A Musical Recital featuring John Rae’s fiddle, Stromness Museum, Orkney, 6 March 2011

THE STRAINS of a fiddle are heard among the stuffed birds and animals collected by avid Victorians, while downstairs the wax figure of Arctic explorer Dr John Rae appears to cock an ear to hear his old violin played in the Stromness Museum.

It is believed Rae took his fiddle with him on expeditions in the frozen wastes 160 years ago; perhaps even when he discovered the last link in the North West Passage trade route, or discovered the grim fate of Sir John Franklin’s crew, who had perished in the attempt despite resorting to cannibalism.

John Rae, Jennifer Wrigley and the explorer's fiddle (photo Rebecca Marr)

Folk fiddler Jennifer Wrigley spent two weeks coaxing the fiddle, which normally resides in a glass museum case, back to life by playing it daily until the tone was restored through use. The result was heard at a talk and recital in the museum’s natural history gallery in the town from which Rae set sail for his career with the Hudson’s Bay Company in remote Canada.

The fiddle, Wrigley explained, had hand-whittled pegs, which were hard to tune, and playing needed a firm hand. Since its restoration with gut strings and its first playing for many years, it had opened up and improved.

She has no doubts that Rae took the violin away with him to the extreme conditions of the Arctic. Although it had been lovingly cared for, a large crack could plausibly have been caused by the extremes of temperature.

Tasked with playing tunes Rae would have known, Wrigley opted for east coast Scottish reels and strathspeys played in Orkney, some influenced by the ringing strings of the Hardanger fiddle from Norway and something of the rhythm of the French voyagers’ music. These would all have influenced the Métis players who accompanied Rae on expeditions.

All were spellbound as Wrigley played, the tunes crossing the divide of ocean and time. Her own homage to the Hudson’s Bay Company, which she composed in 2000, finished off her set to a foot-tapping audience. The whole point of the tunes was for dancing.

Instrument restorer Mark Shiner with the tin fiddle (photo by Ben Whitworth)

Earlier in the evening, Wrigley’s challenge was to play a rare tin fiddle, on loan to the museum, made by a sailor from Deerness in Orkney, who was fed up with his wooden fiddles being broken on ships during the herring fishing. With skill and the help of gut strings, Wrigley managed to get some tonal quality out of the tin, a heavy cumbersome instrument.

Orkney tunes from the period include the slow ‘The Hills of Hoy’ by Sandy Heddle, the view you see when you leave and arrive at Stromness, and ‘The Watchman’s Polka’, written for lighthouse keepers.

Mark Shiner, who restored both fiddles for the recital, talked of the pleasure and privilege of working on the instruments and discovering how they had been played. Museum curator Janette Park said the project aimed to help people connect with the past and John Rae through a museum artefact, and museums officer Tom Muir told stories about the herring fishing in Orkney.

Julian Branscombe of Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme, which helped finance the project, hoped it would draw more people to Stromness Museum’s treasures.

A print on demand book featuring photos of the restoration by Rebecca Marr and details of the project, is planned.

Another intimate audience of 25 will hear John Rae’s fiddle once again when the event is repeated at the museum on 20 March.

© Catherine Turnbull, 2011

Links

• Stromness Museum on Facebook
• The Wrigley Sisters