Dancing to Confederation
Early Canadian Music arranged for solo harp.
“Canada Day” is July 1, when Canadians celebrate their national holiday with family picnics, boating excursions, fireworks, and music! The birth year is 1867, when the “Fathers of Confederation” met in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to make a deal to unite peoples and provinces, and imagine a new country of “Canada.”
A few years ago, I commemorated this occasion by travelling to Canada’s birthplace to begin a search for music that may have been performed at and around the time of Canada’s Confederation.
The Public Records and Archives Office holds accounts of the various Conference proceedings leading up to Confederation, some of which noted the special importance of the Public Banquet and Ball held on September 8th, 1864. Piqued by my interest, a staff person showed me a diary written in 1863 by Margaret Gray Lord, daughter of Lord (Colonel) John Hamilton Gray of PEI, one the the Fathers of Confederation. This day to day account of events and activities, particularly the importance of social dinners, drawing room gatherings, and balls gave me further reason to look for the music that might have accompanied such events. The diary too, affirmed the significance of “The Ball”, and that making music and dancing were not just for simple entertainment but highly valued opportunities for social and political networking. Further research uncovered a reproduction of a painting by the artist, Dusan Kadlec, titled “Province House Ball, 1864”. The meticulous detail of the work, particularly the musicians (including a harpist) in the visitors gallery overlooking the ballroom caught my attention and further inspired my search for the music. Since that initial Charlottetown discovery, archival research has unearthed music composed by band leaders, teachers and musicians, living on Canadian soil, circa 1867. As was common to that time, many compositions had their roots in the music of Europe and the British Isles but, as works became titled by places, events, and celebrations in the New World, a new Canadian musical voice and identity began to express itself.
To reveal this voice, I have assembled a collection of “Confederation Era’” pieces, arranged and recorded for the harp. And I’m still dancing! - bringing to light archived musical gems and polishing them up for ballroom dancing or parlour playing, and bringing to life a part of Canada in its social, cultural and historical context. “Partners, please!”
* Performances of this work were presented in collaboration with author Anne McDonald (The Diary of Miss Confederation, Mercy Anne Coles) at a lecture series at The University of Regina, Saskatchewan, and at The Confederation Centre of the Arts Library in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, in 2017, titled “Come Have a Ball”.
* The accompanying CD of this project is currently sold out. Until a new release, please listen to the sample audio files.