By Debbie Adams
Long-time Vinton resident Peter Givens recently published his first novel, “An Enduring Voice –
A Musical Journey from Italy’s ‘Singing Woods’ to the Great Valley of Virginia.” The book
“traces the musical heritage of the Scots-Irish that was brought to America prior to the
Revolutionary War.”
novel.
While he no longer lives in Vinton, Givens spent many years here working for the National Park
Service on the Blue Ridge Parkway. His sons, Mark and Kent, attended Hardy Road Elementary
(now W.E. Cundiff), and William Byrd Middle and High Schools.
“An Enduring Voice” tells the story of the fictional builder and the subsequent owners of an
early 17 th century violin, beginning in a region of the Italian Alps known for having the best
spruce trees to build the instruments, “The Singing Woods.”
A synopsis of the novel says, “From his workshop in an Italian village outside of Cremona, Luigi
Caruso crafts his finest violin. A half century later, his masterpiece lands in the hands of Molly
McCourtney from Letterkenny in Northern Ireland. Mesmerized by the ballads of the British
Isles learned from her Scottish grandmother and intrigued by the scant few details she knows
about the origins of her fiddle, Molly and her family join the great Ulster Scot migration to
America.
“After a month-long voyage, the Letterkenny immigrants spend a year in Philadelphia, working
and pooling resources for their journey down the Great Wagon Road into Virginia where they
create the community of Linville Creek near the western slope of Massanutten Mountain.
“From her new home, Molly’s Irish heritage and musical traditions now intertwine with those of
other immigrants along the Wagon Road, including freed slaves who introduce her to the
instruments and the musical rhythms of Africa. She realizes now that her treasured fiddle was
crafted for one kind of music, but its voice is an enduring one that crosses time and culture.”
Givens introduces his novel by saying it is “unusual for a book to be written about an object, but
this one is.” That object is the violin, or “fiddle” as it came to be called by the characters, and the
mysterious label inside containing only minimal details of its origin and maker.
“Much of the material in this book seems to have been swirling around in my head and heart for
more than half of my life,” he says.
Givens has been well-known in the Vinton community through his almost 40-year career with
the National Park Service. He worked in the Vinton office and represented the Blue Ridge
Parkway in many public settings, speaking at schools, civic clubs, and similar functions. He was
often interviewed by area radio and television stations and for seven years did a short “Blue
Ridge Parkway Update” program live on WFIR on Friday mornings.
Givens produced park publications and played a significant role in the process of designing
exhibits in multiple visitor centers in both North Carolina and Virginia, including the
development of Explore Park and the Parkway’s Blue Ridge Music Center where the stories and
exhibits are closely related to the plot of his novel.
A native North Carolinian, Givens graduated from Lenoir Rhyne University and earned an M.A.
in American History from Western Carolina University, where he wrote a thesis on the Great
Smoky Mountains National Park, which then led him to work for the Park Service.
In addition to more than 25 years as Interpretive Specialist on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Givens
worked at Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Illinois, Mammoth Cave National Park in
Kentucky, Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, Cowpens National Battlefield in
South Carolina, and the nearby Booker T. Washington National Monument.
He also designed and taught an Appalachian History course at Virginia Western Community
College for 12 years, which covered folklore, history, literature, music, environmental issues and
the “stereotypes that have dogged mountain folks for generations.”
Givens says, “The genesis of ‘An Enduring Voice” is two-fold – my love for the music and the
Scots-Irish heritage of the region along with my work on the development of the Parkway’s Blue
Ridge Music Center near Galax.
“Secondly, in a creative writing class at the Vinton Library, I wrote a one-page story with the
basic outline of the book. I knew then that there was the potential for something longer, and it
took me quite a few years to begin (and finish) the book.”
Givens notes, “Since childhood, I have attempted to play many stringed instruments (banjo,
guitar, mandolin, fiddle… none very well) and I really do love the fiddle, the history of the
instrument, and its place in the American music story. My Givens ancestors are Scots-Irish,
traveled the Great Wagon Road, and settled in the Craig and Giles County area.”
One reviewer has commented, “The characters are rich, and the story is filled with snippets of
lyrics from the ancient ballads that become part of the conversation among the principal
characters. This is a story that all readers will enjoy, portraying the rich origins of our Blue Ridge
history.”
Another said, “Givens takes the well-documented story of the musical heritage carried to the
Blue Ridge by Ulster Scots in the decades prior to the American Revolution and creates an
exciting and compelling narrative of music, heritage, faith, and family.”
Givens is planning future book readings and signings in the Vinton and Roanoke area.
Givens and his wife, Carole, now live in Henrico County, but they have maintained many
friendships in the Roanoke Valley, and still have family ties and work associates in the region.
“An Enduring Voice” is currently available from https://store.bookbaby.com/book/an-enduring-
voice and most online retailers, such as www.amazon.com.
