The Old Country Fiddler: Charles Ross Taggart, Vermont’s Traveling Entertainer

The Old Country Fiddler: Charles Ross Taggart, Vermont’s Traveling Entertainer

Summer (8 hrs. or less) | This course has been canceled

67 Cummings Road Hanover, NH 03755 United States

Chalmers

NEW

7/5/2017-7/26/2017

2:00 PM-4:00 PM EDT on Wed

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$40.00

4 sessions, 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Wednesdays, July 5 through July 26, 2017
Kendal at Hanover - Hanover, NH
Course Fee: $40

Imagine traveling all over North America in the early 20th Century, making a living by telling stories, playing the fiddle, and doing various tricks and characterizations, including ventriloquism. That’s just what Vermonter Charles Ross Taggart did for over 43 years, in addition to being a recording and early “talkie” star.

The main focus will be on Charles Ross Taggart himself as a performer, writer, cultural figure, and observer of life events, but may also delve into discussions about lyceums, Chautauqua, and other questions raised by the class.

Students will be required to read Taggart’s biography, The Man from Vermont: Charles Ross Taggart, The Old Country Fiddler by Adam Boyce. Students will be asked to read certain passages in class and to do some research on obscure historical figures mentioned by Taggart, as well as events that he experienced firsthand.

Goals: To develop an understanding of Mr. Taggart’s challenges and successes in choosing and nurturing an occupation in the early 20th Century; to discuss how regional differences affected the arc of his career; to look at the impact of new technologies on his career and his ability to adapt.

There will be a required text for this course. There may also be a reading packet.

DO NOT USE SL INACTIVE 2017 Boyce, DO NOT USE SL INACTIVE 2017 Adam

Adam Boyce of West Windsor, VT, is a lifelong student of history. He learned to play the fiddle from the legendary Harold “Chuck” Luce of Chelsea, and has become a leading authority on the traditional music and dance history of New England. Since 2002, Boyce has been a lecturer in both VT and NH, through their respective humanities bureaus. He discovered Charles Ross Taggart in 2005 through an internet search for old-time fiddling. Boyce developed a living history portrayal of Taggart in 2010, which has been well-received in the Twin States. The amount of information he uncovered about Taggart led him to write the only known biography about him.