PAST KNOWLEDGE
Cranford keeps traditional fiddle music alive through his collections
Cranford keeps traditional fiddle music alive through his collections.
A man best known for his efforts to keep Cape Breton fiddle music alive is this year’s recipient of the Katherine McLennan Award for art, culture and historical preservation on Cape Breton Island.
Paul Cranford from the North Shore has worked for the past 40 years keeping the Cape Breton fiddle music tradition alive by ensuring tunes from traditional players are collected and preserved through books of sheet music to allow future generations of performers access to the traditional music heritage of Cape Breton.
Established in 2013, the Katharine McLennan Award recognizes exceptional contributions in areas of art, culture and historical preservation of Cape Breton Island.
Each year, a person who exemplifies McLennan’s spirit of volunteerism and cultural preservation is acknowledged for their contributions to the Cape Breton community with this special award.
Past recipients of this award include John C. O’Donnell, Shirley Chernin, Ronald Caplan, Rosemary McGhee and Margaret (Margie) MacInnis.
Cranford, now retired, spent 34 years as a lightkeeper and used the isolation to learn to play the fiddle, research older music and to compose his own music. Even when he wasn’t at the lighthouse, he visited the older musicians to learn more about the island’s unique fiddling style. As a result, almost every Cape Breton fiddler now uses some or all of Cranford’s books to learn about Cape Breton fiddle music.
His books include “The Lighthouse Collection” which includes 250 of his own compositions, “The Cape Breton Scottish Collection, “The Cape Breton Highland Collection,” “The Cape Breton Fiddlers Collection,” and his most recent work, “The Celtic Colours Collection.”
He has also compiled books of tunes from such legendary fiddlers as Winston Fitzgerald, Jerry Holland and Brenda Stubbert. He is currently working on “The Alexander Walker Collection” for digital release at a later date and “The Cape Breton Irish Collection.”
It’s all part of Cranford’s Cape Breton Musical Heritage Series which should eventually have 12 volumes.
Cranford was named patron of World Fiddle Day in 2015 and he was a past artist-in-residence at Celtic Colours. He also has several CDs out, including “More Tunes From The Lighthouse.”
“The Katharine McLennan Award came about as a result of a partnership between the Beaton Institute, Cape Breton Regional Library, Fortress Louisbourg Association and Parks Canada to tell the life story of Katharine McLennan and to bring public awareness to her contributions,” said Catherine Arseneau, director of the Beaton Institute at Cape Breton University.
“Through this award, we are building a continuing legacy of the project and recognizing those who continue to enrich Cape Breton Island’s artistic, cultural and heritage communities.”
A ceremony will take place from 2-4 p.m. on Sept. 6 at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, where Cranford will be presented with his award. All are welcome to attend. RSVP is requested by contacting Arseneau by email, Catherine_ Arseneau@cbu.ca or phone, 902-563-1326.