Driving the Bow

Driving the Bow is the direct result of the 2006 North Atlantic Fiddle Convention: Connecting Cultures. The cultures connected were not simply those of nationality, ethnicity, or community, but also those of academia and fiddle and dance performance. The book provides an important contribution to the study of the role of fiddle and associated dance traditions at the beginning of the twenty-first century and celebrates the contribution of performer-scholars to our understanding of the subject’s complexities. The selected essays cover a range of themes, from cultural politics and authenticity to the aesthetics of fiddle music and dance, from the performer’s creativity to the contesting forces of continuity and change. Rhythm is acknowledged as the defining feature of different fiddle styles, such that bowing is not merely about sounding the notes correctly, but rather it articulates the essential meaning of the music.