The Oddity of Origins explores the charming anomaly of contra dance music, originating from English, Scottish, and French soil transplanted to North American ground in the 17th and 18th centuries. With fiddles leading the parade and occasional lyrical nods, this repetitive, binary form unfolds as dancers enact a ritual of movement in orderly chaos. Histories intertwine as the tunes serve as pastime and soundtrack for social rendezvous, evolving through folk revivals and improvisation. Geographic quirks showcase the preservation of tradition in New England, flirtation with bluegrass in Appalachian regions, and modernity on the West Coast.

The Oddity of Origins

Contra dance music, a charming anomaly, sprouts from English, Scottish, and French soil transplanted to North American ground in the 17th and 18th centuries. New England, it seems, acts as a careless gardener, allowing this transplant to thrive in an untamed manner.

The French, ever fond of linguistic gymnastics, rebranded “country dance” as “contredans” and declared that the English had gotten it wrong—a classic move in cross-Channel bickering.

Sounds of Structure and Freedom

Expect fiddles to lead the parade, with guitars, banjos, and accordions—augmented by saxophones if whimsy strikes—in tow. It unfolds in a repetitive, binary form, A’s chasing B’s as dancers enact a ritual of movement in an orderly chaos.

Then there are lyrics, or rather the occasional lyrical nods to communal gatherings and pastoral themes, providing a decidedly uncomplex icing on the instrumental cake.

Histories Intertwine

In rural North America of yore, contra dance music served as both pastime and soundtrack for social rendezvous. The mid-20th century added dimensions, with folk revivals penciling in extra notes and allowing improvisation to crash the party.

Repeated ad infinitum, the tunes earn their keep. Ralph Page believed, “If a tune is worth playing once, it’s worth playing a hundred times.” Dudley Laufman and friends took this to heart, setting the rhythm for generations.

Geographic Quirks

New England preserves the old, while Appalachian regions flirt with bluegrass. The West Coast throws modernity into the mix, a testament to varied landscapes and demographics.

In the South, Don Pedi wields the dulcimer with a flair unique to these mountains, and Dan Compton’s fiddle navigates Pacific Northwest scenes with aplomb born of centuries of practice.

Names Behind the Notes

Dudley Laufman leaves imprints on New England’s contra scene, a quiet force in the 1960s revival, while modern outfits like Wild Asparagus continue to straddle tradition and innovation with reckless balance.

Enter Gordon Stobbe, with predilections for square dances, and Bruce Molsky, who dips into far-flung influences like burdensome clothes. Each is woven into contra’s expansive, rustic tapestry.

Precious Peculiarities

Raw exuberance positions contra dance not as a performance but as collective participation, devoid of the romantic pretense found in other dance forms. At gatherings in places like Nelson or Palo Alto, “Wayfaring Stranger” echoes judiciously through the blend of youthful energy and venerable tradition.

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