Communications
This column provides a forum for responses to the contents of this journal, and for information of interest to readers. The editor reserves the right to publish letters in excerpted form and to edit them for conciseness and clarity.
To the Editor:
In my article, "Sealed Documents and Open Lives: Ernest Bloch's Private Correspondence," which appeared in Notes (vol. 62, no. 1 [September 2005]: 74–86), I stated as an aside that Suzanne Bloch had suffered from Alzheimer's. Since then, family members and friends of the Bloch family have informed me that, contrary to my previous information, Suzanne Bloch did not suffer from the disease. I regret the error.
To the Editor:
The December 2006 issue of Notes (vol. 63, no. 2: 401–17) featured a sound recording review entitled "Gaelic Music of Cape Breton Island: The Last Fifteen Years," by Thomas H. Pease. Mr. Pease's focus on Cape Breton traditional music is welcome, as this is music with a unique sound and a long history, as well as one that has become justifiably popular during the last decade and a half. As a longtime enthusiast and student of the music of Cape Breton, however, I must confess to disappointment with Mr. Pease's grasp of the history of the music, and of the lives and work of the musicians who have introduced the wealth of this music to international audiences. Of particular concern is his mention of fiddler Bill Lamey, surely one of the most influential of Cape Breton musicians of the twentieth century. Mr. Pease fails to note Mr. Lamey's passing in 1991 (p. 402), and surprisingly lists his frequent musical partner, Mary Jessie MacDonald, as his wife (p. 407). Mr. Lamey is survived by his wife Sally (MacEachern) Lamey, who still resides in the Boston area. Mr. Pease's categorization of "International Artists" (pp. 408–11) seems to extend only to those artists who have recorded for multinational companies. That list is indeed short, but international recognition, in this era of self-produced recordings, is not limited to those who possess major recording contracts. The Cape Breton sound has been widely disseminated by those musicians who travel to the United States (Boston and Detroit, both magnets for emigrants from Nova Scotia during the last century, remain strongly connected to the music of Cape Breton) and further (Jerry Holland, for example, has appeared at many European folk festivals, including the prestigious Tønder Festival in Denmark). Closer to home, the recent advent of Cape Breton Live Radio (http://www.capebretonlive.com/ [accessed 21 February 2007]) means that lovers of the music can avail of Web broadcasts of music and video from the cream of local dances and concerts. In short, there is no lack of international exposure for Cape Breton musicians, most of whom still produce their own recordings. And, while Mr. Pease does remark (p. 408) that Paul Stewart Cranford produces a fine series of Cape Breton music collections (http://www.cranfordpub.com/ [accessed 21 February 2007]), it should also be noted that Cranford Publications is one of the major distributors of self-produced Cape Breton recordings. It is thus a mecca for those of us who do not make it to Charlie's Down Home Music as often as we'd like. Last, Mr. Pease's article contains a number of small, but nonetheless worrisome errors in spelling ("May Belle Chisholm McQueen," p. 409); in musicians' specialties (the late John Morris Rankin was a superb fiddler as well as a gifted pianist; his work as a guitarist must be considered only alongside those memorable strengths, see p. 411); and even geography (the Red Shoe Pub is in Mabou, not in Inverness, see p. 411; and one should drive southeast, not southwest, to reach Iona from Inverness, see p. 403). I congratulate Mr. Pease for his consideration [End Page 958] of the recent recordings of the rich and vibrant traditional music of Cape Breton. I do wish, however, that he had given a bit more consideration to the...
