Overture

Music has been heard across this country since the natives crossed the Asian land bridge. Originally, Canada was home to a large number of First Nations, including the West Coast Salish and Haida, the centrally located Iroquois, Blackfoot, Huron and Cree, the Dene to the North, and the Innu and Mi’kmaq in the East. Each of the Indigenous communities had, and still have, their own unique musical traditions. Sometimes it’s in the form of chanting, other times it’s on uniquely crafted instruments. But everywhere across Canada the indigenous people have music.

Around 1000 AD the Vikings first came to Newfoundland and established settlements in L’Anse-Aux-Meadows on the Northern Coast. While their settlements survive very little is known of their music. While we know they sang and played instruments to enhance their everyday life and festive occasions., they had no means of notation so much of it that was not handed down to the next generation is gone forever.

In 1497 John Cabot came to the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador in his ship the Matthew and on board were many men and the Renaissance music of the day. The ballads, carols and madrigals were accompanied by fiddles, lutes and bagpipes along with a host of other instruments of the day. Fortunately, some of this music survives as music notation was developed to a near modern style in the 14th century.

The next century brought the French. Entertainment became the order of the day when they thought Good Cheer would ward off the affects of scurvy. Parisian music was everywhere along the St. Lawrence from Cape Royal to Hochelaga. Then the British came and we still have the bagpipes. As the country grew so do immigration and those immigrants brought the music from their homelands. Dutch, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Africans and many others all brought their music and the Canadian Melting Pot changed. So did it’s music. Then came the First World War and that’s where the recordings of the Library and Archives begins.

Notes

It’s an enormous task to cover this country’s musical heritage. Not only in distance but in over 10,000 years of history. While we will physically travel across this land from the Atlantic to the Pacific the songs we find, and their origins, will be from any time.

In Nova Scotia we meet up with the our regional guide Heather Rankin of the Rankin Family. She will take us to Lunenburg for the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival Aug 10-17. Then it’s along the Ceilidh Trail and we stop to enjoy square dancing in Mabou (Heather’s hometown) and the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique. Then, a meeting with the Mi’kmaq First Nations and an education on the history of their music.

In Newfoundland, Kim Stockwood (a St. John’s native) guides us on a trip through the newest province that few tourists ever get to see. Highlights include the Brimstone Head Folk Festival set in a picturesque cove with traditional Newfoundland and Irish music. Also the Tuckamore Festival in St. John’s where the city fills with the sound of over 30 performances of chamber music. And in L’Anse aux Meadows a stop for a meal at the Norseman and an evening of Viking music.

La Foire Brayonne awaits us in New Brunswick. Each August, the Republic of Madawaska invites everyone to immerse themselves in the vibrant Brayon culture and history during one of the largest Francophone festivals east of Quebec. In Miramachi we stop to soak in the Folksong Festival, Canada’s longest running folk festival. So, grab your fiddles and rosin up the bow.

No trip to Charlottetown, PEI is complete unless you spend some time walking in the shoes of the Fathers of Confederation and a trip back in time to the music of their time. Then off to Indian Riverfor some excellent classical, jazz contemporary and Maritime Music. While in PEI lets travel to Georgetown and visit Clogeroo, a foot-stompin’, rock n’ rollin, crowd-pleasin’ folk festival in the gorgeous gardens and scenic waterfront.

On to La Belle Province. There’s a strong component of Quebec’s musical heritage that is linked to the aboriginals. Bill wants to discover this art form and he plans to spend some time in the northern counties and soak in as much of their music as he can. In Quebec City they walk the historic city centre and take in Les Grands Feux Loto-Quebec, a pyromusical show fired from a barge on the St. Lawrence between Quebec City and Levis.

In Ontario a journey to Havelock and the 29th Country Jamboree, Canada’s largest live country music festival. Then on to Fergus and its Scottish Festival and Highland Games.

We head to Western Canada enter the Prairies. It’s only natural that they experience a close-up encounter with a herd of bison and learn about the music of the Red River pioneers. And while in Dauphin, Manitoba we must check out Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival.

People think Saskatchewan is miles and miles of wheat. It’s more than that. Saskatoon is home to Folkfest, a multicultural festival with 18 ethnic pavilions promoting their unique cultures.

In the foothills of the Rockies, the Alberta town of Stony Plain offers Canada’s largest bluegrass festival, the Blueberry Bluegrass Country Music Festival. We’ll meet Holger Peterson, president of Stony Plain Records, who will give us a very personal guided tour of the music of the province.

You can’t travel any farther west in Canada than British Columbia. In Kelowna we our guides Danny McBride and Kinga Heming. They will take us to the Salmon Arm Roots and Bus festival and the Pended Island Jazz festival. WE will also visit the Haida Gwaii and learn about their history of music.

Our last destination is the Northern Territories. There we will explore the Inuit culture and their unique throat singing and other forms of music.

With Canada fully explored it’s time to assembled this project and tell the history of The Lost Canadian Songbook.