When I moved to the Yukon, my mother started sending me books, for Christmas or a birthday, with inscriptions like “Come home soon.” The books are collections of Maritime folk songs, transcribed from field recordings by Helen Creighton. This lady travelled all over the region from the 1920s to the late ‘60s, collecting songs and folklore from sea captains, sailors, local people who shared their songs and stories. I never did much with these books while I was up north, but now that I’m back in NS, I have pulled them out of their boxes. As musicologist Kenneth Peacock says in the introduction to one from 1961, “The oldest songs are the fewest, and usually the best.” With the newer songs, he says in a delightfully snobbish academic way, “The time span has not been sufficiently long to allow the inferior songs to sink into oblivion.” The simple folk melody “must be good enough to withstand constant repetition and at the same time offer ample scope for expressive ornamentation.” If you’ve ever gone to an old-time jam you know about endless repetition! The “crooked” tunes are good because they keep you on your toes by not following a standard four-bar phrase, but they can also be jam-wreckers. The strongest melodies come from modal music, which can be traced back to ancient melody-based music - Gregorian chant and beyond. That’s what originally drew me to the banjo and old-time music of the American south, along with the groove and earthiness of the sounds. Maritime music also relies heavily on the modes, and shares many of the same songs of French, English, Scottish and Irish origin.
I started looking for existing material to work with because there are so many songs. I have some things to say, but honestly! Music is transient and ephemeral, sure, but it’s becoming like the auditory version of plastic junk and clutter. These old songs are interesting because they have beguiling, strong melodies full of potential to be interpreted many ways. A lot of them work surprisingly well with clawhammer banjo. Improvisations around them can be pretty thrilling. I get really excited to think where I and my new musical companions in NS can take these tunes.
I am aware there is controversy around the legacy left by Helen Creighton. She was a product of her class and time. I will be looking to other sources as well, and looking to collaborate in a spirit of openness and inclusivity. These books my mother gave me are a start to it. The lyrics are another challenge. I think as I get into this, I will want to re-write some, add and subtract, and respond to some with new material. It is interesting to put the archaic lyrics in a modern context, remind ourselves of our colonial past, look at where people were and where we are going. I’ve recorded three of these songs on my new album which will be out in September, and I expect there will be more to come. So many songs, beyond the Creighton collections, and so much potential for collaboration, I’m going to have to go deep!