The same was true of the pipers and fiddlers who spoke the music with their own regional slang. Until this time, Gaelic speakers in Cape Breton could be identified by region through their accent, the lilt of their speaking. These innovations in communications and transportation were breaking down the isolation of Cape Breton communities and would lead to the ultimate decline of regional styles in music and language. The horse and wagon was being replaced by the automobile. The first commercial recordings of Cape Breton fiddle music began to appear and radios were common. A steam-driven train, The Judique Flyer, had replaced the old stagecoach line and emigration to "the Boston states", which had begun before the turn of the century, continued in frightening numbers. It was 1928 and this small community was nearing the end of an era. When Buddy turned four, his family returned to Cape Breton, settling on a farm in Judique. For the young Buddy MacMaster, this gift was the foundation of his future style and repertoire. A gift of music! Innocent oral transmissions become powerful musical impressions. As a small boy, Buddy started making music using two sticks of kindling and, like his mother, would mimic the fiddle tunes using mouth music (jigging the tunes). In those days people often used lilting to calm a crying child, to distract the child from fears or just to help pass the time while walking down the road or working. Although Buddy's father played the fiddle, it is his mother, Sarah Agnes, Buddy credits with awakening his interest in music and passing it on to him. There, in a Gaelic speaking home, he was introduced to the sounds of the old music through the lilting (mouth music) of his mother. Was born Octoin Timmins, Ontario to John Duncan MacMaster and Sarah Agnes (MacDonald).
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