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MF 102 Miramichi Folksong Festival
Collection
Number of
Interviews: 9
Dates When Interviews Were Conducted: 1958-1987
Time Period Covered: 1950’s - 1980’s
Principal Interviewer: various
Finding Aides: brief indexes of song titles
Access Restrictions: #850
Descriptions: This collection includes a series of interviews
relating to the Miramichi Folksong Festival and recordings of
various years of the festival. The Miramichi Folksong Festival takes
place annually in Newcastle, New Brunswick. It was founded by Louise
Manny in 1958 as a means of showcasing and preserving the
traditional songs and ballads of New Brunswick, especially those
found in the Miramichi River region.
SEE ALSO:
MF 032 Louise Manny / Lord Beaverbrook Collection;
MF 008 Norman Cazden Collection; and
MF 027 Edward D. Ives Collection.
622 Ireland, Florence. Summer 1970. New Brunswick: Newcastle,
Glenwood. 20 pp. Tape: 6 hrs. w/ brief cat. & trans. Miramichi
Folksong Festival, August 10-11, 1970; interview with Wilmot
MacDonald and Peter Shepheard. T341 - T343
850 Wilson, James R. Spring 1975. New Brunswick. 9 pp. Tape:
2 hrs. w/ brief cat. Two reel tape recordings containing interviews
conducted by Helen Creighton with some of the participants from the
First Annual Miramichi Folk Song Festival held in New Brunswick in
1958. The recordings were made after the festival was over and were
supplied to Edward D. Ives by James R. Wilson. Singers and
informants include John Underhill (Northwest Bridge), Mrs.
John Ryan (Nordin), John Holland (Glenwood), Marie and
Perley Hare (n. p.), Finvola Reddin (n. p.). Songs
include “Banks of the Gaspereaux,” “Jam on Gerry’s Rock,” “Gallant
Brigantine,” “Jeannie Ferguson,” “Lighthouse Keeper’s Wife,” “The
Stowaway,” “Napan Heroes,” “James McGee,” “Banks of the Little Eau
Plaine,” “Will a Monkey Climb a Tree,” “First Young Man Came a
Courting Me,” “Banks of Mullin Stream,” On the Banks of the Clyde,”
and several others. RESTRICTED: (Taped copies must be obtained from
the National Museum of Canada). T788 - T789
851 Wilson, James R. 1960 & 1962. New Brunswick: McNamee. 10
pp. Tape: 2 hrs. w/ brief cat. Interview with Billy Price,
guide and lumberman, recorded by James Wilson at McNamee, New
Brunswick on August 4, 1960; September 4, 1960; and August 23, 1962.
Interview includes recordings of songs sung by Price including
“Dungarvon Whooper,” “Messenger Song,” “Pride of Glencoe,” “Dark
Eyed Sailor,” “Benjamin Deane” [recited], “Banks of the Gaspereaux,”
“The Soldier’s Prayer,” “Dan Curvy [Curry],” “Peter Emberly,” “Eliza
Long,” “Mantle of Green,” “Maid of Dunmore,” “The Apprentice Boy,”
“The Blue Eyed Boy,” “The Weaver’s Daughter,” “Benjamin Deane,” “On
Board the Victory,” “Captain Moore,” “Banks of the Claudie,” “James
MacDonald,” “Effie the Maid of the Mill,” “The Winding Shores,” “The
Sku-balled Mare,” and perhaps a few others. Also, two clippings
“Miramichi Ballad History Recalled” [1961, about Peter Emberly] and
“The Days of Duffy Gillis” [poem dated 1899]. T790 - T792
852 Wilson, James R. August 1963. New Brunswick: Bloomfield
Ridge. 11 pp. Tape: 1 hr. w/ brief cat. Brief tape recorded
interview with Irvine Van Horne, who sings and discusses two
songs and recites part of a third. Recorded by James Reginald Wilson
at Bloomfield Ridge, near Boiestown, New Brunswick, August 15, 1963.
Songs are “Donahue’s Spree” and “The County Line” (also known as
“The Rose Ann Song”). Mr. Van Horne begins to recite a third piece
which is untitled but is about “Rocky Brook” [fragment]. Woods poet
and song maker Larry Gorman is mentioned briefly in the interview.
Accession consists of the tape and a rough transcript, including
song lyrics. T793
1008 Cazden, Norman. August 1966. New Brunswick: Miramichi.
27 pp. No Tape. Brief cat, of songs sung. Collection of tunes sung
at the Ninth Annual Miramichi Folksong Festival, August 15 — 17,
1966. 21 pages of handwritten notations of tunes with notes.
1526 Swearingen, Lee. Summer 1972. New Brunswick: Newcastle.
12 pp. Tape: 4 hrs. w/ brief cat of songs and performers. Recording
of 1972 Miramichi Folksong Festival. T1623 - T1625. [See also
P426 - P431] (photos of performers taken by Jayne Lello).
1989 Steiner, Margaret. Summer 1986. New Brunswick: New
Castle. 15 pp. Tapes: 9 hrs. w/ brief cat. Recordings of and from
the 29th annual Miramichi Folk Festival which include interviews
with Allan Kelley, Leontine Kelley, Velma Kelley, Perley Hare
and Marie Hare. C474 - C482
1990 Ives, Edward D. Summer 1987. New Brunswick: NewCastle.
10 pp. Tapes: 6 hrs. approx. Recording of the 30th Miramichi
Folksong Festival in the Lord Beaverbrook Town Hall, Newcastle, N.B.
Also includes programs and newspaper clippings relating to Festival.
C483 - C488
1992 Taylor, David. Summer 1975. New Brunswick: New Castle. 4
pp. Tapes: 3 1/4 hrs. approx. Recording of the final night of the
Miramichi Folksong Festival. Also includes letter from David Taylor
to Edward Ives. T1958, T1959
2571 [Wilson, James][?]. 1958. New Brunswick. Twelve (12) 7”
tape reels documenting the 1958 Miramichi Folksong Festival held in
New Brunswick. No other documentation available at time of
accessioning. Source reels 2571.1 - 2571.12 During
preservation re-recording, the engineer prepared detailed log sheets
for the twelve reels. These are now in the accession envelope.
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