The Northern Fiddler Page

Allen Feldman (text author and music editor), Eamonn O'Doherty (introduction and artwork), The Northern Fiddler, London: Oak Publications, 1979.

This grand book, well-known among Irish musicians, is now out of print. It features interviews and histories of old Donegal and Tyrone fiddle masters, some wonderful photography and artwork, as well as transcriptions of their playing. Like Cairdeas' Donegal fiddle tutors, it is, in my opinion, a very useful book to have if one is trying to learn (and to learn about) the style and tradition. -- Thus a whole page devoted to it.

These questions are answered:

• So is it going to be reprinted anytime? What about the field recordings, are they available?
• Why is it controversial? (A four-part debate between Mac Aoidh and Feldman.)
• Have you got some notes (names of Untitled tunes, e.g.) on TNF? (Yes, and now also a link to an index.)
• What are your favorite tunes to play in TNF?

So is it going to be reprinted anytime? What about the field recordings, are they available?

A member of Fiddle-L (not myself) wrote this:

I received a message from Allen Feldman (a year after I had sent one to
him) and he said that:

a)  The Northern Fiddler didn't have an index because of publishing costs.
b)  Music Sales, Inc. doesn't consider it out-of-print, but it is not
available.  Allen suggested also that to print the book correctly would be
expensive, which might be a drawback.
c)  Topic Records has more of the Bundle and Go type of recordings that
were made of the fiddlers in the book, but has not released the anthology.

Allen said that (b) and (c) above could use some pressure from the public,
asking for these to be released (published).

So if you're of a mind, correspond with these folks and ask about The
Northern Fiddler (Music Sales, Inc.) and tunes from the Donegal and Tyrone
fiddlers (Topic Records) recorded at that time.

Well, I don't know why it's controversial, could you explain please?

A number of people have criticized the book for several different reasons. E.g., the authors leave "Untitled" several tunes with well-known titles, and give different names to different settings of the same tune (without acknowledging that they are the same tune). This was intentional, as Feldman has said: the point was to represent the tunes as they were conceived of by the players. Generally, suffice it to say that some people think the Donegal fiddle tradition is not well represented by essential aspects of TNF, while others strongly disagree.

A public debate between Feldman and Caoimhin Mac Aoidh over subjects touching on TNF could be found on this page until recently (June 1997), when a number of people (including Mac Aoidh and Feldman) agreed that it would be best to remove it.

Have you got some notes (names of "Untitled" tunes, e.g.) on TNF?

Yes -- click here. And here's an index compiled by Bob Borcherding and Ted Hastings. Out of respect for Allen Feldman, I would like to say that these notes need not be construed as criticisms of The Northern Fiddler but instead simply as highly unofficial addenda which practicing musicians may find useful.

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