Cape Breton fiddling

Cape Breton fiddling is a lively regional violin style which falls within the Celtic Music idiom. Cape Breton Island's fiddle music was brought to North America by Scottish immigrants during the Highland Clearances. These Scottish immigrants were primarily from Gaelic speaking regions in the Scottish Highlands and the Outer Hebrides. Although fiddling has changed considerably since this time in Scotland, it is widely held that the tradition has been better preserved in Cape Breton.

The types of tunes commonly associated with the style are Jigs, Reels, Marches, Strathspeys, Clogs (Hornpipes), and slow airs.

The style is characterised by up driven bowing. Some ornaments common to the style are cuts (called trebles in Irish Music), grace notes, and, to a lesser degree, double stops. While the music is Scottish in origin, the common repertoire of most Cape Breton fiddlers includes music composed in Cape Breton and Scotland alike. There are tunes of other origins common to the style (Irish, Canadian, French-Canadian etc.) however, they sound quite different from their original settings when performed by Cape Breton fiddlers.

Cape Breton fiddle music is strongly influenced by the sounds of Gaelic music, especially Puirt a Beul (Mouth Music). The ornaments are often compared to the sounds of the Great highland bagpipe.

Scottish composers popular in Cape Breton include: Neil Gow, Nathaniel Gow, and Scott Skinner Some well known Cape Breton composers include: Winston (Scotty) Fitzgerald, Angus Chisolm, Angus Beaton, Kinnon Beaton, and Jerry Holland.

Cape Breton fiddle music has received international recognition through the careers of Natalie MacMaster, Ashley MacIsaac and The Rankin Family. Well known performers of the traditional Cape Breton style include Buddy MacMaster, Winnie Chafe, Brenda Stubbert, and many more since the fiddle is so popular in Cape Breton.

Dance styles associated with the music are Cape Breton step dancing, Cape Breton square dancing (Iona style and Inverness style), and highland dancing.

Many of the tunes associated with Cape Breton fiddle music are also commonly performed on other instruments, especially bagpipes, piano and guitar. It is not unheard of for the music to be performed on harmonica, tin whistle, mandolin or banjo.

Cape Breton fiddling

See also