Jerry Holland (fiddler)
Encyclopedia
Jerry Holland was a fiddle
r who lived on Cape Breton Island
in Nova Scotia
, Canada
.
He was born in Brockton
, Massachusetts
, United States
to Canadian
parents - his father was from New Brunswick
and his mother was from Quebec
. During his childhood, Jerry was exposed to the music of the large Cape Breton
expatriate community in Boston. He began to play the fiddle and step-dance
at the age of five, and played at his first square dance at the age of six. He made his television debut in 1962 on the Canadian program Don Messer's Jubilee
. By the time he was ten years old, he was playing regularly at dances in the Boston area. Jerry's family made annual summer trips to Cape Breton, and Jerry moved there permanently in 1975.
In his early 20s, Jerry performed with the Cape Breton Symphony, a group of fiddlers that included Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald, Angus Chisholm
, Joe Cormier, Wilfred Gillis and John Donald Cameron. The group appeared regularly on CBC
television on The John Allan Cameron Show and other programs. From playing with these much older and more experienced musicians, Jerry gained an appreciation for the traditional style of Cape Breton fiddle music, as well as a repertoire of over a thousand fiddle tunes.
Jerry released his first, self-titled album in 1976. It was his second album, Master Cape Breton Fiddler (1982, re-released on CD in 2001), that made his reputation as a ground-breaking musician. Accompanied by Dave MacIsaac
on guitar
and Hilda Chiasson on piano
, Jerry pioneered a new, more modern sound for Cape Breton music on this album, while still remaining firmly within the Cape Breton tradition. Master Cape Breton Fiddler was a major influence on younger Cape Breton fiddlers such as Howie MacDonald.
Jerry released thirteen albums and appeared as a guest musician on over 25 more.http://www.jerryholland.com/discolist.htm He published two collections of fiddle tunes: Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes and Jerry Holland's Second Collection of Fiddle Tunes, both edited by Paul Cranford. He was also noted as a composer of fiddle tunes, most famously "Brenda Stubbert's Reel" (named for his friend and fellow Cape Breton fiddler Brenda Stubbert
) and "My Cape Breton Home".
Jerry Holland died on July 16, 2009 from cancer.http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2009/07/17/ns-holland-fiddle.html
, an Austria
n luthier
who worked in Nürnberg, Germany
between 1746 and 1776. No one knows how such a rare antique violin wound up for sale in the window of a Chinese laundry in Boston, but Jerry Holland played this "pretty good fiddle" at concerts and in recordings for his whole life.
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
r who lived on Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
He was born in Brockton
Brockton
Brockton may refer to:* Brockton, Massachusetts, USA** Brockton * Brockton, Montana, USA* Brockton, Ontario, Canada* Brockton, Shropshire, England - five places* Brockton, Staffordshire, England* Brockton Station, Antarctica...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
parents - his father was from New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
and his mother was from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. During his childhood, Jerry was exposed to the music of the large Cape Breton
Cape Breton fiddling
Cape Breton fiddling is a regional violin style which falls within the Celtic music idiom. Cape Breton Island's fiddle music was brought to North America by Scottish immigrants during the Highland Clearances. These Scottish immigrants were primarily from Gaelic-speaking regions in the Scottish...
expatriate community in Boston. He began to play the fiddle and step-dance
Step dance
Step dance is the generic term for dance styles where the footwork is the most important part of the dance. Body and arm movements and styling are either restricted or considered irrelevant.Step dance is one end of a spectrum of dance styles...
at the age of five, and played at his first square dance at the age of six. He made his television debut in 1962 on the Canadian program Don Messer's Jubilee
Don Messer's Jubilee
Don Messer's Jubilee was a television folk musical variety show produced at station CBHT in Halifax, Nova Scotia and broadcast by CBC Television nationwide from 1957 until 1969....
. By the time he was ten years old, he was playing regularly at dances in the Boston area. Jerry's family made annual summer trips to Cape Breton, and Jerry moved there permanently in 1975.
In his early 20s, Jerry performed with the Cape Breton Symphony, a group of fiddlers that included Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald, Angus Chisholm
Angus Chisholm
Angus Chisholm was a Cape Breton fiddler. He was the son of Archie Chisholm and Isabel MacLennan.He was one of the first fiddlers from the island to record a commercially available album...
, Joe Cormier, Wilfred Gillis and John Donald Cameron. The group appeared regularly on CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
television on The John Allan Cameron Show and other programs. From playing with these much older and more experienced musicians, Jerry gained an appreciation for the traditional style of Cape Breton fiddle music, as well as a repertoire of over a thousand fiddle tunes.
Jerry released his first, self-titled album in 1976. It was his second album, Master Cape Breton Fiddler (1982, re-released on CD in 2001), that made his reputation as a ground-breaking musician. Accompanied by Dave MacIsaac
Dave MacIsaac
Dave MacIsaac is a Canadian musician from Nova Scotia who plays the fiddle and guitar, specialising in the Celtic music style.-Awards and recognition:...
on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and Hilda Chiasson on piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, Jerry pioneered a new, more modern sound for Cape Breton music on this album, while still remaining firmly within the Cape Breton tradition. Master Cape Breton Fiddler was a major influence on younger Cape Breton fiddlers such as Howie MacDonald.
Jerry released thirteen albums and appeared as a guest musician on over 25 more.http://www.jerryholland.com/discolist.htm He published two collections of fiddle tunes: Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes and Jerry Holland's Second Collection of Fiddle Tunes, both edited by Paul Cranford. He was also noted as a composer of fiddle tunes, most famously "Brenda Stubbert's Reel" (named for his friend and fellow Cape Breton fiddler Brenda Stubbert
Brenda Stubbert
Brenda Stubbert is a Cape Breton fiddler and composer from Point Aconi, Nova Scotia. She comes from a musical family, as her father, Robert, and uncle, Lauchie, were both well-known fiddlers...
) and "My Cape Breton Home".
Jerry Holland died on July 16, 2009 from cancer.http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2009/07/17/ns-holland-fiddle.html
Instrument
One of the more curious incidents in Jerry Holland's life involves the origin of his fiddle. In 1965, his father spotted a fiddle for sale in the window of a local laundry. Thinking that it looked like "a pretty good fiddle", Jerry Sr. bought it for $50.00 and took it home to his son. Many years later, Jerry discovered that his instrument was actually an extremely rare and valuable violin crafted by Leopold WidhalmLeopold Widhalm
Martin Leopold Widhalm was an Austrian luthier.Born near Vienna, he worked on many old Bologna lutes that inspired his later work in his manufacture of lutes, violins and violoncellos in Nuremberg, Germany between 1746 and 1776...
, an Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n luthier
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
who worked in Nürnberg, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
between 1746 and 1776. No one knows how such a rare antique violin wound up for sale in the window of a Chinese laundry in Boston, but Jerry Holland played this "pretty good fiddle" at concerts and in recordings for his whole life.
Discography
- Jerry Holland (1976)
- Master Cape Breton Fiddler (1982)
- Lively Steps (1987)
- Jerry Holland Solo (1988)
- The New Fiddle (1990)
- A Session With Jerry Holland (1990)
- Fathers and Sons (1992)
- The Fiddlesticks Collection (1995)
- Fiddler's Choice (1998)
- Crystal Clear (2000)
- Parlor Music (2005)
- Helping Hands (2009)
- "Jerry Holland and Friends" (2010)