|
||
|
|
|
|
| Carthy Sisco Lee Stripling Jim Ketterman Jim Evans Glenn Berry Harry Johnson Jeff Anderson Marilyn Scott Gil Kiesecker Floyd Engstrom Stuart Williams Vivian Williams Author: Brid NowlanPhotographer: Doug PlummerAbout the projectExhibit ScheduleWA State Old Time Fiddlers Association Home PageArchivesHome
|
Each group of
migrants to Washington State brought their music and musical instruments along with their
other material and cultural possessions. As fiddlers met and played together, they learned
new tunes, which they played in the style they had learned in their childhood homes. And
so, a fiddler from Missouri might adapt a Scandinavian walking tune as a hoedown to be
played at the next square dance. The next generation of fiddlers then learned this
collection of tunes and styles. This intermingling of styles continued through World War II, when people came from across the country to work in Washington's ship yards and aircraft factories. Over time a new regional style began to develop. But the social disruption of the Great Depression and the war led to a decline in the "old ways", including musical traditions. At the same time amplified music in larger dance halls replaced fiddlers at small community dances. As their music fell out of favor, many fiddlers hung their fiddles on the wall. Fortunately, interest in traditional fiddle music revived in the sixties and seventies and older fiddlers began to play again. All the fiddlers presented here learned to fiddle from the members of their local community. Most learned as children at square dances and kitchen sweats, while some took to fiddling after reaching adulthood. This group also reflects the origins of fiddling in the northwest. A group of fiddlers from the nineteenth century would no doubt have similar geographical backgrounds. These fiddlers represent an important phase in the ongoing development of our own, unique Northwestern style of fiddle music. This exhibit is from a book and CD due out in summer 2004, written and produced by Bríd Nowlan and Stuart Williams. This exciting new release from the Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association (which grew out of the District 8 workshop series) records the music and stories of twelve of our favorite fiddlers. The tunes on the CD (two from each fiddler) reflect the diverse origins of Northwest traditional fiddle music. The stories in the book show how fiddle music has been treasured and passed down from generation to generation. The featured tunes will be written out in standard notation in the book.
|
|||
