Eleanor Townsend (1944 to 1998) was an Ontario fiddler, teacher, and composer. She won the women’s class at the Canadian Open Old Time Fiddlers’ Contest in Shelburne four times, and in 1979 she became the first woman to win the open class. She married Graham Townsend in 1973, and the two toured and recorded as a fiddling team for 25 years.
Why Townsend matters
Canadian contest fiddling was a men’s game for most of its history. Townsend broke that pattern at the Canadian Open in Shelburne, Ontario. Her 1979 open class win at Shelburne stood alone until April Verch won in 1998. She also showed that classical training and old-time fiddling could live in the same hands. Her method book put her approach in print for students.
Life and career
Townsend was born on January 8, 1944, in Dungannon, near Stratford, Ontario. She studied classical violin from age eight to eighteen, then turned to traditional fiddling. She entered the Canadian Open in Shelburne and won its women’s class in 1967, 1969, 1970, and 1974.
In 1973 she married Graham Townsend, the Ottawa Valley fiddler who had won the Canadian Open in 1963 and from 1968 to 1970. They billed themselves as North America’s only championship fiddling team. She joined him on several CBC-sponsored tours, and they shared the stage in The Graham and Eleanor Townsend Show in 1990. In 1979 she won the open class at the Canadian Open, the first woman to do so.
She recorded four solo albums for labels including Dominion and Condor, plus joint albums with Graham. Her Mrs. Country Fiddle was paired with his Mr. Country Fiddle. Other releases included Live at Barre, Vermont in 1981 and Fiddling Through the Years ‘Championship Style’ in 1984. In 1996 she published The Townsend Old-Time Fiddle Method. The couple won a Porcupine Award together in 1993.
Graham Townsend died in Barrie, Ontario, on December 3, 1998. Eleanor died in Barrie on December 31, 1998, after a house fire.
Playing style
Townsend played the clean, dance-driven Ontario contest style. Her classical years show in her intonation and her bow control on waltzes. On Grand Valley Reel the melody stays clear and the ornaments stay small. The rhythm is steady enough for a step dancer.
In duet with Graham the two fiddles stay locked on the beat and in tune with each other. That kind of tight twin fiddling is hard to hold at dance tempo, and the Townsends built their touring show on it.
Influences and legacy
Townsend came to the fiddle through classical violin, and then through the Ontario contest circuit. Graham Townsend was her partner, her duet foil, and the largest influence on her repertoire. Her method book and her years of teaching passed the Ontario style to students. April Verch, who took the next women’s open class win at Shelburne, came up through the same Ottawa Valley world the Townsends worked in. The Fiddlers Hall of Fame inducted Eleanor in 1984, and the Canadian National Fiddling Hall of Fame added her in 1998.
Signature tunes and songs
Grand Valley Reel The Jewel Waltz.
Essential recordings
Live at Barre, Vermont (1981) Fiddling Through the Years ‘Championship Style’ (1984) Mrs. Country Fiddle
Awards and honors
Canadian Open Old Time Fiddlers’ Contest, women’s class champion (1967, 1969, 1970, 1974) Canadian Open Old Time Fiddlers’ Contest, open class champion (1979) Fiddlers Hall of Fame (1984) Porcupine Award, with Graham Townsend (1993) Canadian National Fiddling Hall of Fame (1998)
Watch and listen
Townsend plays Grand Valley Reel. Listen for the steady dance rhythm and the clean tone.
Graham and Eleanor Townsend play together in 1989. Notice how the two fiddles lock together.
What to learn from Townsend
Learn Grand Valley Reel from her recording. It is a straight Ontario reel with no tricks, so it makes a good test of clean tone at dance tempo. The technique to steal is her twin fiddle work with Graham. Find a partner, pick a waltz you both know, and work out a harmony line a third above or below the melody. Practice until the two parts move as one. Most jam fiddlers never try this, and it is the fastest way to improve your intonation.
Sources
Eleanor Townsend, The Canadian Encyclopedia Graham Townsend, The Canadian Encyclopedia Eleanor Townsend, Discogs
Related players
See the fiddle players hub and the fiddle guide for more Canadian players. Graham Townsend was her husband and duet partner. April Verch became the second woman to win the Canadian Open in 1998. Al Cherny and Don Messer shaped the Canadian old-time sound the Townsends played.