Fidel Martin: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:07, 15 December 2023

Fidel Martin

Given name:	Fidel
Middle name:
Family name:	Martin
Place of birth:	Rogersville, New Brunswick
Place of death:	Colebrook, New Hampshire
Year of birth:	1891
Year of death:	1976
Profile:	Musician
Source of information:	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/168679112/fidel-martin and http://www.acadianfiddle.com/artists2/2021/fidel-martin

Biographical notes

FIDEL MARTIN (1891-1976) was born in the Rogersville, New Brunswick, area in 1891, the son of Calixte and Emilienne Chavarie Martin. In 1966 folklorist and collector Art Rosenbaum happened upon Fidel, along with the Riendeau family, after making some casual inquiries in a working class neighborhood in Berlin, where many people of French-Canadian origin were living and working in the mills of that northern New Hampshire city. Rosenberg returned the next year to tape more of Fidel's fiddling.

In 1912 Fidel moved to Maine where he worked in the woods trades. Martin was a World War I veteran and was a founding member of his local Veteran of Foreign Wars post. In 1918 he enlisted in the armed services and served overseas. During the depression it was hard to find work, but Fidel managed to secure a public works job and was employed as a truck driver for the Berlin Public Works Dept. for thirty years, and was a member of Local 1444. He married Marie Louise Morneau, who predeceased him in July of 1956. He was survived by four sons and three daughters (all of whom lived in New Hampshire) and extended family in New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. Fidel was a member of St. Anne Parish in Berlin. He was also the founder of the White Mt. Beagle Club.

Martin learned to fiddle at age 12 in New Brunswick, growing up in a musical household where his father, siblings, extended family and neighbors all seemed to play instruments, including fiddles, piano, and accordion. He remembered there was playing and dancing at his house almost daily, and noted it was the "old style" square dancing i.e. where the figures were known and were danced without a prompter or caller, as was the style in much of Canada. His present repertoire is a mix of Acadian, Irish, French-Canadian (Québécois) and American tunes. However, on the tapes he accompanies himself with a steady podorhythmie (percussive foot-tapping), a characteristic trait of Acadian and some Quebecois fiddling (esp. in modern times), which strongly supporting that he learned to play at an early age in New Brunswick. According to Rosenbaum, Fidel Martin was friendly and seemed to enjoy getting out his fiddle and being recorded by interested strangers, although he often did not remember the names of tunes.

One of his favorite exclamations after playing a vigorous tune was ‘Jesus Christ, that’s a hot one!’

Hear Fidel Martin's field recordings at the University of Georgia's Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection:
https://bmac.libs.uga.edu/pawtucket2/index.php/Detail/objects/331630
https://bmac.libs.uga.edu/pawtucket2/index.php/Detail/objects/331506
https://bmac.libs.uga.edu/pawtucket2/index.php/Detail/objects/331538 (A Side)

He did not record commercially but a few of his field recordings were issued on Art Rosenbaum's field recording anthologies "The Art of Field Recording vol. 1" and "The Art of Field Recording vol 2" (2006, various artists).
https://dusttodigital.bandcamp.com/album/art-of-field-recording-volume-i
https://dusttodigital.bandcamp.com/album/art-of-field-recording-volume-ii

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-Martin learned to fiddle in New Brunswick, growing up in a musical household where his father, siblings, extended family and neighbors all seemed to play instruments, including fiddles, piano, and accordion.  He remembered there was playing and dancing at his house almost daily, and noted it was the "old style" square dancing i.e. where the figures were known and were danced without a prompter or caller, as was the style in much of Canada.   His present repertoire is a mix of Acadian, Irish, French-Canadian (Québécois) and American tunes. However, on the tapes he accompanies himself with a steady podorhythmie (percussive foot-tapping), a characteristic trait of Acadian and some Quebecois fiddling (esp. in modern times), which strongly supporting that he learned to play at an early age in New Brunswick.  According to Rosenbaum, Fidel Martin was friendly and seemed to enjoy getting out his fiddle and being recorded by interested strangers, although he often did not remember the names of tunes.
+Martin learned to fiddle at age 12 in New Brunswick, growing up in a musical household where his father, siblings, extended family and neighbors all seemed to play instruments, including fiddles, piano, and accordion.  He remembered there was playing and dancing at his house almost daily, and noted it was the "old style" square dancing i.e. where the figures were known and were danced without a prompter or caller, as was the style in much of Canada.   His present repertoire is a mix of Acadian, Irish, French-Canadian (Québécois) and American tunes. However, on the tapes he accompanies himself with a steady podorhythmie (percussive foot-tapping), a characteristic trait of Acadian and some Quebecois fiddling (esp. in modern times), which strongly supporting that he learned to play at an early age in New Brunswick.  According to Rosenbaum, Fidel Martin was friendly and seemed to enjoy getting out his fiddle and being recorded by interested strangers, although he often did not remember the names of tunes.
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