Harry Martin, whose songs celebrate the land and its people, is perhaps Labrador's most popular artist. There is little resemblance between today's Newfoundland musicians and outport balladeers or fiddle players from years ago. Music As with many Newfoundland stories, the history of Newfoundland music of European origin begins with codfish. Europeans first came to the island in the 16th century to harvest northern cod, and they brought their music with them. That music grew to become the voice of Newfoundland and Labrador, a powerful evocation of its lifestyle, heritage and personality.
Music is our international calling card, and at home it is by far our most popular art form.
There are many thousands who have never read a Newfoundland book or seen a piece of local theatre. But practically everyone here has heard The Kelligrews Soiree or danced to a local rock band. The music arrived with the Irish, Scots, French and English who settled along the island shoreline and up the coast of Labrador. They sang shanties as they worked and shared ballads and tunes at the end of the day. Over time, the settlers and their descendants reworked the old music and created new songs to tell their own stories.