Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: Ottawa Valley fiiddle with mandolin

  1. #1
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Ottawa, Canada
    Posts
    1,733

    Default Ottawa Valley fiiddle with mandolin

    Here's a piece from Roma MacMillan, a fine fiddler who played into her 90's, playing Lou Sullivan's Horpipe with Daniel Ladouceur on mandolin. Roma was a fiddler from my current region, and the session was recorded in Hull, Quebec, now central Gatineau, across the Ottawa River from Ottawa. The mandolin and fiddle were both playing melody, so for deef ol' fellas like me, it's sometimes hard to distinguish the mandolin. (I hope I won't much to say about this recording as I did about the Cape Breton mandolin recording that I recently posted.)

    Added: This fiddle/mandolin combination isn't common in the Ottawa Valley, where the mandolin is often associated with bluegrass and Celtic music.

    If the links don't work, search YouTube for "Lou Sullivan's Hornpipe - Roma McMillan On Fiddle - 1980".

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o2D...cneilPrudhomme



    Roma McMillan:
    http://www.ottawacountrymusichof.org...mamcmillan.htm

    Daniel Ladouceur:
    https://www.discogs.com/Daniel-Ladou...lease/11722240
    Last edited by Ranald; Sep-08-2021 at 8:19pm. Reason: additional info
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

  2. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Ranald For This Useful Post:


  3. #2

    Default Re: Ottawa Valley fiiddle with mandolin

    Randal. Thanks for sharing this one. It's seems that there is often a fine line between a hornpipe and a barndance.

  4. The following members say thank you to Munnix for this post:

    Ranald 

  5. #3
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Ottawa, Canada
    Posts
    1,733

    Default Re: Ottawa Valley fiiddle with mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Munnix View Post
    Randal. Thanks for sharing this one. It's seems that there is often a fine line between a hornpipe and a barndance.
    To the best of my knowledge, the term "barn dance" isn't used in Canada to denote a particular style of tune or dance (in the sense of jigs, reels, hornpipes, waltzes, etc.). However, it's used to describe a country dance, as in "Going to The Barn Dance Tonight," the theme song for the Don Messer Show. I think the term is a borrowed Americanism (or UKism perhaps). In my nearly 70 years, the closest thing that I've seen or heard of to a Canadian barn dance was on an album cove. And even there, folks were dancing with straw on the barn floor, which suggests to me that the fiddler had never really been to a barn dance. If the hosts hadn't swept the straw off the floor, I assume the dance would be a slippery and dangerous one. Believe me, there are few barn floors in Canada that I'd want to grace with my wingtips!
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •