Donald Angus Beaton

Donald Angus Beaton
Born
Donald Angus Beaton

(1912-04-20)April 20, 1912
OriginMabou, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada
DiedJuly 29, 1982(1982-07-29) (aged 70)
OccupationsFiddler, Composer

Donald Angus Beaton (April 20, 1912 – July 29, 1982) was a Canadian fiddler and composer associated with the Cape Breton musical tradition.

Early life

Beaton was the son of Angus R. Beaton (Aonghas Raonuill) and Annie Belle Campbell. He worked as a blacksmith until the mid-1940s and later operated a taxi business in Mabou.

Career

Beaton performed traditional Cape Breton fiddle tunes, as well as more than 50 of his own compositions. He was known as a dance fiddler. From the 1950s to the 1970s, Beaton and his wife, Elizabeth Beaton, were leading dance musicians in Inverness County, performing at numerous dances and concerts.

He published the albums The Beatons Of Mabou: Marches, Jigs, Strathspeys & Reels of the Highland Scot, Cape Breton Fiddle and Piano Music, and The Beaton Family of Mabou, which include his compositions performed by Beaton and members of his family, including Elizabeth Beaton, Joey Beaton, and Kinnon Beaton.

Personal life

He and his wife Elizabeth Beaton had nine children. She died in 2011.

Legacy

Several of Beaton’s children and grandchildren have continued the Cape Breton musical tradition. In 2004, Smithsonian Folkways released the CD album Cape Breton Fiddle and Piano Music: The Beaton Family of Mabou, which includes performances by members of the Beaton family, including Kinnon Beaton, Betty Lou Beaton, Mary (Beaton) Graham, Rodney MacDonald, Glenn Graham, Andrea Beaton and Allison Beaton. It also includes a special live track, previously recorded by Donald Angus and Elizabeth Beaton. The album, recorded at Soundpark Studios, was compiled and produced by Burt Feintuch.

Discography

Publications

References

  1. 1 2 MacGillivary, Allister (1981). The Cape Breton Fiddler. College of Cape Breton Press. pp. 80. ISBN 0-920336-12-4.
  2. ↑ Fintan Vallely (1 September 1999). The Companion to Irish Traditional Music. NYU Press. pp. 52–. ISBN 978-0-8147-8802-8.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Feintuch, Bert (2004). "Cape Breton Fiddle and Piano Music: The Beaton Family of Mabou (liner notes)" (PDF). Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  4. ↑ June Skinner Sawyers (2001). Celtic Music: A Complete Guide. Perseus (for Hbg). pp. 76–. ISBN 978-0-306-81007-7.
  5. ↑ "Willie Fraser’s dancing feet carried Gaelic traditions through Nova Scotia". ALLISON LAWLOR The Globe and Mail, Apr. 15, 2015
  6. ↑ Old Time Herald. Old-Time Music Group. 2005. pp. 104–105.
  7. ↑ Bob Mersereau (1 March 2015). The History of Canadian Rock 'n' Roll. Backbeat Books. pp. 168–. ISBN 978-1-4950-2890-8.
  8. ↑ Smithsonian Folkways
  9. ↑ "Cape Breton pianist Elizabeth Beaton dies". 2011-04-06.
  10. ↑ Ryan J. Thomson (1985). The Fiddler's Almanac. Captain Fiddle Publications. pp. 104–. ISBN 978-0-931877-00-1.
  11. ↑ Rounder Lps Archived March 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ Lori Henry (1 January 2012). Dancing Through History: In Search of the Stories That Define Canada. Dancing Traveller Publishing. pp. 47–. ISBN 978-0-9876897-7-1.
  13. ↑ "A Musical Legacy". Beaton Institute Archives. R-332. Cape Breton University. 1985. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  14. ↑ Drew Beisswenger (31 May 2011). North American Fiddle Music: A Research and Information Guide. Routledge. pp. 285–. ISBN 978-1-135-84722-7.