Annotation:Tamerack 'er Down Reel: Difference between revisions
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|f_annotation='''TAMERACK 'ER DOWN REEL.''' AKA – “Tamarack 'er Down.” Canadian, Reel. Canada; Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island. A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. "Tamerack 'er Down Reel" was composed by Mabou Coal Mines, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, fiddler Donald Angus Beaton (1912-1982). A tamerack ([[wikipedia:Larix_laricina]]) is a kind of cold-tolerant larch tree often found in swampy lands. The wood has minor commercial uses, but was used by native peoples to make snowshoes. The late Ontario fiddler Graham Townsend's father, Fred Townsend, was a dance caller for Don Messer's Islanders and used a call that goes "Tamarack 'er down on the old plank floor, that's all there is, there ain't no more!" Tamerack, being a cheap but resilient wood, was placed on the floor to protect it from the wear and tear of stepdancing, as noted in this printed remark from Ontario: | |f_annotation='''TAMERACK 'ER DOWN REEL.''' AKA – “Tamarack 'er Down.” Canadian, Reel. Canada; Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island. A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. "Tamerack 'er Down Reel" was composed by Mabou Coal Mines, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, fiddler Donald Angus Beaton (1912-1982). A tamerack ([[wikipedia:Larix_laricina]]) is a kind of cold-tolerant larch tree often found in swampy lands. The wood has minor commercial uses, but was used by native peoples to make snowshoes. The late Ontario fiddler Graham Townsend's father, Fred Townsend, was a dance caller for Don Messer's Islanders and used a call that goes "Tamarack 'er down on the old plank floor, that's all there is, there ain't no more!" Tamerack, being a cheap but resilient wood, was placed on the floor to protect it from the wear and tear of stepdancing, as noted in this printed remark from Ontario: | ||
<blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
''Many of us remember the dance hall called Sunnydale Acres on Lake Dore, or Royal Pines at Higgison's Hill. | ''"Tamarack'er down on the red pine floor!" Many of us remember the dance hall called Sunnydale Acres'' | ||
''on Lake Dore, or Royal Pines at Higgison's Hill. Some of us know how to tamarack'er down as the fiddle'' | |||
''plays and the caller shouts, "partners for a square." Only a few may know why it was "on the red pine'' | |||
''floor." A red pine floor was considered a hard surface; tamarack was even tougher. If you've listened'' | |||
''to a step dancer slap the floor, you get the idea easily''<ref>Bonnechere Museum, Eganville, Ontario, website, "Expressions" [http://www.bonnechere.ca/cultural-history/museum-related-news-articles/oct-22-expressions/].</ref> | |||
</blockquote> | </blockquote> | ||
However, 'Tamerack 'er down' came to be an expression voiced to give encouragement to musicians to continue playing the kind of driving music that would excite dancers. | However, 'Tamerack 'er down' came to be an expression voiced to give encouragement to musicians to continue playing the kind of driving music that would excite dancers. | ||
Revision as of 15:57, 21 July 2021
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TAMERACK 'ER DOWN REEL. AKA – “Tamarack 'er Down.” Canadian, Reel. Canada; Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island. A Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. "Tamerack 'er Down Reel" was composed by Mabou Coal Mines, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, fiddler Donald Angus Beaton (1912-1982). A tamerack (wikipedia:Larix_laricina) is a kind of cold-tolerant larch tree often found in swampy lands. The wood has minor commercial uses, but was used by native peoples to make snowshoes. The late Ontario fiddler Graham Townsend's father, Fred Townsend, was a dance caller for Don Messer's Islanders and used a call that goes "Tamarack 'er down on the old plank floor, that's all there is, there ain't no more!" Tamerack, being a cheap but resilient wood, was placed on the floor to protect it from the wear and tear of stepdancing, as noted in this printed remark from Ontario:
"Tamarack'er down on the red pine floor!" Many of us remember the dance hall called Sunnydale Acres on Lake Dore, or Royal Pines at Higgison's Hill. Some of us know how to tamarack'er down as the fiddle plays and the caller shouts, "partners for a square." Only a few may know why it was "on the red pine floor." A red pine floor was considered a hard surface; tamarack was even tougher. If you've listened to a step dancer slap the floor, you get the idea easily[1]
However, 'Tamerack 'er down' came to be an expression voiced to give encouragement to musicians to continue playing the kind of driving music that would excite dancers.
It is an irregular tune--the ‘A’ part has five measures, the ‘B’ part four. Burt Feintuch (2004) notes that this kind of ‘crooked’ but driving tune is unusual in Cape Breton tradition. Ken Perlman (1996) suggested the “circularity” of the ‘A’ part had something to do with the repetitive nature of the work of logging.
