Margaret MacArthur, ballad singer and collector from Marlboro, Vermont, passed away this past week. Margaret was a friend of a number of us on this list, and of traditional and Irish music. She played a small, zither-like lap harp, and was involved in harp festivals because of that. Her home in Marlboro was a gathering place for traditional musicians. Dave Richardson of the Boys of the Lough wrote a tune in honor of her home called "MacArthur Road."
Margaret was gracious and supportive, and responsible for a lot of my interest traditional music. Her clear and simple style of ballad singing was a model.
I am so sorry to learn this.
I first met Margaret in the mid-70's, when she was travelling round Britain with her teenage daughter, the pair of them laiden down with two backpacks and about three instruments between them - she was also highly competent on guitar and mountain dulcimer. I remember her then as a warm, happy and spirited character, only to willing to share her joy in music and performing with everyone. I visited her on my first visit to the US in '77, and was very happy for her to use our London home as a stopover on her repeat visits to this country.
She leaves behind a number of fine recordings, both solo and with various members of her family. She was an active part of the lively traditional music scene in her adopted home of Marlboro, where she had settled with her husband, who was from a long-established local family.
I'm sure that many people from both sides of the Atlantic will be much saddened by this news.
My condolences to all her family and friends.
I remember Margaret, too: Used to see her at the Fox Hollow Festival in upstate New York during the 1970s, among other places (I also was in Britain the year she came through, as mentioned by Pete). She was unfailingly kind and seemed to just enjoy being around musicians and singers of all generations and backgrounds.
She also, by the way, had an unlikely connection to morris dancing. Her house was the site for the precursor of what became the Marlboro Ale, one of North America's premier morris dance events.
I was in an old time southern string band back some time ago. The fellow we were to follow, a chap doing vaudville recitations, collapsed and died on stage, leaving the audience and us backstage in shocked silence. As the rescue squad was doing their work, we wondered what we could possibly do as our act was "good time" fiddle music. As it turned out, Margaret was also on the bill and she took our place, starting out with slow , beautiful acappella tunes. She quickly had the audience well in hand and by the end of her set, she and the family were doing bouncy rags, the crowd having forgotten what had just transpired and setting the stage for us to come on. Never have I seen such professionalism and handling of an audience..she was a true and great performer...
No, please don't put it with the previous thread Jeremy !
There was a very complimentary obituary to Margaret in the Guardian yesterday. I think it is quite a fillip to our general world of folk music when someone not a household name gets mentioned internationally.
I realised after reading it that I had a detail wrong in my previous entry - it was not her husbands' ancestral home that the family lived in. I also remember what a marvellous spirit she had, she was as happy to listen to other musicians and singers, as she was to take her turn at performing and leading. We do well to try to follow her examples.
Margaret MacArthur
Margaret MacArthur
Margaret MacArthur, ballad singer and collector from Marlboro, Vermont, passed away this past week. Margaret was a friend of a number of us on this list, and of traditional and Irish music. She played a small, zither-like lap harp, and was involved in harp festivals because of that. Her home in Marlboro was a gathering place for traditional musicians. Dave Richardson of the Boys of the Lough wrote a tune in honor of her home called "MacArthur Road."
Margaret was gracious and supportive, and responsible for a lot of my interest traditional music. Her clear and simple style of ballad singing was a model.
Her passing is a great loss.
# Posted on May 29th 2006 by dwdeacon
Re: Margaret MacArthur
I'll 2nd that.
http://www.margaretmacarthur.com/
# Posted on May 29th 2006 by Ptarmigan
Re: Margaret MacArthur
I am so sorry to learn this.
I first met Margaret in the mid-70's, when she was travelling round Britain with her teenage daughter, the pair of them laiden down with two backpacks and about three instruments between them - she was also highly competent on guitar and mountain dulcimer. I remember her then as a warm, happy and spirited character, only to willing to share her joy in music and performing with everyone. I visited her on my first visit to the US in '77, and was very happy for her to use our London home as a stopover on her repeat visits to this country.
She leaves behind a number of fine recordings, both solo and with various members of her family. She was an active part of the lively traditional music scene in her adopted home of Marlboro, where she had settled with her husband, who was from a long-established local family.
I'm sure that many people from both sides of the Atlantic will be much saddened by this news.
My condolences to all her family and friends.
# Posted on May 29th 2006 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Margaret MacArthur
I remember Margaret, too: Used to see her at the Fox Hollow Festival in upstate New York during the 1970s, among other places (I also was in Britain the year she came through, as mentioned by Pete). She was unfailingly kind and seemed to just enjoy being around musicians and singers of all generations and backgrounds.
She also, by the way, had an unlikely connection to morris dancing. Her house was the site for the precursor of what became the Marlboro Ale, one of North America's premier morris dance events.
# Posted on May 30th 2006 by sts
Re: Margaret MacArthur
I was in an old time southern string band back some time ago. The fellow we were to follow, a chap doing vaudville recitations, collapsed and died on stage, leaving the audience and us backstage in shocked silence. As the rescue squad was doing their work, we wondered what we could possibly do as our act was "good time" fiddle music. As it turned out, Margaret was also on the bill and she took our place, starting out with slow , beautiful acappella tunes. She quickly had the audience well in hand and by the end of her set, she and the family were doing bouncy rags, the crowd having forgotten what had just transpired and setting the stage for us to come on. Never have I seen such professionalism and handling of an audience..she was a true and great performer...
# Posted on May 30th 2006 by Aloysius
Margaret MacArthur update.
No, please don't put it with the previous thread Jeremy !
There was a very complimentary obituary to Margaret in the Guardian yesterday. I think it is quite a fillip to our general world of folk music when someone not a household name gets mentioned internationally.
I realised after reading it that I had a detail wrong in my previous entry - it was not her husbands' ancestral home that the family lived in. I also remember what a marvellous spirit she had, she was as happy to listen to other musicians and singers, as she was to take her turn at performing and leading. We do well to try to follow her examples.
# Posted on June 13th 2006 by Guernsey Pete