Louise Manny
Encyclopedia
Louise Elizabeth Manny was a New Brunswick
folklorist and historian. She was born in Gilead, Maine
but her family moved to New Brunswick when she was three. She grew up on the Miramichi River
and there she developed an interest in the local history, of which she wrote and broadcast extensively.
Commissioned by Lord Beaverbrook in 1947, she began to collect and record the songs of lumbermen and fishermen in the Miramichi region. Beaverbrook also provided financial assistance to allow her to restore The Manse in Newcastle, New Brunswick
which became the local library.
Beaverbrook placed stringent constraints on her folklore collections. He stipulated that she collect only indigenous works, not those passed down from other sources. After she completed her assignment for Beaverbrook (published as Songs of Miramichi), she continued her research with more freedom, establishing a more encompassing philosophy: to her, folksong were songs “people sing from memory for their own and their friends' amusement, and are composed by the people themselves and passed on by word of mouth." Thus, whether old or new, they "show the basic cultural background of our country, something which is truly our own and which has sprung from the people. In recording them in all their simplicity we have preserved something of New Brunswick life and culture which has a value and beauty all its own."http://www.unbf.ca/womenandmuseum/cman_song_img.htm
For nearly twenty years (1947 to 1965) she presented these recordings in weekly broadcasts on CKMR radio in Newcastle.
Manny also presented items of historical interest in a weekly newspaper column called "Scenes from an Earlier Day." She founded the Miramichi Folksong Festival
in 1957 and was the festival director from 1958 to 1969. The festival, which still continues, provided additional material for her work. In her work she was closely associated with Helen Creighton
and Edward D. Ives
who worked respectively in neighbouring Nova Scotia and Maine.
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...
folklorist and historian. She was born in Gilead, Maine
Gilead, Maine
Gilead is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Upon incorporation in 1804, it was named for the large quantity of Balm of Gilead trees in the town center. The population was 156 at the 2000 census.- History :...
but her family moved to New Brunswick when she was three. She grew up on the Miramichi River
Miramichi River
The Miramichi River is a Canadian river located in the east-central part of New Brunswick. The river drains into Miramichi Bay in the Gulf of St. Lawrence...
and there she developed an interest in the local history, of which she wrote and broadcast extensively.
Newcastle, New Brunswick
Newcastle is a Canadian urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, it was an incorporated town and the shire town of Northumberland County....
which became the local library.
Beaverbrook placed stringent constraints on her folklore collections. He stipulated that she collect only indigenous works, not those passed down from other sources. After she completed her assignment for Beaverbrook (published as Songs of Miramichi), she continued her research with more freedom, establishing a more encompassing philosophy: to her, folksong were songs “people sing from memory for their own and their friends' amusement, and are composed by the people themselves and passed on by word of mouth." Thus, whether old or new, they "show the basic cultural background of our country, something which is truly our own and which has sprung from the people. In recording them in all their simplicity we have preserved something of New Brunswick life and culture which has a value and beauty all its own."http://www.unbf.ca/womenandmuseum/cman_song_img.htm
For nearly twenty years (1947 to 1965) she presented these recordings in weekly broadcasts on CKMR radio in Newcastle.
Manny also presented items of historical interest in a weekly newspaper column called "Scenes from an Earlier Day." She founded the Miramichi Folksong Festival
Miramichi Folksong Festival
The Miramichi Folksong Festival, the oldest folk music festival in Canada, is held annually in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada.It was established by Louise Manny in response to a request from Lord Beaverbrook that she document the traditional songs of his boyhood home. It is the longest continuous...
in 1957 and was the festival director from 1958 to 1969. The festival, which still continues, provided additional material for her work. In her work she was closely associated with Helen Creighton
Helen Creighton
Mary Helen Creighton, CM was a prominent Canadian folklorist. She collected over 4,000 traditional songs, stories, and myths in a career that spanned several decades, and she published many books and articles on Nova Scotia folk songs and folklore...
and Edward D. Ives
Edward D. Ives
Edward Dawson Ives was a folklorist. His work concentrated on the oral traditions of Maine and the Maritime Provinces of Canada, particularly, as he said, "on local songs and their makers but also on cycles of tales about local heroes." He founded the Maine Folklore Center in 1992 and was its...
who worked respectively in neighbouring Nova Scotia and Maine.
Publications and recordings
- Folksongs of the Miramichi: Lumber and River Songs from the Miramichi Folk Fest, Newcastle, New Brunswick (1962 Folkways album).
- Songs of Miramichi (Fredericton 1968) with James Reginald Wilson
Honours
- Woman of the Century medal from the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada (1967)
- Mount Manny in New Brunswick's Historians' Range was named for her (1969)
- Honorary LL D (St Thomas College, Chatham) (1961)
- Honorary LL D (University of New Brunswick) (1961)