“The Instrument You Stretch”: The Absorption of Free Reed Instruments into the Arctic Landscape

Research output: Contribution to conferenceUnpublished paperpeer-review

Abstract

Whilst many people might associate the North-East and Northern Isles of Scotland with fiddle music and ballad singing, there has been much less awareness of the region’s heritage of free reed instruments and the number of players today is relatively few. But you don’t have to go back far in history to see that button boxes, concertinas, moothies and Jew’s harps have played a vital role in shaping the musical traditions of this area, both in the farming communities and amongst the seafaring population. During the late nineteenth century, button boxes and concertinas, moothies and Jew’s harps made their way onto whaling ships bound for the Arctic, where they were commonly played by Scottish sailors. This, along with the music introduced by American whalers, had a profound impact on the musical traditions of those dwelling in the Arctic, most notably the Inuit. In this paper, my aim is to discuss the tradition of playing free reed instruments onboard whaling ships, the introduction of these instruments to the Inuit populations, and the adoption of the instruments and their associated music into the Inuit musical world. The paper will be illustrated by music and interview material from recent fieldwork in northern Canada.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusUnpublished - 6 Nov 2015
EventMouth Blown and Bellows Blown: Free Reed Instruments in their Social Contexts - MacRobert Building, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Duration: 6 Nov 20156 Nov 2015

Conference

ConferenceMouth Blown and Bellows Blown: Free Reed Instruments in their Social Contexts
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityAberdeen
Period6/11/156/11/15

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