Canadian Folk Songs

for the Classical Guitar

All pieces performed and arranged
by Peter Hudson.

Total CD running time: 47:05

CD no longer available.

This CD project grew out of some arrangements of Canadian folksongs for guitar that I published in the 1997 Royal Conservatory of Music Guitar Series. It represents a more ambitious set of pieces based on Canadian folksongs, integrating traditional folk, classical and jazz idioms for solo classical guitar in what I hope is an effective and musically innovative way. I have composed, performed and recorded all the selections.

I have always felt that the indigenous folk music heritage of Canada is as rich, and perhaps more varied than of any other country in the world. By including traditional songs from First Nations, French and English sources, I am attempting to showcase some of this cultural wealth and variety. I have tried to preserve in my arrangements the profound simplicity of the folk melodies, so that the true historical character of each song is never lost.

Selections from the CD have been featured on such national CBC radio shows as This Morning, DiscDrive and Weekender, and on several NPR affiliates.

Canadian Folk Songs for the Classical Guitar

Click a track title for an MP3 sound file exerpt.

1	The Blooming Bright Star of Belle Isle
	(Trad. Newfoundland) (2:58)
2	Un Canadien Errant
	(Trad. Manitoba) (2:30)
3	She's Like the Swallow
	(Trad. Newfoundland) (3:37)
4	Boys of the Island
	(Trad. Prince Edward Island) (3:09)
5	Frère Jacques/Entendez-vous sur l'ormeau
	(Trad. Québec) (2:10)
6	En roulant ma boule/Auprès de ma blonde
	(Trad. Québec) (2:03)
7	Saulteaux Lullabye
	(Trad. Saulteaux) (2:28)
8	Song of Absence
	(Trad. Ojibwa) (2:18)
9	Riel's Farewell
	(Trad. Saskatchewan) (1:41)

10	Never More
	(Trad. Québec-Gaspé) (3:01)
11	Come All Ye Old Comrades
	(Trad. Nova Scotia) (2:49)
12	Brave Wolfe
	(Trad. Newfoundland) (3:46)
13	Mary Ann
	(Trad. Québec) (3:53)
14	Old Fargo
	(Trad. British Columbia) (2:17)
15	O Canada 1
	(0:56)
16	O Canada 2
	(0:56)
17	O Canada 3
	(2:21)
18	Land of the Silver Birch
	(Trad. Ontario) (3:10)

Canadian Folk Songs for the Classical Guitar