Canada: A Folksong Portrait / Un portrait folklorique provides a splendid collection for the folklorist or anyone interested in the historical folk music of Canada. Originally compiled by Samuel Gesser for the Folkways label, this important and long out-of-print collection of Canadian folk music has been reissued on compact disc on the Mercury label, courtesy of Smithsonian-Folkways. The 94 songs in the anthology span the entire country from the Maritimes to British Columbia and the Yukon. The selections include songs by native people that offer glimpses of First Nations music as it existed before the influence of European instruments and singing styles. Canada: A Folksong Portrait also captures the voices of several seminal Canadian artists--Alan Mills, Wade Hemsworth, Tom Kines, Karen James, Stanley G. Triggs, Jacques Labrecque, and Jean Carignan--rarely heard today.

One of the many jewels in this three-CD boxed set is Hemsworth's rendition of his "Little Black Fly Song." Because several of the songs are field recordings of ordinary people singing songs they remember, some of the tracks are rough-edged. This is music to study and appreciate for its historical significance as much as for its intrinsic entertainment. the extensive, and essential, liner notes complement the music. A must purchase for the serious collector as well as for any budding folk artist looking for interesting material. This collection received a Golden Porcupine award in 1994, and its editor, Samuel Gesser, was inducted into the Porcupine Awards Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievements in the field of Canadian folk music.

Canada: A Folksong Portrait / Un Portrait Folklorique
1994 Mercury / Smithsonian-Folkways (769748000-2)

CD1: CD; Lord Gordon Reel (Faulkner, Kenneth); The Squid-Jiggin' Ground (Mills, Alan); I'm Going to Get Married (Gallagher, Edward (Mrs.)); The Bad Girl's Lament (Hemsworth, Wade); Chin Music (Dornan, Angelo); 'N Uair Nighidh Tu (When You Wash); À La Claire Fontaine (Baillargeon, Hélène;Mills, Alan); Le Petit Moine (Kelly, Allan); Boys of the Island (Mills, Alan); Lady Gowrie (Redden, Fred); The False Knight Upon the Road (Henneberry, Edmund); Lots of Fish in Bonavist' Harbor (Peacock, Ken); Anti-Confederation Song (Mills, Alan); Pretty Susan (Dornan, Angelo); The Welcome Table (Owen, Charles); Old Tune (Henneberry, Edmund); Galop De La Malbaie (Jean, Joseph;Jean, Alfred); Laquelle Marieons-Nous (Labrecque, Jacques); Chanson De Mesonges (Beavan, William (Mme);Beauchamps, Monique); Auprès De Ma Blonde (Baillargeon, Hélène;Mills, Alan); Violon En Discorde (Carignan, Jean); Tous Les Gens Du Plaisir (Beavan, William (Mme)); À La Claire Fontaine/Ah Tu Danses Bien Madeleine (Audet, Jean-Louis (Mme)); Vive La Canadienne (Mills, Alan); She Was Poor But She Was Honest (Lamb, Derek); A Young Man Lived in Belfast Town (Kines, Tom); The Wee, Wee German Lairdie (Dunbar, Max); Horch Was Kommt Von Draussen Rein? (Vopel, Erika;Vopel, Elsa); Gey Ich Mir Shpatzirin (Singerman, Raasche;Singerman, Tassy); Tell Me, Tell Me (West Indian Society of McGill University); Me'Savo Va Zi Var Dous O tont En-Dro (Conan, Jacques); Pastoral (de Vienne Blanc, Lucie); À Paris, Sur Le Petit Pont (Labrecque, Jacques); Danse Carre (Morin, Aldor ) 68:25

CD2: CD; Shining Birch Tree (Hemsworth, Wade); The Shantyboys' Alphabet (Campsall, Sam); When the Shantyboy Comes Down (Doherty, Jim); The Gypsy Daisy (Abbott, O.J.); My Irish Polly (Kines, Tom); Johnny Doyle (Kelly, Joe); The Franklin Expedition (Hemsworth, Wade); The Jam On Gerry's Rocks (Brandon, Tom); The Murder of F.C. Benwell (Tilden, Lamont); The Foot of the Mountain Brow (Kines, Tom); The Poor Little Girls of Ontario (Minnifie, Hartley (Mrs.)); The Black Fly Song (Hemsworth, Wade); An Indian Sat in His Little Bark Canoe (Sullivan, Tom (Mrs.)); The Northern Trappers Rendezvous (Loewen Orchestra); The Little Old Sod Shanty (Mills, Alan); O Bury Me Not On the Lone Prairie (Sills, Herbert); Barbara Allen (Galbraith, Molly); Johnny Sands (Carr, Grace); Our Ukraine (Konoplenko, Paul); Chanson De Riel (Jeannotte, Joseph Gaspar); Un Canadien Errant (Mills, Alan); When the Ice Worms Nest Again (Loewen Orchestra); Funky Jim (Bowker, Mel); The Alberta Homestead (Mills, Alan); A Poor Lone Girl in Saskatchewan (Halderman, Anne); Saskatchewan (Young, Jim) 70:56

CD3: CD; The Oda G. (Triggs, Stanley G.); The Dark-Eyed Sailor (James, Karen); Pretty Peggy O (Hall, Barry); So Long to the Kicking Horse Canyon(Triggs, Stanley G.); The Klondike Gold Rush (Mills, Alan); The Velvet Band (Triggs, Stanley G.); Swedish Melody (Hall, Barry); Land of Treasure (Doukhobors); The Lookout in the Sky (Triggs, Stanley G.); Willie Moore (Hall, Barry); The Story of Weldon Chan (James, Karen); Lake of Crimson (Triggs, Stanley G.); War Dance (Paul, William;Sack, Marin;Knockwood, John); Hunting Black Bear (MacKenzie, Sebastian); I Hunt With My Sons (MacKenzie, Joseph); Lullabye (Francis, Dorothy); Victory Song (Thomas, Roderick (Mrs.)); The Whipping Song (Murray, Gertrude); War Song (World War II) (Nicotine, George); Warrior's Death Song (for Sitting Bull); Grass Dance Song; Owl Dance (Delaney, Adam;Delaney, Wallace); Lucky Stone Song (One Gun); War Song (Calf Robe, Wilfred;Scalp Lock, Albert); Wolf Song (Assu, Billy); Wolf Song (Martin, Mungo); Headdress Song (Martin, Mungo); Little Woman Doctor Song (Wamiss, Mary); Baby Song (Cramer, Dan); Children's Game (Kasugat;Ishmatuk); Bird Imitations (Gibbons, Harry); I Sing About A Dance (Uluyok;Tutinat); Before We Came to Religion (Eevaloo); Girl's Game (Angutnal;Matee) 70:53