First off, thanks to all who heeded my call to support the Small Halls concert in Dunvegan last Friday evening… including Lucy McIntosh and her friend from Apple Hill. In the end, 63 music lovers turned up to hear Newfoundland raconteur and singer Matthew Byrne. As readers may recall, in weeks past I have promoted Matthew’s concert enthusiastically… based on what I had seen on YouTube. However, during the delicious pre-concert dinner prepared by the DRA, I noted, with a touch of trepidation, the stacks of amplifiers and speakers flanking our very small stage. Another concern was the RCA phono jack dangling from the microphone stand. It’s usually stagehand shorthand for an electric guitar.
For those unfamiliar with the venue, our little hall has been hosting musical performances for 100 years. Because of happenstance or perhaps brilliant design, our hall’s excellent acoustics mean that experienced singers and musicians rarely require the use of electronic amplification. The result is a more intimate, and I think more enjoyable, performance. Now don’t get me wrong. Matthew is an engaging storyteller, accomplished guitarist and an amazing singer. And Friday night’s audience seemed thrilled with what they heard. In my opinion though, his talent was needlessly hidden behind a Phil Spector-like “wall of sound” with excessive reverb and enough amplification to fill the cavernous Metcalfe Centre. The goal of the Small Halls technician appeared to be to recreate an overpowering, studio-like sound that negated the intimacy our hall offered. It was disrespectful of its acoustics. If we had closed our eyes, the tech could have just as easily put on one of Matthew’s CDs and cut out the middleman. I felt vindicated at the end of the concert when Matthew, unknowingly, proved my case. He closed his final set by stepping away from the microphone and singing a haunting traditional ballad a cappella… without the use of any electronic amplification, reverb or other frippery. And it could be clearly heard, even in the back row.
I spoke with Matthew briefly at the end of the evening, after the crowd had faded away. I told him how much I had enjoyed his performance… especially his un-electrified closing number… and was surprised to learn that he had little or no control over his sound at a Small Halls concert. He is at the mercy of iPad-wielding millennials who ‘shape’ the sound to levels more appropriate for a dance club. In fairness, previous ‘Small Halls’ concerts in Dunvegan have not suffered this fate. Hopefully Friday was just an aberration, not a trend.
Did she or didn’t she?
Among the audience members at Friday’s ‘Small Halls’ concert were Jennifer Black, curator of the Glengarry Pioneer Museum, and her husband Brien Mullin. I’m not sure when, but at some point during the evening the couple kindly gave the Small Halls gang a tour of the museum. On their way home, Jennifer noticed that she had left a light on in the Orange Lodge and they stopped to turn it off. Here’s where the story takes a strange turn. When Jennifer arrived for work the next day, the light was on. Was this due to a faulty fixture? Or had Jennifer flipped the wrong switch? Or is there a more ghostly explanation? That’s not for me to say. But the tale serves as the perfect introduction to my next item.
Where’d that rock come from?
To get the community in the Halloween spirit, the Glengarry Pioneer Museum has an evening of eldritch entertainment in store on Saturday October 26th. To save you scrambling for your dictionary, ‘eldritch’ means weird and sinister or ghostly. It’s an early 16th century Scottish expression (perhaps related to ‘elf’) that I stumbled upon.
The hard-working committee led by Mary-Tim Hare is still finalizing the details. However, it’s been suggested that — in addition to a return of the popular Bytown Paranormal investigations of the Star Inn — the spine-tingling program may include séances and psychic readings. A ‘psychic sensitive’ who attended their last meeting was very impressed with the rich vein of psychic energy flowing through the historic site. I’m told that with no prior knowledge of the museum or its histories, she “read” the Star Inn first. After her reading, a rock was discovered at the top of the steps that had not been there originally. Of the three building she investigated, the Star Inn was the most peaceful; the Trapper’s Cabin was a hotbed of otherworldly activity; and the Big Beaver schoolhouse was “largely blank.”
To complete the setting, it’s hoped that participants will be able to listen to ghost stories while sitting around a bonfire sipping hot apple cider. As well, there will be a bake sale table piled with sinful treats and the museum’s gift shop will be open for business; a great opportunity to unearth unusual Christmas gifts for those difficult names on your list.
China outlaws ‘funeral strippers’
I forgot to mention that while there are no prizes planned, the museum’s Halloween event will be costume-friendly. So feel free to dress up in your All Saints’ Eve finery. However, I caution one and all to avoid dressing up as Aladdin… unless, of course, you want to be Prime Minister of Canada. And speaking of costumes, sources suggest that we may also see a return of one or more ‘Professional Mourners’ clad in traditional Victorian funeral attire. Known as ‘Mutes’, in Victorian times professional mourners were hired to walk behind the hearse. Victorians frowned upon family members exhibiting displays of grief. So professional mourners were employed to grieve on their behalf. Furthermore, an elaborate service replete with crocodile tears reflected the status of the deceased.
The practice of professional mourning has largely died out around the world, with some notable exceptions. They are still employed in Egypt where groups of women are hired to keen on cue. In India, the fees of ‘Rudalis’ are based on the level of wailing requested. And in China, white-clad ‘Kusangren’ are hired to sing, dance and cry. However, in Taiwan, mourning families have really taken it up a notch. They hire ‘funeral strippers’ to entertain guests with song, dance and various levels of undress — the polar opposite of the Victorian costumes you may see at the museum’s Halloween event. Incidentally, the practice of funeral stripping has spread to Mainland China, much to the chagrin of Chinese officials who have banned it as extravagant, obscene and disrespectful.
Tim the Book Man’s back… briefly
As the season grinds to a close, Jennifer reports having had a small hoard of visitors stop by last Sunday… among them, Tim Julian and his wife Gillian from New Zealand. As some readers may recall, for many years, Tim was the engine behind the museum’s hugely successful Book Sale. Started by Velma Franklin in the 1980s and a perennial favourite with readers far and wide, the Book Sale was one of the most successful fundraisers in the museum’s history. It is still sadly missed, even more so in these grant-challenged times.
Tim, who is still in the book biz, is completing a four-week, cross-country tour of Canada from Vancouver to Glengarry… with a stop in New York as well. While in the area, Tim and Gill are catching up with Lindsey Howes. Lindsey and Tim share a similar association with New Zealand. Tim met Gillian Taylor while working her family’s orchards near Alexandra. And, after Tim and Gillian were wed, Lindsey (who was backpacking in New Zealand in 2007) stayed with the couple and also worked in the Taylor’s orchards. Welcome home Tim, however briefly.
-30-