Traditional Players

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Music is made by individuals who are free to make their own musical choices, despite being to a greater or lesser degree constrained by their culture. The study of traditional music should therefore take into account those individuals and their importance.

Throughout history most traditional players would not consciously have tried to play what others would later call their National Music ; rather, they would simply have acquired good tunes as they heard them and whatever their provenance, and adapted them for their own purpose, as most still do.

The definition of a musician's nationality may be loosely applied. Some players were born and lived in one country, playing whatever music came their way in a style that could be described as belonging to that country. Some may have been children of immigrants from elsewhere, and played the music of their ancestral country. It doesn't really matter that much. This section is just to narrow the search.

Australian Traditional Players

The major part of the work in documenting Australia's traditional players was done by the late John Meredith in association with a number of other researchers.

Here is a list of the known performers.

See also the National Library of Australia pictures catalogue for John Meredith's collection of pictures of traditional players. (Search on John Meredith and Creator).