Listening Back to the First Broad Cove Scottish Concert in 1957
For those of us who missed the first Broad Cove Scottish Concert in 1957, we often imagine what the sounds and atmosphere might have been like. Thankfully, we no longer have to wonder.
Two recordings from the Beaton Institute Digital Archives at Cape Breton University capture the concert from beginning to end. This post will break down each track and list the performers in each set. So get your dancing shoes ready and let’s hit the floor!
Link to archive: https://beatoninstitute.com/t-1738
Track 1
Reference: CA BI T-1738
🎤 The late Lauchie Gillis, Grand Mira – Gaelic song with Marie MacLellan on piano
The concert opened with a moving Gaelic solo by Lauchie Gillis of Grand Mira, backed by the delicate piano stylings of Marie MacLellan. A fitting start that set the tone for a night rooted in linguistic and musical heritage.
🎻 Violin music by Theresa MacLellan with Marie on piano
Theresa MacLellan showcased the Cape Breton fiddle tradition, her melodies made even more resonant by Marie’s steady piano accompaniment. The MacLellan name, already known in local music circles, proved itself that night.
👣 Stepdancing by Angus Alex MacDonnell, with Donald Angus Beaton on violin and Marie MacLellan on piano
A display of classic Cape Breton stepdancing, Angus Alex’s lively footwork was matched beat-for-beat by the legendary Donald Angus Beaton on fiddle — a partnership of rhythm and kinship.
🎶 John Alex Gillis – Gaelic song accompanied by the Broad Cove Chorus
Community spirit rang clear in this ensemble piece, with the chorus lifting Gillis’s Gaelic vocals in layered harmony — a true celebration of the local tongue.
🕺 The Mabou Dancers (square set), with Donald Angus Beaton (violin) and Mrs. Beaton (piano)
A classic Cape Breton square set, full of life and lilt. With Donald Angus and his wife Elizabeth Beaton playing together, this was both a musical and marital duet in the purest form.
🎻 Peter MacDonnell of Deepdale – Violin tunes: “Maggie Cameron’s Strathspey” and “John Morrison’s Reel”
Peter MacDonnell delivered these traditional tunes with flair, drawing from a repertoire passed down through generations — music that echoes the Scottish Highlands and Cape Breton hills alike.
🩰 A group from Deepdale – Stepdancing with Cassie Belle MacIntyre (Inverness) on fiddle
Cape Breton’s deep bench of talent was on full display, as Deepdale dancers performed to the sweet bowing of Cassie Belle MacIntyre — a female fiddler at a time when few were recognized on stage.
🎻 Finale of Inverness County fiddlers: Angus Allan Gillis, Donald Angus Beaton, Cameron Chisholm, Theresa MacLellan, and more
A tour de force finale with some of Inverness County’s finest fiddlers, accompanied by Elizabeth Beaton. Three groups of strathspeys and reels created a joyful, rollicking close to the first half of the concert.
🎻 Angus Allan Gillis – Wedding reels
With his bold yet nuanced style, Gillis offered up a selection of traditional wedding reels, invoking both celebration and sentimentality.
🪗 Jimmy and Harold MacDonnell – Bagpipe selections
No Cape Breton concert would be complete without the pipes. Jimmy and Harold MacDonnell brought a stirring breath of the Highlands to Broad Cove.
🎶 Two Gaelic songs by the Broad Cove Chorus, Marion Gillis on piano
The Chorus returned for a second set, this time with Marion Gillis at the keys. These performances embodied the collective memory and shared voice of the Gaelic community.
🥁 Inverness Pipe Band – “Road to the Isles”
A classic march rendered with precision and pride. The unmistakable sound of the pipe band marched straight into the hearts of all present.
💃 Highland Dance by Christine Kennedy, with bagpipe music
Christine Kennedy’s solo Highland dance was both graceful and fierce — a young dancer stepping into tradition with confidence and poise.
🎵 Gaelic song by Angus Alex MacDonnell and sisters (2 songs)
Family harmonies shone in these two traditional Gaelic songs, a moment of shared heritage passed from sibling to sibling.
🎻 Violin music by Jimmy MacLellan with Jessie Maggie MacLellan on piano
Jimmy’s bow danced across the strings as Jessie Maggie grounded the melody — a musical kinship deeply felt.
👣 Stepdancing by Maureen Fraser, with Jimmy MacLellan (Sudbury, ON) on fiddle
Even those who had moved away — like Jimmy from St. Rose — returned to Broad Cove to share in the tradition. His accompaniment for Maureen Fraser connected home and away through music.
Track 2
Reference: CA BI T-1738
🎻 Cameron Chisholm – First public concert appearance
A young Cameron Chisholm made his debut, marking the beginning of what would become a respected musical journey in Cape Breton circles.
🎤 Gaelic song by Margaree singers
Margaree’s voices rose together in rich, ancestral sound — music as memory, echoing off the walls of the church hall.
🎻 Violinist Johnny Wilmot with Gussie Miles on piano; Donald Angus Beaton and Elizabeth Beaton
A rich interchange of musical partners, this set blurred the lines between solo and ensemble. Donald Angus and Elizabeth brought their usual fire to the bow and keys.
👣 The Beatons playing for stepdancer Willie Fraser (Deepdale, Inverness County)
Another high point — the Beatons in full rhythm as Willie Fraser pounded out his steps, each tap echoing the island’s heartbeat.
🎻 Angus Allan Gillis and Jessie Maggie MacLellan – Violin selections
A duo whose timing and phrasing brought out the very soul of Cape Breton fiddling.
🎤 Gaelic song by singers from Southwest Margaree, Father Hugh A. MacDonald on piano
The concert closed on a spiritual and cultural high note — voices from Southwest Margaree, accompanied by Father Hugh A. MacDonald himself, delivering one final reminder of music’s place in both community and faith.
Citation:
Item T-1738 - First Scottish concert held in 1957 at Broad Cove, Cape Breton, 1957. Beaton Institute. CA BI T-1738. Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University.
