Print, Photographic
Chestico Museum
Tous droits réservés.
| Nom de l'objet : | Print, Photographic |
|---|---|
| Catégorie de l'objet : | Graphic Documents |
| Matériaux : | paper ink |
| Numéro d'accession : | CMP 08-68 |
| Autres données géographiques : | [45.955779575273,-61.504107476727] |
| Date de début de production : | 2007-01-01 |
| Date de fin de production : | 2007-12-31 |
| Description : | Photograph of John Alex "The Big Fiddler" MacDonald, Angus MacNeil, "Constant" Joe MacDonald and Percy Baker standing in front of an automobile. Constant Joes house is just visible at the left. John Alex is holding his fiddle and Percy his guitar. This is a copy of a photo from 1945. |
| Commentaires : | Percy Baker appeared on the CJFX radio program Fun at Five with Clyde Nunn. John Alex MacDonald was born in West Mabou on May 22, 1877 to Mary Meshag (MacDonald) and Ronald MacDonald. Allister MacGillivray wrote in The Cape Breton Fiddler that: When John Alex was about twelve years of age, he yearned to play the bagpipes, but his mother prevailed upon him to be a fiddler and obtained an instrument for him. She had a good knowledge of the repertoire for Scottish violin, and so did her husband, Ronald, who was a stepdance teacher. John Alex would slip away to the woods to practice and when he would return he would play for his mother. Sometimes she would exclaim in Gaelic. "Put it away, you're killing the tune!" Persistence on his part, however, paid off, and by age fourteen he was already supplying music at dances. John Alex, who was lean of build and stood 6'4" high, became known as "The Big Fiddler". A lively player with excellent timing, his dances in Mabou, Port Hood and Glencoe attracted enthusiasts from miles in every direction. Buddy MacMaster once said. "If John Alex was playing, it was sure to be a great dance!" In 1920, some years after his marriage to Margaret MacLellan, he moved his family to Port Hood where he took employment in the mines, all the while maintaining his busy dance schedule. Of this period, his daughter Esther recalls, "We ate music, morning, noon and night! On Sunday afternoons, especially. you'd find seven or eight fiddlers at the house - men like Peter MacPhee, Ambrose Gillis, Dan R. MacDonald, Jim and Alex "Lewis" MacDonald and Alex Michael MacDonald. Alex Michael (who used to charge a 25 admission for dances held in his house) was a good friend and neighbour, and he and Papa often played together in the later years." At one point. John Alex owned a violin which he nicknamed the big, white fiddle". Its original owner had done a rough job refinishing it, thus spoiling the tone. John Alex purchased the instrument for $15 and stripped it down to the natural wood, which gave it a light-coloured appearance. Donald Angus Beaton strung it up and it was found to have regained its beautiful sound. From then on, that white violin became "The Big Fiddler's" trademark. When it came to learning a tune, John Alex always preferred the "ear method" to the note method. He did, however, pick up the skill of reading music while in his late sixties. By then, he had become a famous Cape Breton fiddler, but, curiously enough, he would sometimes take a chanter and play a few selections, calling up memories of his childhood when he had longed to be a piper. In 1957, while staying with his son in Halifax, John Alex took a serious fall and subsequently died of his injuries the following January. John Alex The Big Fiddler is buried in St. Peters Cemetery, Port Hood. |
| Fonctions : | This copy was made for the Chestico Museum from the donor's original photo from 1945. |
| Longueur : | 21.5 cm |
| Largeur : | 27.9 cm |
| Établissement : |
Chestico Museum
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| Ville de l'établissement : | Chestico |
| Province de l'établissement : | Nova Scotia |