|
NEFA
1994.016.02 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: A Richt Good Fiddler
S: The grocers used to come round in vans. The Eastons
had a little pony. George Fowlie was a fiddler and cello player.
His daughter played the fiddle. He would come around to the house
and play. The gut strings on the fiddle went out of tune quickly.
GF played all sorts of Scottish dance music and often visited and
played for many hours.
NEFA 1994.016.03 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Mother Played the Fiddle
S: Gordon's mother played the fiddle a little. George
Fowlie taught him as well.
NEFA 1994.016.04 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: A Fiddle in the Hoose
S: Gordon found an old fiddle in the house and had it
fixed up down at the shop. He began playing when he was eight and
soon had so much music in his head that the teacher said he could
no longer help.
NEFA 1994.016.05 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Gavin Barron
S: Gavin Barron was just like Gordon; he had the music
in his head. GE fiddled at home.
NEFA 1994.016.06 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: The Fetterangus Strathspey and Reel Society
S: When GE left the school, he joined the Fetterangus
Strathspey and Reel Society, which met in the village hall. There
were about thirty five fiddlers, lead by Jimmy Youngson. GE and
a neighbour biked down to Fetterangus every week for practices and
the occasional competition.
NEFA 1994.016.07 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Biking to the Fetterangus Strathspey and Reel Society
S: GE and a friend used to bike down to the Fetterangus
Strathspey and Reel Society, whatever the weather.
NEFA 1994.016.08 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: The Fetterangus Strathspey and Reel Society (2)
S: They used to have guests like Jimmie Dickie, Charlie
Sutherland, Duncan Strachan, Hector MacAndrew.
NEFA 1994.016.09 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: The Fetterangus Strathspey and Reel Society (3)
S: They met weekly and went out for concerts in the
wintertime (by bus). They had local concerts as well.
NEFA 1994.016.010 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: It Wis Jist Playin Mair Gin Competin: Fiddle Competitions
S: GE was under fourteen when he competed, and he did
well. Talks about other competitors.
NEFA
1994.016.11 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Singin In Front O Fowk: I'm Jist Masel The Day
S: Used to sing only to himself. Started competing in
1985, almost by mistake, and since then has been going to most of
the TMSA competitions. He has won most of them at least once.
NEFA 1994.016.12 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: A Natural Wey O Diddlin
S: GE has had a lot of cups for diddling. Talks about
other diddlers: Fred Davidson, Willie Fraser.
NEFA 1994.016.13 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Diddling Strathspeys
S: There are (basically) unspoken guidelines for diddling.
Diddlers would sometimes sing when there were no musicians.
NEFA
1994.016.14 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Dancing At The Meal An' Ale
S: There were dances at special times of year, e.g.
harvest. Meal-an-ales were social occasions, recitations, music,
dance. They would play fiddles, comb and paper.
NEFA 1994.016.15 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: What Sort of Dances?
S: They did eightsome reels, waltzes, foxtrots, and
many other dances. Diddles a foxtrot.
NEFA
1994.016.16 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: The Fetterangus Strathspey and Reel Society (4)
S: There were about thirty-five fiddlers, lead by the
head forester at Aden. Ned Stewart took over, Jean Stewart was the
pianist and had her own dance band as well. The Society played concerts
all over, followed by Jean leading the dances. They had guests like
Violet Davidson, Myra Fowlie (Thow), comedians and jugglers too.
Charlie Sutherland, Hector MacAndrew, Bill Hardie would come and
fiddle as special guest. John Strachan used to come and sing sometimes.
NEFA
1994.016.17 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Learning Bothy Songs/The Gramophone and the
Motorbike
S: There was a man in GE's youth who would come around
on a motorbike with 78s and a gramophone about twice a year. He
would play all the bothy songs and ballads too.
He was very careful with the records.
NEFA
1994.016.18-19 Transcription
P: Gordon Easton
T: Both Parents Sang
S: [End of Side A.] Discussion of family and homefarm.
GE used to work on various farms around the area. He eventually
inherited the farm. Old thatched house is still down the close,
dates from Culloden. Describes how it was thatched. There was a
chain from which to hang pots and a hingin lum. There was an envelope
with songs kept in it. More on family background on Esslemonts and
Eastons.
NEFA
1994.016.20 Transcription
P:
Gordon Easton
T: GE's cassette of songs
S: Description of tape and how it was made by
Duncan Simpson [available for listening at the North East Folklore
Archive, 1993.003]. Proceeds go to charity and the tapes have been
sent all over the world. Description of the Elgin Bothy Ballad championship.
NEFA
1994.016.21 Transcription
P:
Gordon Easton
T: Hogmanay customs
S: They used to go round the houses to 'seek
Hogmanay'. The lads would get invited in, receive an apple or an
orange, and then move on, all around the area. Recites 'Rise up
aul wife an shak yer feathers...'. Sometimes they would have gotten
money, a sixpence, as well.
back to top
|
