At this time of year, we are surrounded by festive music, an endless variety in numerous genres. However, many of the tunes we hear and sing today are relatively recent additions to the holiday soundtrack, and as such, reflect our modern culture. Thus, if one wants to understand the lives of people in the past, what better way than to listen to music of the era?

As part of my research for the Glenbow Town and Quarry Project of the Archaeological Society of Alberta – Calgary Centre, I have been reading The Stone Cutters’ Journal. This union publication documents the rise of the Glenbow branch in the autumn of 1909, and in doing so, provides valuable information about the men responsible for the stone exterior of our Alberta Legislature Building. Among the Glenbow branch correspondence, I found an account of the party held at Glenbow Quarry to usher in the New Year of 1910.

This vivid report of the celebration, begins by praising the skills of the men who carved and served the turkey dinner. Then, each act of the concert program is described, and one can imagine the performers rising in turn, amid the clinking of glasses and the happy chatter. Encouraged by the level of detail in the chronicle, I searched for recordings of the songs to see what else I could learn.

The quarry company Vice-President served as chairman, introducing the entertainers. The first act, unnamed by the English reporter who confessed he did not comprehend the tongue of the Scotsman, was likely in either the Gaelic or Scots language. For the first identified number, I could not find a song listing, but did locate a poem of the same name published in 1901, and I assume this sad tale of a forlorn lover mourning his loss was set to a popular melody. The correspondent indicates that “[b]y this time the boys were clearing their throats of the superfluous gravy surrounding the turkeys…[and they] enthusiastically responded to the chorus” of the second titled offering — a sentimental ode to Scottish poet, Robbie Burns. I could track down only a modern recording of this, but it did provide written lyrics, which made interpreting the Scottish accent easier. With the next contribution, a homesick lament, I hit pay-dirt with a digitized version of a record cylinder (yes, early records were wax cylinders) made in 1904. I confess, it brought a tear to my eye to hear this mournful voice reverberating over more than 100 years. Another yearning emigrant ballad followed, and while I could not source a recording, I did find the score.

Unfortunately, I was unable to locate any information about the next item on the program, described as: “…[a]n excellent sketch…given by Brother Read and McGuire…which kept the audience in roars of laughter for a quarter of an hour. Messrs. Read and McGuire have mistaken their vocation; they are worthy of a headline on the high-class vaudeville bills.” The next entry was even more intriguing: “the most conspicuous feature of the evening, the buck and wing dance by Bro. F. Rowland. The contortions of the worthy brother’s body were certainly surprising for every person present expected one of his limbs to drop off at any moment.” From what I was able to learn in my brief searches, a “buck” dance involves stomping and tapping the feet, while a “wing” dance entails flapping the arms and knees. Both can have a great variety of steps, so it is impossible for me to see exactly what Rowland did. Perhaps I could follow the online tap-dance tutorials to increase my appreciation for the moves, at least.

The next “old Scotch song” was listed as “Robbie Jamson Smiddy” and eventually I deciphered the true title, “Robin Tamson’s Smiddy,” for which I located the lyrics, though not the melody. They are written phonetically, and by reading aloud this humorous story of a man’s brief yet successful courtship of the blacksmith’s daughter, I could grasp the Scottish accent and imagine the laughter that would have ensued at the surprising finale.

For the following “popular song,” I found another old recording, this time from 1913, and could practically hear “the boys catching up the chorus, [rendering] it lustily.” This sentimental recollection of youthful love can also be found as a video of a player piano with printed lyrics on the roll, so one can sing along. A tragic saga of drowned lovers followed. A digitized 1908 cylinder recording gives me shivers as the bass vocal mimics the final resting place of the lovers. The mood was lifted at the end of the concert by a comedic offering about a breach of promise legal case. This is something we are now unfamiliar with, however then, a woman could sue a man if the lines of propriety had been crossed under false promises of ensuing marriage. The author of the letter to the magazine compliments the performer by stating “from the way in which he tried to convey to the audience generally the meaning of the song, we have come to the conclusion that the worthy brother has had a deal of experience in that line of business.” Whether this refers to the depiction of the judge or the unfaithful suitor, I am unsure. Ending on a cheerful note, the concert was followed by a dance that continued into the wee hours of 1910 and was concluded when they “all joined hands in singing “Auld Lang Syne.””

While the recordings, lyrics, and evocative descriptions of the fete of 1910 help us envision the event, they also tell us about the everyday lives of these quarry workers. An obvious example is that the combination of Scottish airs and dances with English tunes illustrates the basic ethnic composition of the population. At a deeper level, the high proportion of ballads seems to indicate a slower pace of life than the frenetic speed of today with its pounding party rhythms. The contrasting high energy of the buck and wing dance is, thus, more striking; we have become accustomed to breakdancing and hip-hop, later developments of the same basic movements. The lyrics are most revealing, however. Love Lost is the major theme, and reflects an era when there were so many more hazards to life, especially for women of childbearing age. Additionally, this theme of lost love is expressed more generically by the homesick laments of new immigrants, who, incidentally, comprised the majority of the Glenbow group. The audience and performers were brought together by their common experience; they had very recently said farewell to their homes and families and made a dangerous ocean crossing. Some men were awaiting the arrival of their wives and children; others had said goodbye to family who would never be seen again. They all confronted the sense of loss and the dread of being forgotten by those left behind and they sought the reassurance expressed by the lyrics, “They remember me, they miss me, and they pray for me.”

By scrutinizing a cheerful narrative of a party, we gain a greater appreciation for the lives of quarry workers who celebrated the dawn of a new year over a century ago. We imagine luscious turkey dripping with gravy, floor boards reverberating under the energetic thumping of feet, and outbursts of laughter at witty rhetoric. We hear the strains of the very same songs crackling across the years, the echo of the fears and joys these workers faced. We shed an empathetic tear and know they would be happy to be remembered.

 

Glenbow New Year’s Eve Celebration December 31, 1909

Concert Program (following a Supper featuring Turkeys and Gravy)

1) Alex Burt  – a Scottish language song

2) William J. Doherty  – “Since My Mary Went Away

3) Thomas Crichton – “The Star of Robbie Burns”

4) Mr. Hancock (guest) -“When the Sunset Turns the Ocean’s Blue to Gold

5) One of the Ladies – “The Dear Home Land

6) Archibald Read & Mr. McGuire – sketch of “Naughty Mickey Doherty”

7) Frank W. Rowland – Buck and Wing Dance

8) James Fairley (machinist) – “Robin Tamson’s Smiddy

9) Alexander Clark – “Sweet Genevieve” (A) (B)

10) John Chapple (guest) – “Asleep in the Deep

11) Frank H. Williams – “Breach of Promise Case

Followed by a Dance concluding with “Auld Lang Syne”

 

This article was originally printed in the BERGEN NEWS and is being reprinted with permission.