Archive 2002

Racca Day

Once again the huge public rooms at Bodmin rang to the sound of fiddles, accordions, flutes, clarinets, mandolins, guitars and a host of other instruments (as well as voices) as yet another Racca Day got under way.

Now in its 7th year, the event has been developing since its conception. The original intention was to bring people already playing Cornish Celtic music together to swap tunes and build a common repertoire. This is still very much part of Racca Day but in recent years the day has opened up for many others to participate and discover Cornish music through workshops, tune swaps, sessions and, more recently, an evening concert and dance.

Cumpas also feels that through informing the public of the type of events and where they are being hosted it may be possible to expand the range and quantity of noze looan supporters.

Last year to celebrate the millennium the organisers Cornish Music Projects received funding with which they were able to promote the event more efficiently and produce a commemorative programme containing music used on the day and a tape recorded by workshop tutors and bands. This proved so successful that they were able to repeat the idea for this year; unfortunately they were unsuccessful in securing funding but amazingly they went ahead and created an equally exciting event. "It just goes to show what goodwill there is in Cornwall for supporting this kind of thing," said Hilary Coleman, one of the Cornish Music Projects team. "We are fortunate in that we have a group of volunteers working before the event and on the day to ensure we can achieve our aims."

They include John Coles from Kernow Sound who believes the production of a tape for archive reasons to be so important that he was prepared to do the recording at cost price. Then of course there are the door and refreshment crews who come mainly from the Cornish dance groups and who love to come along and help just so they can jump up from what they are doing and dance along to the tunes. This year for example they helped create a new dance, which spontaneously sprang to life during a tune swap led by members of Perranporth-based band Zabuloe.

"Moments like that contribute so much to the fantastic atmosphere of the day," adds Frances Bennett, another Cornish Music Projects organiser. "It really is a celebratory event as well as being a great networking and educational day which includes stalls, displays and information on forthcoming events. Every year we have a theme we choose to explore and this year we explored the relationship between singing and playing, from Cornwall's harmony singing tradition to tunes from the song repertoire. There is still so much to discover in the Cornish Celtic music scene, so Racca Day provides a forum for such research and discussions."

And this year was no exception; Racca Day turned out to be a highly enjoyable process of musical discovery. For example, a session led by Mike O'Connor featured a recently discovered collection of 18th century tunes and there was great excitement as the music filled the air and was brought to life once more. The organisers believe that the Cornish musical tradition encompasses choirs and silver bands as well as their own background, the Celtic music scene. This was reflected in the evening, which provided another occasion to celebrate as bands from all over Cornwall came to give a concert and dance. "We try to provide a platform for some of the best sounds happening on the scene today as well as giving new ideas a chance," said Hilary.

One such new idea is the Noze Looan, a recent concept in Cornish dancing inspired by a sound tradition and a sense of fun. As an alternative to a ceili or barn dance it provide an evening of dances simple enough not to need a caller. The dancers just follow the leader and join in if and when they like; a noze looan is about enjoyment for all ages. So the event ended with storytelling, music, singing and then Noze Looan dancing until midnight. Frances BennettRacca Day is just one of the projects organised by Cornish Music Projects under its 4 main aims of education, research, networking and celebration. As Hubbadillia they deliver workshops in schools and also organise events such as the Teer ha Moar concerts at the Minack Theatre, Porthcurno. Performing in bands, leading sessions and collaborating with dance activities is a major part of their work.

Hilary also commented: "It's an exciting time for Cornish Celtic music with many people as well as ourselves working away at events throughout the year. It seems that soon the time must come for an agency to be created to promote such activities thus uniting our efforts, providing a far better service and raising the profile and increasing recognition of Cornish culture, while at the same time attracting funding."