Bowing Down Home Oral History Transcripts

File: dockendorffharold06-oh-escapingdance_M.mp3

Speakers:

HD: Harold Dockendorff

HD: One night my brother and I were playing at a school dance. It got pretty wild. So it was time to go home and it was after one o'clock. I had to go outside, pretend I had to go outside

File: smithtony06-oh-steannetwists_M.mp3

Speakers:

TS – Tony Smith

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

KP: A lot of fiddlers have commented about – That no two fiddlers play…

TS: The same.

KP: They might play the tunes the same way but they all

File: cheveriecharles-oh-rolewithfidsociety_M.mp3

Speakers:

CC - Fr. Charlie Cheverie

CC: Getting back to our friend Joe Chaisson. Joe died in 1981 in Rollo Bay. I went to the funeral, and the pastor at the time knowing my relationship to the Chaisson family asked me if I wanted to

File: macinnisbillysenior06-oh-donmesser_M.mp3

Speakers:

BM – Billy MacInnis, Sr

KP – Curator Ken PerlmanDid you ever meet Don Messer?

KP: Did you ever meet Don Messer?

BM: Yes I met Don Messer when he lived on Belmont St. in Charlottetown. I'd be about 7 or

File: robinsonpeter06-oh-ellerslieschoolprogram_M.mp3

Speakers:

PR – Peter Robinson

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

PR: I got the job as music teacher here in Ellerslie.

KP- I believe that you have started up a fiddle in the schools program?

PR

File: oconnorattwood06-oh-musichome_breakdowns_M.mp3

Speakers:

AO – Attwood O'Connor

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

AO: They used to come in, all the neighbors would come in there, it was a gathering place for all the young people in the community at that time. We used

File: bernardalvin-oh-decline.mp3

Speakers:

ES — Edwin Simmons

AB — Alvin Bernard

KP — Curator Ken Perlman

KP: Why did it start goin down? What would happen if a young fellow ... Let's say it was the 1950s, what would happen if a young fellow wanted to take up

File: cousinsjohn-oh-dealingwithchange_M.mp3

Speakers:

JC – John Cousins

JC: As a folklorist, I've had to sort of ponder the uses of these traditions. and it seems to me that the fiddling tradition served a purpose. People love to continue to play the fiddle; it's a continuance of a

File: huestislowell06-oh-nielsonandbear_M.mp3

Speakers:

LH – Lowell Huestis

LH: They [Messer and the band] stopped somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. There was a bear up in the road ahead, of their station wagon, And Duke [Neilson] told the driver, whoever was drivin' at

File: cheveriecharles06-oh-singingstrings_M.mp3

Speakers:

CC – Fr. Charles Cheverie

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

CC: On PEI in the last 10, 15 years – Was John and Jan Clemmens around when you were here before?

KP: Yes, Singing Strings?

CC:

File: biggarjackie06-oh-tunememory_M.mp3

Speakers:

JB – Jackie Biggar

KP – curator Ken Perlman

And a lot of times when I was learnin' I'd have a dream that I learnt the tune; I'd get up in the morning and play it. I'd be friggin' with it that night, and couldn't

File: mcquaidjenny-oh-consolidation_M.mp3

Speakers

JM — Jenny O'Hanley McQuaid

KP — Curator Ken Perlman

KP: When did they go from the old district schools — And I guess every community is actually a school district — Is that the way it works out?

File: doucettejoe-oh-howlearned.mp3

Speakers:

JD – Joe Doucette

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

JD: I was 6 years old.

KP: How did you go about learning to play the fiddle?

JD: How'd I go about it? Go hide somewheres with the

File: macdonaldpaul-oh-doublestops_M.mp3

Speakers:

PM – Paul MacDonald

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

PM: That's right. The most common one is…

Demonstrates Double Stop on G and B (strings 3 and 2, respectively)

PM There's G right there

File: swensonamy06-oh-donaghschoolprogram_m.mp3

Speakers:

AS – Amy Swenson

KP – Curator Ken Perlman

AS: The Donagh School is a new school, it's only six years old. The Donagh school parents wanted – They fundraised for a playground; they got the playground in and they wanted to