Bowing Down Home Oral History Transcripts

File: mcquaidjenny-oh-musicinhome_M.mp3

Speakers:

JM — Jenny O'Hanley McQuaid

TW — Teresa MacPhee Wilson

JM In those times, I remember — JD MacAdam and Chester played the organ, and JD played the fiddle and Albina stepdanced, she was a real good step dancer: a woman, Albina

File: sigsworthcosmas-oh-mothersrole_M.mp3

Speakers:

CS – Cosmas Sigsworth

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

KP: You said your mother would sing the rest of the tunes to you. How did she learn the tunes?

CS: Now where she was born, there was fiddlers lived on either side

File: stewartarchie-oh-tiresomeattimes.mp3

Speakers:

AS – Archie Stewart

AS: If you played the first four nights of the week, and a good friend come along and said, "Look, I'm having a house party Friday night, will you come and play," Now what are you gonna say? (laughs). You can't

File: macdonaldfrancis-oh-musicinfamily_M.mp3

Speakers:

FM – Francis MacDonald

FM My father's family, it was his mother that actually taught him how to play. And it was in her side of the family, the MacDonalds on her side of the family that were the musicians more so than my father'

File: cousinsjohn-oh-badinstrument_M.mp3

Speakers:

JC – John Cousins

JC: There was a belief in the community around here that if a man ever became a fiddler, a good fiddler – In order to be a good fiddler, you couldn't be any good for anything else. First of all it implied an addiction

File: arsenaultlouise-oh-gettingstarted_M.wav

Speakers-

LA: Louise Arsenault

KP: Curator Ken Perlman

LA: I was brought up in Mt. Carmel and my parents live in Mt. Carmel. I started playing the violin when I was 7 years old and my father also plays the violin and my

File: macdonaldhilda-oh-gettingstarted_M.mp3

Speakers:

HM – Hilda MacPhee MacDonald

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

GM – George MacPhee (Hilda's nephew)

HM: I guess I was six; as soon as I could hold the fiddle I started to learn.

KP: (to George MacPhee) This was your

File: farrellleo06-oh-gettingstarted_M.mp3

Speakers:

LF – Leo Farrell

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

LF: Well I'll tell you, my mother was a Woods from Miscouche. And after church – we're Catholics, I don't know what you are but it don't make no difference anyhow. After

File: quinnmerlin-oh-farmlife_M.mp3

Speakers:
MQ – Merlin Quinn

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

MQ: I probably remember what happened back in the '30's, that's for sure. Things were tough in the 30's alright but it seemed to be a nice way of living.

KP: What was nice about it?

File: chappellella06-oh-farmlife_M.mp3

Speakers:

EC – Ella Chappell

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

EC: We had no pump in the house; we had it outside and we had to pump the water and take it in. And then we had the old range stove and there was a big tank on the side which holded

File: raffertyervin06-oh-winterfarmwork_M.mp3

Speakers:

ER – Ervan Rafferty

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

ER: Well the people, they would haul marsh hay. They used to get the marsh hay 'cause it was great for milk cows, make them drink water, instead of the the salt cakes that they

File: gaudetdavid06-oh-gettingstarted_M.mp3

Speakers:

DG – David Gaudet

RG – Robert Gallant

KP- Curator Ken Perlman

KP: How did you yourself learn to play?

DG: I learned pretty well on my own.

RG: His brother kicked

File: chaissontimothy06-oh-familyinfluences_M.mp3

Speakers:

TC – Timothy Chaisson

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

TC: I learned a lot from Peter, he actually mentored me quite a bit: using the fourth fingers for example. He doesn't usually play open strings for fiddle I guess; his

File: morrisonrita-oh--musichome_M.mp3

Speakers:

RM – Rita Morrison

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

RM It was a family of ten.

KP Are you related to Joe MacDonald?

RM Not related, no, but we were very close friends over the years. They lived

File: chaissonjj06-oh-familyguidance_M.mp3

Speakers:

JC – JJ Chaisson

KP: Curator Ken Perlman

JC: All of our aunts and uncles and cousins always encouraged each other. But at the end of the day it's what we wanted to do. We had lots of suggestions B I took lots of