"I'm a professional, but I'm not on records" : the reflection of a performer's self-image in his repertoire

Swackhammer, Robert McBeth (1979) "I'm a professional, but I'm not on records" : the reflection of a performer's self-image in his repertoire. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This is a study of the life and repertoire of Frank Squires, a musician and story teller who lives in a small community on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula. Frank learned his repertoire from traditional sources and contemporary media: with it he establishes and communicates his identity. This study examines Frank's goals in performance, the value and meaning he places on his music and his self-image as a musician, by looking at his life-history accounts and conversations about music, and by describing several of our experiences together. Frank's self-image as a tradition bearer and as a professional musician is reflected in his selection, conception and use of his repertoire. -- The thesis is divided into seven chapters. Chapter One contains an introduction to the study and a discussion of techniques in life history and repertoire studies. -- Chapter Two is a chronological account of Frank Squires' life history, highlighting episodes in which he acquired his musical repertoire and developed his performance technique. -- In Chapter Three the interpretation of the life-history accounts continues, but the focus shifts from historical commentary to analysis of the narratives' thematic content, illustrating the value and meaning the music has for Frank. -- Chapter Four is a more detailed analysis of Frank's musical repertoire. The terminology and taxonomy he uses to order his repertoire are seen to parallel Frank's use of and technical approach to the various elements of the repertoire. -- Learning practices which have influenced Frank's performance practices are discussed in Chapter Five, in terms of the need for an appropriate audience response to the performance. His music and performance practices are slowly changing within an expanding musical community and new performance situations; these changes are discussed. -- In Chapter Six, Frank's musical career is compared to the careers of other Newfoundland musicians, and seen in terms of a regional model of the operation of folk and country music in eastern Canada. -- Chapter Seven is the study's conclusion, which reiterates the personal and situational factors seen influencing the selection and use of Frank Squires' repertoire, and the ways Frank uses both the narrative and musical content of his repertoire to communicate a personal identity.

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