The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #110424   Message #2319065
Posted By: GUEST,Chris P.
18-Apr-08 - 05:27 AM
Thread Name: England's National Musical-Instrument?
Subject: RE: England's National Musical-Instrument?
OMG, what an exasperating and pointless discussion. Why should we want to represent several centuries of our varied and eclectic musical traditions by a single instrument, which, for some reason I cannot fathom, has to have been invented in situ? Most kids who start to play an instrument now buy a guitar. 70 years ago it may have been the harmonica, 200yrs ago it was undoubtedly the fiddle, and 400yrs ago probably the Jews Harp. All these were international phenomena, covering Ireland and Scotland too. Why do we have to draw national boundaries round them? And why do we assume that English fiddle music was somehow less competent, varied and interesting than anyone else's? There are vanishingly few recordings of English fiddle music upon which to base that presumption.