TRIP TO WINDSOR [1]. Canadian, Reel (whole time). Canada; Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island. A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Cameron, Hinds, Messer): AABB’ (Perlman): AA’BB’ (Martin & Hughes). Named for the city of Windsor, Ontario, the tune is one of the most famous compositions of fiddler and composer Dan R. MacDonald (1911-1976, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia), who penned it in 1947. There is a large Cape Breton community in Windsor, which at one time included one of MacDonald’s brothers, and, for seven years, Dan R. himself who found work at the Ford car manufacturing company. There MacDonald became a leading figure in among the transplanted Cape Breton musical community there, where he gave concerts and played for house parties in the Detroit-Windsor area along with the occasional dance.
Prince Edward Island fiddlers play "Trip to Windsor" in a medley following "St. Kilda Wedding (The)," in homage to Cape Breton fiddler Winston Fitzgerald's recording of the two tunes. American bluegrass fiddler Joe Greene composed a very similar tune he called “Road to Jenkins”, recorded in 1969.
Additional notes Source for notated version : - Francis MacDonald (b. 1940, Morrel Rear, North-East Kings County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman].
Printed sources : - Cameron (Trip to Windsor), 1994; p. 1. Hinds/Hebert (Grumbling Old Woman), 1981; p. 10. Martin & Hughes (Ho-ro-gheallaidh), 1990; p. 49. Messer (Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes), 1980; No. 63, p. 37. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; p. 90. Songer (Portland Collection vol. 2), 2005; p. 210. Gordon Stobbe (Canadian Old-Time Fiddle Hits vol. 2).
Recorded sources : - Glencoe GMI 001, "Cape Breton Symphony." Arhoolie C 334, Joe Cormier - "Masters of the Folk Violin" (1989). Breton Books and Records BOC 1HO, Winston “Scotty” Fitzgerald - “Classic Cuts” (reissue of Celtic Records CX-17). Compass 7 4377 2, Lunasa - "Kinnitty Sessions" (2004). Green Linnet GLCD 3127, Sharon Shannon – “The Best of Sharon Shannon: Spellbound” (1999. Appears as third tune of “Bag of Cats” medley). Rounder 7019, April Verch - "Verchuosity" (2001). Shanachie SHA78017, Jerry O’Sullivan – “The Gift” (appears under the erroneous title “Spootiskerry”).
See also listing at : Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recordings Index [3]
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