Collection number: MC 369
Size:
(13 boxes)
(12.5 cu.ft.)
About David A. Kaynor, 1948-2021
David A. Kaynor began fiddling and calling contra dances in the mid 1970s in western Massachusetts as part of the New England folk music revival. He went on to perform across the United States and Sweden as part of groups including the Greenfield Contra Dance Band, the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra, and the Fourgone Conclusions. He learned calling on the job beginning in 1980 when he took over calling the Greenfield contra dance at the Guiding Star Grange from caller Ralph Sweet. This led to David’s 1993 book “Calling for Beginners by Beginners.” David was an accomplished self-taught fiddler and was on regular staff at Pinewoods Music Camp, Ashokan, the Saratoga Dance Flurry, and many others. His artistic abilities in calligraphy and pen and ink drawing graced hundreds of dance posters. In 2021 he was awarded the 2021 Country Dance and Song Society Lifetime Achievement Award.
About the David A. Kaynor Collection, 1978-2020 and undated
The David A. Kaynor Collection reflects David’s lifelong passion for contra dancing, fiddle music, and calling through his writings, art, and tunes. The bulk of the collection consists of sheet music for tunes across a wide variety of repertoires, with contemporary American composers (including David Kaynor himself) and traditional Swedish styles represented particularly strongly. The music is complimented by many folders of contra dance calls (again including many written by David himself). The history and running of the Greenfield Contra Dance is represented in correspondence, hundreds of David’s beautifully hand drawn posters, and 40 years of guest books. Additional materials include discussions of dance etiquette, teaching materials, and publicity.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
This collection is open.
Copyright Notice
Contents of this collection are governed by U.S. copyright law. For questions about publication or reproduction rights, contact Special Collections staff.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], [Folder], [Box], David A. Kaynor Collection, 1978-2020, MC 369, Milne Special Collections and Archives, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, NH, USA.
Acquisitions Information
Donation of the Estate of David A. Kaynor, 2023.
Collection Arrangement
The collection is arranged into four series by material type: 1. David Kaynor's Publicity and Calling Activities (1988-2013 and undated); 2. Handdrawn Dance Posters and Tunes (1978-2013); 3. Guiding Star Grange / Greenfield Contra Dance (1980-2020); and 4. Audiovisual / Oversize Materials (1983-2019).
Collection Contents
Series 1: Publicity and Calling Activities, 1988-2013 and undated
(0.33 cubic feet)This series consists of materials related to David Kaynor's calling and fiddling activities, including contracts and publicity. There are several articles on dance and calling written by David, including his Swedish musical autobiography (Folder 10). Series 1 also contains dance calls, including many written by David Kaynor. There are additional materials from the first edition of his 1993 book "Calling For Beginners By Beginners," and background correspondence from the 1984 Fourgone Conclusions LP.
| Box 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 1, Folder 1 | Photographs, undated | |
| Box 1, Folder 2 | Newspaper articles, 1980-2018 | |
| Box 1, Folder 3 | Dance Publicity / Newspaper articles, undated | |
| Box 1, Folder 4 | Awards, undated | |
| Box 1, Folder 5 | Music contracts, 1996-2004 | |
| Box 1, Folder 6 | Saratoga Dance Flurry, 1999-2002 | |
| Box 1, Folder 7 | Caller's retreat, Lewiston ME, 1988 | |
| Box 1, Folder 8 | Articles on music and dance by others, 1991-2007 | |
| Box 1, Folder 9 | Gig mileage and calling schedule, 2010-2013 and undated | |
| Box 1, Folder 10 | Articles written by DAK (including DAK's musical autobiography, in Swedish), 1990-1994 & undated | |
| Box 2 | ||
| Box 2, Folder 1 | Dance related correspondence, incl. w/ Larry Jennings, 1989-1994 | |
| Box 2, Folder 2 | Correspondence, 1978-2009 | |
| Box 2, Folder 3 | Fourgone Conclusions record materials, 1983 | |
| Box 2, Folder 4 | Books / Recordings by DAK, undated | |
| Box 2, Folder 5 | Dances written by DAK, undated | |
| Box 2, Folder 6 | Green Mountain Volunteers photo album, ca. 1982 | |
| Box 2, Folder 7 | "Calling For Beginners By Beginners" - proofs, 1991 | |
| Box 2, Folder 8 | "Calling For Beginners…" publicity masters, 1991 | |
| Box 2, Folder 9 | Articles on teaching calling by DAK and others, undated | |
Series 2: Dance Posters and Tunes, 1978-2013
(2.66 cubic feet)This series contains several decades' worth of original dance posters David Kaynor drew (mostly for the Greenfield Dance, but many others as well). The posters mostly lack a year. The rest of the series is sheet music played for the dances, much of which was collected from contemporary American composers including Jay Unger, Molly Mason, Susan Songer, Cammy Kaynor, Van Kaynor, and Rich Blazej. The rest of the sheet music is sorted by regional style, including an extensive collection of Scandinavian tunes.
| Box 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 2, Folder 10 | Dance flier templates drawn by DAK, undated | |
| Box 3 | ||
| Box 3, Folder 1 | Beginner's workshop poster masters & publicity, undated | |
| Box 3, Folder 2 | Dance poster masters drawn by DAK, undated | |
| Box 3, Folder 3 | Dance poster masters drawn by DAK, undated | |
| Box 3, Folder 4 | Dance poster masters drawn by DAK, undated | |
| Box 3, Folder 5 | Dance poster masters drawn by DAK, undated | |
| Box 3, Folder 6 | Dance posters, mostly DAK, 1980-2000 | |
| Box 3 | ||
| Box 3, Folder 1 | Beginner's workshop poster masters & publicity, undated | |
| Box 3, Folder 2 | Dance poster masters drawn by DAK, undated | |
| Box 3, Folder 3 | Dance poster masters drawn by DAK, undated | |
| Box 3, Folder 4 | Dance poster masters drawn by DAK, undated | |
| Box 3, Folder 5 | Dance poster masters drawn by DAK, undated | |
| Box 3, Folder 6 | Dance posters, mostly DAK, 1980-2000 | |
| Box 4 | ||
| Box 4, Folder 1 | Events in which DAK participated/taught at, 1979-2013 | |
| Box 4, Folder 2 | Fiddle and dance workshop materials, DAK & others (incl. "NEVER LEARN TO FIDDLE"), ca. 1980-2007 | |
| Box 4, Folder 3 | Dance calls, undated | |
| Box 4, Folder 4 | Dance calls, undated | |
| Box 4, Folder 5 | Dance calls, including some Swedish, undated | |
| Box 4, Folder 6 | Swedish, International, Contradance calls, undated | |
| Box 5 | ||
| Box 5, Folder 1 | Tunes by/honoring Dak, undated | |
| Box 5, Folder 2 | DAK music books, undated | |
| Box 5, Folder 3 | Tribute book to DAK, undated | |
| Box 5, Folder 4 | Tribute book to DAK, undated | |
| Box 5, Folder 5 | Cammy Kaynor tunes, undated | |
| Box 5, Folder 6 | Van Kaynor tunes, undated | |
| Box 6 | ||
| Box 6, Folder 7 | Tune Lists DAK and others (incl. New England Tradition), 1980-2015 | |
| Box 6, Folder 8 | American contra dance tunes, composers A-B, undated | |
| Box 6, Folder 1 | American contra dance tunes, composers C-D, undated | |
| Box 6, Folder 2 | American contra dance tunes, composers E-F, undated | |
| Box 6, Folder 3 | American contra dance tunes, composers G-H, undated | |
| Box 6, Folder 4 | American contra dance tunes, composers I-J-K, undated | |
| Box 6, Folder 5 | American contra dance tunes, composers L-M, undated | |
| Box 6, Folder 6 | American contra dance tunes, composers N-O, undated | |
| Box 6, Folder 7 | American contra dance tunes, composers P-Q-R, undated | |
| Box 6, Folder 8 | American contra dance tunes, composers S-T, undated | |
| Box 7 | ||
| Box 7, Folder 1 | American contra dance tunes, composers U-V, undated | |
| Box 7, Folder 2 | American contra dance tunes, composers W-Y, undated | |
| Box 7, Folder 3 | American contra dance tunes, unattributed, undated | |
| Box 7, Folder 4 | Sets of tunes in varying styles, undated | |
| Box 7, Folder 5 | New England and American tunes, undated | |
| Box 7, Folder 6 | Classical and vocal music, undated | |
| Box 7, Folder 7 | Classical and vocal music, undated | |
| Box 7, Folder 1 | Unattributed / untitled tunes and fragments, some possibly by DAK, undated | |
| Box 7, Folder 2 | Tune book for unidentified band, undated | |
| Box 7, Folder 3 | Tune book for unidentified band (continued), undated | |
| Box 7, Folder 4 | Danske Folkedanseres Spillemandskreds: "358 Danish Dance Tunes" (photocopy), 1972 | |
| Box 7, Folder 5 | Tomsen: "358 danske Folkdansemelodier" (photocopy), 1963 | |
| Box 7, Folder 6 | Hardelin: "25 Spelmanslotar fron Halsingland" (photocopy), ca. 1929 | |
| Box 7, Folder 7 | Scandinavian music, undated | |
| Box 9 | ||
| Box 9, Folder 1 | Scandinavian music, undated | |
| Box 9, Folder 2 | Scandinavian music, undated | |
| Box 9, Folder 3 | Irish music, undated | |
| Box 9, Folder 4 | Irish music, undated | |
| Box 9, Folder 5 | Southern / Old Time / Singing Square music, undated | |
| Box 10 | ||
| Box 10, Folder 1 | Scottish music, undated | |
| Box 10, Folder 2 | International dance music, undated | |
| Box 10, Folder 3 | English country dance and Morris tunes, undated | |
| Box 10, Folder 4 | Metis & English Canadian tunes (incl. Cape Breton and Newfoundland), undated | |
| Box 10, Folder 5 | French Canadian tunes, undated | |
Series 3: Guiding Star Grange / Greenfield Contra Dance, 1980-2020
(0.33 cubic feet)This series contains correspondence related to the Greenfield Dance, a few tunes composed in honor of the grange, articles by David Kaynor on the history and organization of the dance, and seven guestbooks for the dance dated 1991-2020. Each page of the guestbooks contains a calligraphy heading by David Kaynor which lists the musicians and caller and other pertinant information. Messages from the dancers often fill several pages thereafter.
| Box 10 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 10, Folder 6 | Guiding Star Grange materials, 1991-2004 | |
| Box 10, Folder 7 | Music in honor of the Guiding Star Grange, undated | |
| Box 10, Folder 8 | Greenfield Dance at the Guiding Star Grange: Beginner's hour history and tune book, 1980 onward | |
| Box 11 | ||
| Box 11, Folder 1 | Greenfield Dance Guestbook (no. 1), 1985-1991 | |
| Box 11, Folder 2 | Greenfield Dance Guestbook (no. 2), 1997-2000 | |
| Box 11, Folder 3 | Greenfield Dance Guestbook 3, 2000-2004 | |
| Box 11, Folder 4 | Greenfield Dance Guestbook 4, 2004-2008 | |
| Box 11, Folder 5 | Greenfield Dance Guestbook 5, 2008-2011 | |
| Box 12 | ||
| Box 12, Folder 1 | Greenfield Dance Guestbook 6, 2011-2019 | |
| Box 12, Folder 2 | Greenfield Dance Guestbook (no.7), 2020 | |
Series 4: Audiovisual / Oversize Materials, 1983-2019
(0.33 cubic feet)The final series contains audiovisual materials - mostly recordings of the Greenfield Dance taped in the mid 1980s - and a few later recordings on disc, including a 2019 tribute concert to David Kaynor's musical influence. A single folder of oversize materials contains large dance posters, a drawing of David and others playing music, and a proof for the 1983 Fourgone Conclusions LP jacket.
| Box 13 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Box 13, Folder 1 | 11 cassette tapes of the Greenfield Dance, 1985-1986 | |
| Box 13, Folder 2 | Flash drive of musical materials, undated | |
| Box 13, Folder 3 | 9 CD-ROMS, including photographs, Midnight in Montague (Betsy Branch an DAK), and "Mostly Kaynor: A Celebration of David Kaynor's contribution to music making" (2019), 2004-2019 | |
| Box 14 | ||
| Box 14, Folder 1 | Map Case E, Drawer 1: Fourgone Conclusions LP jacket, large drawing of DAK and other musicians, oversize DAK-drawn dance posters and templates, 1983 and undated | |
