Collectors - Jim Leary & Matthew Gallmann - Informants - Charles & Iria Mattson (Covington, Michigan) - March 26, 1981

Aug 27, 2026

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March 26, 1981 field notes record a visit to Charles and Iria Mattson in Covington, Michigan, during which Charles Gallmann’s attendance at the Aura Fiddler’s Jamboree connects local acquaintances and leads to an in-home music session. The narrative describes the Mattson farmhouse, Charles’s appearance and musical interests, and Iria’s reserved demeanor. It details Charles’s Finnish family background, early instrument learning, periods of work in mining and logging, and his postwar settling and carpentry livelihood, alongside his accordion, violin, harmonica, and repertoire.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Interview Record

Visit Context and Setting

Charles Mattson Background

Musical Instruments and Repertoire

100 March 26,1981 Collectors:Jim Leary &Matthew Gallmann Informants:Charles &Iria MattsonCovington,Michigan Matt Gallmann's attendance at the Aura Fiddler's Jamboree was certainly a boonfor us on this trip.Beyond recording his Jamboree acquaintances Art Moilanen andHelmer Toyras,we also met up with Charles Mattson.Charles and his brother-in-law(Tauno Nurmela)played button accordion at the Aura event in the summer of 1980 and,although Tauno was in Florida,Charles responded enthusiastically to our request tocome and record.After a morning of extra sleep,a good breakfast,and catching upon field notes,we left L'Anse for the Covington area and the Mattson's home. The sky was grey and sleet was gently falling as we pulled into the Mattson'sfarm driveway about 12:45.Lugging the equipment,we strode for the house -aspacious,early 20th century 'L"or 'Lazy T"patterned abode of frame constructionand painted white.The door to the porch was open and,as we waited for the doorto open,I noticed a long bench filled with stove wood against one wall.Then Charlesappeared and welcomed us in. He was a stout,weathered looking man of seventy-one with a tawny face,brightblue eyes,dark hair streaked with grey,and a well-trimmed goutee that gave him ajaunty appearance.Like many old timers in the region,he was clad in boots,darkblue wool pants,held up by red suspenders,and a plaid wool shirt.Also in thefirst room we entered,a spacious kitchen,was Iria Mattson(nee Nurmela).Roughlythe same age as her husband,she too was stout.She had a broad face,tawny skinand blue eyes like her husband,but,in contrast to his gregarious manner,she hadwhat struck me as a withdrawn,almost morose manner made more severe by her greyhair which lay about her broad face in short,uneven strands.She wore a sack-likecotton dress of purple with white dots. A1most immediately,Charles led us into the living room.It too was large andrendered cheery by two recently installed picture windows in the eastern and southernwalls.Mattson had two and three row Hohmer button accordions laid out and we setup the equipment,then settled into stuffed chairs that circled the room.While wewere setting up,Charles played through a tune.But,rather than have him play im-mediately,I followed my usual format of an interview followed by music.Perhapsthis was a mistake.After talking,Mattson's playing was marked by frequent slipsand he had trouble recalling tunes.Would his performances have been better andlonger had I preceded in reverse fashion?Probably. ) Informants:Charles &Iria MattsonCovington,Michigan March 26,1981 Nonetheless,we got plenty that was worthwhile from the man both during theinterview and in conversations that followed later in the day.Mattson was bornin 1910 in Iron Mountain,Michigan.His parents had both come from Finland andhis dad was a miner,but,more importantly,he was also a musician who played bothbutton accordion and violin.Charles'dad,originally named Kalle Pirainen,wasalso the son of a fiddler and fiddle maker in the old country.At an early ageCharles began fooling around with his father's instruments,and,soon,he learnedto play.Unlike his brother Gus,an "expert piano accordionist,"Charles didn'tplay for dances(although he attended many). In 1929,late in his teens,Charles moved to Milwaukee where he found a factoryjob and planned to take music lessons.He figured to take violin lessons and topractice on the boarding house's piano.Soon after that,however,the depressionhit and Charles lost his job and was forced to return to the U.P.He worked in alogging camp cutting second growth hard wood for pitiful pay.The bunks were filledwith lice and the men often were fed horse meat."But you were lucky to get any jobin those days."Later on in the thirties,he found work with Roosevelt's Citizen'sConservation Corps.But,in the late 30's,feeling that war was near and the econ-omy would pick up,he returned to Milwaukee and found a job.During the war,andI'm not sure how this came

FAQs

Who are the collectors and informants mentioned in the field notes?

The collectors are Jim Leary and Matthew Gallmann. The informants are Charles and Iria Mattson from Covington, Michigan.

What connection led to the Mattson household visit?

Matthew Gallmann’s attendance at the Aura Fiddler’s Jamboree provided introductions, and Charles responded enthusiastically to the request to come and record.

What musical instruments and repertoire does Charles Mattson play?

Charles plays button accordion and violin, also harmonica, and he performs a variety of Finnish tunes, dance pieces, and additional items mentioned in the notes.

Aug 27, 2026

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