Ellen Mitchell (Glasgow), Kevin Mitchell (Derry City, now Glasgow), Will Noble (Yorkshire),Mary-Anne Roberts (Trinidad & Tobago, nowWales), Lise Sinclair (Fair Isle), Tom Spiers (Aberdeen),Moira Stewart (Turriff), Grace Toland (Inishowen), and John Valentine (Cove, nearAberdeen). The marquee was packed, the audience were in singing mood and a good time was had by all.

A surprising number of survivors made it along to breakfast in the tea room on Sunday morning and the workshops and singarounds were once again all well attended.

All too soon the Farewell Ceilidh Concert was upon us and the guests, aided by a selection of floor singers – many of them guests from previous years who just keep coming back – produced another inspired performance to bring the weekend festival to a close.

Cullerlie is a gem in the Scottish festival calendar. The friendly atmosphere and seamless organisation make it a joy for enthusiasts of traditional, unaccompanied singing. Long may it continue.

Tom Spiers

Studying Pre-Nuptial Rituals in Northern Scotland

Pre-nuptial rituals for women in the north of Scotland have undergone a massive shift in the past thirty years, with the media describing hen nights as ‘female versions of stag nights’. With the recent development of commercialised, ‘package’ hen nights, there is a pressing need to document the vernacular traditions involved and, in view of the negative light in which they are currently regarded, to learn what their present form has to tell us about women as they approach marriage in the twenty-first century.

Over the years, I have worked as a career advisor and then a teacher of English Speakers of Other Languages for sixteen years in the Netherlands, Australia, Thailand and New Zealand. Returning to the North-East, I completed a part-time undergraduate degree in Scottish Cultural Studies, during which I did projects on ‘The Oilfield Names of the North Sea’, ‘The Route Names of Lochnagar’ and ‘Place Name Evidence for the Royal Forest of Drum’. At the same time, I set up my own business as an intercultural trainer, which I still run. This work has made me even more aware of Scottish and regional traditions, as I help incoming business people and students adjust to UK culture.

Pre-nuptial rituals are surely some of the most distinctive features of Scottish cycle of life traditions, so my PhD research will examine the form, meaning and function of these customs as they are practised today, their local and regional variations, as well as how they have evolved and how they are communicated and perpetuated. The ‘hen night party’ gives women the opportunity to engage in collective activities which license otherwise taboo behaviour. What impact does this have on group and individual identity, on attitudes towards the marriage, on society’s attitudes towards women? I hope that my work will go some way towards answering these questions and help us gain a better understanding of the social function of the traditions we see around us.

Sheila Young

The High-Kilted Muse: Peter Buchan and his Secret Songs of Silence

Ballads from Peter Buchan’s manuscripts and his Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland (1828) and Gleanings of Scarce Old Ballads (1825) contributed mightily – and still controversially – to F. J. Child’s English and Scottish Popular Ballads
(1882–98). But lovers of Scottish ballads and songs have long been aware of the existence of Peter Buchan’s ‘other’ manuscript, the Secret Songs of Silence, a collection of bawdy, ‘high-kilted’ songs, which the ethos of the time prevented him from publishing. Peter’s friend David Laing gave him this piece of advice: ‘as a father of six representatives of Father Adam, you ought to have some regard to the morals of those who come after you, to keep you from meddling in such things’. Eventually, the manuscript found its way to Harvard and, although it has been available in a few places to consult on microfilm, now, thanks to the perseverance of editor Murray Shoolbraid, you can hold it in your hands and turn the pages of a handsome hardback volume.

The High-Kilted Muse presents an eclectic selection of some of the more racy songs from the first decades of the nineteenth century, and in some instances earlier. Some of them are familiar, ‘The Crab Fish’ and ‘The Haggis o’ Dunbar’, for instance, but there are rarer items too, such as ‘The Soutter o’New Deer’ and ‘The Lasses of Kinghorn’. The latter was known to Greig and Duncan’s contributor Bell Robertson, and seems to come from a fairly obscure broadside, illustrating the diversity of sources represented in the Secret Songs.

Of course, we have always known that Scottish song was, and is, extremely diverse. Greig and Duncan showed that in the early twentieth century, and the Secret Songs helps flesh out the picture. There is plenty to explore. Bawdy songs at their best are often satisfyingly witty songs, and among my favourites are the tricking of the Devil pieces, ‘The Di’el and the Feathery Wife’ and ‘The Baker o’ the Town o’Ayr’. The edition comes with an introduction, commentary, appendices, and indexes, and a foreword by the master of bawdy, Ed Cray. Following the Glenbuchat Ballads, the University Press of Mississippi has once again done the Elphinstone proud.

David Atkinson

Battle of Harlaw Commemorated

As part of the commemorations of the 600th anniversary of the battle of Harlaw (24 July 1411), the Institute is promoting a conference, open to all, which will explore the historical and cultural background to the battle and its repercussions across the centuries.

The day-long event, to be held on 9 June 2011, will feature Dr Tony Pollard, Director of the Centre for Battlefield Archæology, University of Glasgow, discussing the material legacy of the battle in ‘What evidence for Harlaw?’. Also on hand will be Professor Richard Oram, Department of History, University of Stirling, to speak about the background history of the time. An array of other equally distinguished speakers will join us, including Dr John Purser on the music of the period and Charles Burnett, Ross Herald of Arms on identity and heraldry. Lastly, there will also be an exploration of the military strategies employed during the battle and David Irvine of Drum will speak on his ancestor, Sir Alexander Irvine of Drum, killed at Harlaw. Other topics covered will include archival evidence for the battle, the Gaeltachd and the Lordship of the Isles and the
cultural legacy remaining with us today in balladry, music, stories and place names.

The event is planned for the Trinity Hall of the Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen, where the Harlaw banner and sword are on permanent display. Some 100 places are available to the public, to academics, historians and members of interested groups and societies. The fee of £12 (concs £10) includes registration, morning and afternoon tea and coffee breaks and a conference pack. There will be a separate paid-for lunch of soup and sandwiches in the Trades Hall. You can register your interest through the Institute (contact details on back page).

Gordon Casely

Congratulations to Dr Fiona-Jane Brown

Fiona-Jane Brown was awarded a PhD for her dissertation, ‘Faith, Fear and Folk Narrative: Belief and Identity in Scottish Fishing Communities’, which combines oral history and ethnology to illustrate how identity is shaped by the stories we tell and how we tell them. Fiona-Jane writes, ‘The study encompasses fishing communities in the North-East of Scotland, the Outer Hebrides and Shetland. We can learn a lot about fisher identity - its substance and mechanism - through the study of personal narratives, the stories fishermen tell about themselves, their heritage, their environment and their skills. The major themes of this study are faith and fear, the former encompassing a range of strategies - some supernatural, some natural - which fishermen employ to cope with the latter. I also considered the factors which isolate fishermen from society at large, and those which fishers have used deliberately to isolate themselves from the landward community and even, at times, from other fishermen who are often their economic rivals at sea. I think the study demonstrates that belief and faith, as they are lived, form a major facet of fisher identity in Scotland. The expression of this identity is extended back to the past and forward into the future by the telling and retelling of personal narratives which will continue as long as their context exists: the sea.’

The Institute extends its congratulations to Dr Brown for her achievement.

Open Evening

Thursday 11 November, 6–9 pm
The Open Evening is a chance to meet the staff and students and see the results of some of our projects. We’ll have refreshments and an hour of entertainment from 7–8 pm.

Elphinstone Institute Publications

Our publications, including books, CDs and DVDs, are now available at the University’s on-line store. Point your browser to http://tinyurl.com/2g8ao9s, to purchase The High-Kilted Muse, Crossing Over, The Elphinstone Collection, Stanley Robertson’s and Elizabeth Stewart’s CDs and a range of other publications on fiddle traditions, songs and ballads, education, and more.

Page last updated: Thursday, 11-Nov-2010 23:44:30 GMT

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