Dan R. MacDonald

Dan R. MacDonald (1911–1976) was the best known and one of the most prolific of Cape Breton’s composers. As a small child in Rear Judique South, impressed by his father’s fiddling, Dan R. Sang the fiddle tunes while rubbing two sticks of kindling together. As a mature fiddler playing at his best, Dan R. Was said to have rivalled any of the players of his era. Dan R. made his first radio appearance in 1935 and his first recording in 1939. During World War II, Dan R. served in Britain with the Canadian Forces. While in Scotland, he was influenced by John Murdock Henderson, a composer and player of traditional Scottish music. Dan R. Sought out and studied the Scottish music collections and was invited to play on BBC radio broadcasts. He firmly believed that fiddlers should learn to read musical notation to improve their musicianship and increase their repertoire, but he also believed they should play with self-expression. After World War II Dan R Lived for many years in Windsor, Ontario, working in the automobile factories. There he played with the Five MacDonald fiddlers and, together, they recorded two LPs. Dan R. returned to Cape Breton in 1959. He recorded four LPs for Rodeo Records and made numerous television appearances. Dan R. never married, choosing instead to devote himself entirely to his music. Dan R’s lasting legacy can be found in his more than 2000 original tunes, which were composed in the traditional style. Many of these compositions are now considered ‘standards’ of the traditional Cape Breton repertoire and are often recorded by others. Two volumes of tunes by Dan R. have been published in The Heather Hill Collection and the Trip to Windsor Collection.