In 1978, I received a $2,000 Canada Council Grant to seek out fiddle players in Newfoundland & Labrador, record their music, and eventually reproduce it as a music book. I recorded many fiddlers during the subsequent 2-3 years. While I didn’t visit every fiddler, this collection is a fair representation of the fiddle music played in the Province then. The fiddlers have since passed on, and this collection is a permanent record of their music.

Most fiddlers I met were aged 50 to 80, and many had not played for years. Performance quality and ability to recall tunes varied from one player to another. However, I did find many unique tunes. These musicians were a valuable source of traditional music; through them, we get a musical glimpse into a bygone era.

My appearance on six episodes of a local CBC TV show called The Root Seller with The Wonderful Grand Band worked to great advantage. I was welcomed into many homes with “Look who’s here, it’s that fiddler from TV.” More than once I showed up on someone’s doorstep without prior notice, my fiddle and tape recorder in hand, having been directed there by someone else in the local area. Being a fiddler myself was a great asset as I shared an immediate common bond with my informant. Often, my playing would spark a recollection that resulted in a new tune.

I often heard comments like “I don’t play it much anymore,” “I used to know a lot more tunes, but I can’t think of them now,” and “There used to be a lot more fiddlers here one time,” indicated that I was documenting the last remnants of a musical tradition which had all but died out in most areas of the Province. I regret not taking more personal notes on the fiddlers themselves. Many were reluctant to speak when the tape was rolling, nodding at the recorder once the tune had been played to indicate that I could turn it off. Almost 45 years later, it is difficult to recall much detail. I am indebted to my wife, Tonya, for obtaining additional information on many players.

As I listen to the tapes now, I often hear myself asking for local tunes. I knew that repertoires contained a mixture of local music, which I was keen to uncover, and tunes learned later from radio and records. Often, the fiddlers didn’t know the source of the tunes, although my request for old music would usually reveal a unique musical gem for the collection.

Fiddlers only sometimes knew the names of the tunes they played. Consequently, many tunes with names like Old Reel # 1 are presented here. I assigned the missing title if I knew or could find it. Sometimes, I have named the tunes from something the fiddler said, like Father Whistle This One, or after the fiddler himself, like Ike Chambers Jig. It was often the case that numerous fiddlers played the same tune. I have selected the best version and indicated in the notes which other tunes they played. In this way, I show the broader repertoire of each fiddler without repeating similar versions of the same tune.

It is interesting to note the different regional styles of music, which correspond with historic settlement patterns. For example, the island’s west coast music is more Scottish and French-based, with some English and Quebec influence added on the Northern Peninsula and largely Irish on the Avalon Peninsula. Many fiddlers had slightly different versions of commonly played tunes. It’s important to note that many of these tunes are not found elsewhere and are unique to Newfoundland & Labrador.