Crooked As the Road to Branch: Asymmetry in Newfoundland Dance Music (1)‪.‬

WHEN I GLANCE OUT my window in the Outer Battery at dusk, I see, across the harbour, the lights of St. John's. Acting as a mirror, the window simultaneously reflects the inside of my house. I am a trained musician, brought up with a typical North American classical music education. I have, in addition, learned and studied Newfoundland music though the oral tradition--"by ear," directly from older musicians--over the past 25 years. I believe this has given me an interesting perspective: my window reveals both inside and outside at once. Since the cultural resurgence that began in St. John's in the 1970s, Newfoundland dance music has been slowly emerging from the obscurity and neglect it endured for several decades. While this is to be applauded, it is regrettable that so much of this dance music has been lost from the oral tradition. The tunes that have survived in the public consciousness, such as "Mussels in the Corner" or "I's the B'y" are truly the tip of the iceberg. Many lively, unusual, and worthy tunes exist, which most Newfoundlanders and Labradorians under the age of 70 have never heard.