The Records Themselves
Early 78
The early 78 recordings were crafted in a standard format. The record itself was a hard plastic-like substance, which could, unfortunately, be easily cracked and broken. The record would present a selection of three or four tunes on each side. Each selection would be less than three minutes in length. This appeared to conform to the manner in which music was usually played over the radio to support a "commercial enterprise".
The music played on the 78's was not played at a normal performance tempo. This reflected the state of the recording technology and the playback technology at the time. This technology, coupled with the fiddlers desire to include a least a "group" of tunes representative of the "home style of presentation," made for recordings which presented the music at a very fast speed. Obviously, the recording format did not represent the manner in which the music was usually played in the kitchens and dance halls in Cape Breton. In their natural venues, the selections would consist of many tunes played in groups consisting of marches, strathspeys and reels and jigs which could "go-on" for 15 to 20 minutes in length as the norm.
Early 78 with Sleeve
The recordings offered little or no printed information about the artist or the music played. The protective sleeves in which the records were packaged were not used to provide printed information. A small paper label in the centre of the record would identify the titles of the tunes on each side of the record. Although the name of the fiddler was prominent, on some occasions the name of the accompanying artist(s) was not printed. As well, the origins of the tunes were not printed on the label. This is of interest when reviewing the recordings of the Cape Breton fiddler in particular: for example, although Dan R. MacDonald, a well-known composer, often recorded his own compositions, that information was not made available. The compositions of other Cape Breton composers whose music was recorded by their contemporaries were not identified on the labels.
Basically, because the music was promoted as "Scottish Music," it gave the impression that the music was exclusively a "Scotland" endeavor and thereby mis-represented the "complete nature" of Cape Breton music. This "Scottish" label would remain etched in the presentation of Cape Breton fiddle music for many years and has consistently contributed to "why" the music of the Cape Breton fiddler is not understood by the media generally and the music industry in particular. Only in recent years has there been an effort to address the distinct character of the Cape Breton fiddler's music as something different from the music recorded in, for example, Scotland at the same time that the early 78's were making their mark. The many excellent Cape Breton compositions and their composers as well as many unique traditional arrangements by so many of the fiddlers were not given their due place by the early recording industry.