Dates of Creation
1991-1992
Physical Description
61 videocassettes (ca. 85 hr.)
Administrative History
[no administrative history available]
Scope and Content
This series contains 61 videocassettes of taped interviews with fiddle players from across Prince Edward Island. The interviews, which were conducted by Ken Perlman and filmed by volunteers, were often held in the kitchen or living room of the individual being interviewed. Topics covered in these interviews include how and when the individual learned to play the fiddle, learning new tunes, the role of the fiddle player in the community, stories about attending house parties, weddings and ceilidhs, step dancing, variations in Island fiddle playing styles, and the impact of the radio and well-known fiddlers such as Winston “Scotty” Fitzgerald, Angus Chrisholm, and Don Messer on the Island fiddle culture. Years of birth, family background, and occupational information is also often provided. Each interview also includes musical performances during which the fiddle player(s) is usually accompanied by piano, guitar, mandolin, or a step dancer. Perlman often joins in on banjo during the performance portions of the interviews.
Source of Title
Title based on the contents of the series
Finding Aids
ITEM LISTING AVAILABLE - [PDF]
Sample Interview Clipping
Archie Stewart - "The Minister, the Teacher, and the Fiddler"