Here is a graceful jig from New Brunswick Acadian fiddler, Claude Austin, whom some of you had the pleasure of spending time with last summer along with Robin LeBlanc at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes. Claude was born and raised in Sheila, in northeastern New Brunswick, in a family where traditional music and dance were deeply woven into daily life: fifteen of his father’s seventeen siblings played fiddle! Claude took up fiddle at the age of nine on a homemade fiddle, a present from his father, which came with a somewhat daunting admonition: “Si tu peux pas le jouer comme il faut, ne le joues pas” (if you can’t play it right, don’t play at all”). Claude worked very hard to play it right and built up a large repertory, playing 10-12 six-part quadrilles of an evening at the local dance without repeating a single tune. Claude still plays for his own pleasure and is a fine, exacting teacher–let’s hope we can “play it right” too!

Claude Austin’s Jig (#2)

Claude Austin's Jig (#2) mp3

1 file(s) 681.98 KB

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Here is a great cross-tuned fiddle tune I learned from Henri Landry (1923-2001), a fiddler who lived in Pontbriand, Québec (near Thetford-Mines). He was a spirited player whose brisk, rock-steady tempos reflected his long career as a dance musician. Henri played fiddle for community dances and house parties for most of his life. After a long career as a truck driver in the mines, he spent an incredibly joyful retirement playing fiddle at local galas, contests, and house parties. He and his wife Fernande were immensely hospitable and kind, and they hosted many the memorable party, where good food and music and company filled the house to overflowing.

In addition to playing the standard local repertory, Henri had a repertory of tunes which he learned as a young boy from left-handed fiddler Thomas Pomerleau, a poor, reclusive and eccentric old man who lived in a tiny hut abutting the Pomerleau family farm. Although Thomas Pomerleau was known locally as “Quêteux” (beggar) Pomerleau and lived a marginal, hand-to-mouth existence, his fiddle playing was in demand at local weddings and dances. This is one of his tunes.

Cos-reel de Pontbriand (mp3)

Cos-reel de Pontbriand (mp3)

1 file(s) 1.24 MB

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Here is an original composition from Gaspé-region fiddler Yvon Mimeault, still fiddling up a storm in his 80s!

About Yvon: Born in 1928 in Mont-Louise, Quebec, Yvon is the seventh of a dozen children. A “preemie” baby, Yovn’s small stature precluded his following his family farming practice. Yvon discovered his passion for fiddling at the age of 21 while working as a handyman in a lumber camp. When he came home eight months later, he put his woodworking and creative skills to work and made himself a fiddle. At the same time, he went to school to become an électricien. A few months later, Yvon was playing in a radio band in Matane; from 1949 to 1954 he played for local dances on the week-ends after a 60 hour work week.

Yvon married in 1956 and he and his wife raised six children. Music went on the back burner for the next 20 years or so, but in 1977, Yvon dusted off his fiddle and started playing again. He has a huge repertory of tunes learned from family, from the radio, and from recordings, as well as a number of his own compositions. Yvon is an immensely sociable musician who loves a good laugh. He is also a very skillful woodcarver who makes wonderful animal sculptures.

About the tune: The title of this tune in English would be ‘The Story of My Old Rooster.” Here’s Eric Lortie reporting the information he gathered from Yvon about this tune:
Act 1 (or Part A, for the musicians)

A farm in Gaspesia, as young boy Yvon walks accross the yard he is attacked by the old rooster — a big grey Plymouth Rock weighing in at about 12 pounds. Yvon, with injured leg and pride, pulls out his slingshot and faces the rooster (just like in a Sergio Leone movie!). As the beast turns its head sideways to look him in the eye — roosters turn sideways for a face to face — Yvon takes a shot. The bird, hit in the head, falls to the ground. Yvon, after making sure nobody saw him, leans it against a fence where he can discretely keep an eye on it. After a while, the rooster, who was only knocked out, gets up and staggers back to the henhouse, to the relief of Yvon.

Act 2 (Part B)
The next morning, as usual, the old rooster hopped on a fence to wake up the whole farm, but he was now singing out of tune.

L’histoire de mon vieux coq, recording (mp3)

L'histoire de mon vieux coq (mp3)

1 file(s) 806.57 KB

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Here’s a wonderful tune for the harvest season: “Le Batteux” (“The Thresher”), from Louis “Pitou” Boudreault (1905-1988). Le Batteux is Mr. Boudreault’s name for a family tune and dance which in Louis Boudreault’s childhood were linked to the annual activity of grain threshing. In Mr. Boudreault’s father’s day, threshing place during the winter when the grain had dried and farm work was otherwise more or less at a standstill. The local flour mill owner had a grain-threshing mill which he rented to farmers to thresh their grain by turns. Every evening, they held a get-together with music and dance, and “Le Batteux” would be played and danced. Capping off a hard day of collective labor with dancing and celebration seems to be an ancient tradition, not only in Europe and North America, but all over the world.

Le Batteux (sound recording, mp3)

Le Batteux

1 file(s) 786.42 KB

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Here is sheet music for a composition from button accordionist Adélard Thomassin of Sillery, Québec, who passed away June 4, 2015 at the age of 88. Mr. Thomassin took up the accordion at an early age and was playing in his own band by the age of 17. He played with many of Quebec City’s best-known traditional music groups, including Gerard Trudel’s orchestra (38 years with them!), L’ordre du Bon Temps, and Le Groupe sans Âge. In addition to playing extensively on radio, television, and festival stages, Adélard also accompanied several folk dance troupes such as La Parenté and Les Danseurs folkloriques du Madawaska. I had the pleasure of playing with Mr. Thomassin as an accompanist for the folk dance troupe La Parenté in 1980 and 1981. He was an extremely nice, gregarious man who got along with everyone, and a lovely player with a spritely touch and a vivid musical imagination which led him to compose many tunes, including Le Reel du bonhomie. The Quebec Band Lab band at did a bang-up version of this tune at the 2015 Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, completely with a descant brass section, snare, and step-dancing. Adélard would have been tickled!

Reel du bonhomme (sheet music, pdf file)[wpdm_file id=452]

Here is a Ladies’ Chain, from button accordionist Keith Corrigan of St-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, QC. I chose it in honor of the Big Review (a four-week session which begins May 31st where we will scrape off the rust and polish up 24 tunes from the Quebec session classes I’ve been teaching the past four years). Keith (1933-2010) learned this tune from his father, Patrick, who played it on the fiddle. The Ladies’ Chain is the fourth part of the quadrille known in Valcartier as The Set (there are six parts altogether). As was often the case, Keith did not have a specific title for this tune and referred to it by its association with dancing. Like many of the tunes Keith learned from his father, this melody has all the hallmarks of an Irish jig, but I have been unable to find any ancestral sources.

Ladies’s Chain (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=443]

Here’s a three-part gigue (a step-dancing tune) I learned from Vermont Franco-American fiddler Louis Beaudoin (1921-1980) way back yonder a long time ago. Louis did not have a title for this tune, so I named it in honor of his wife Julie. I recorded this tune with André Marchand as part of a medley of  dance music from Louis Beaudoin on the album One Fine Summer’s Day.  Here’s a bit of background about Louis:

Born and raised in the mill town of Lowell, Massachusetts, Louis Beaudoin learned to love music from his father Joseph (also a fiddler) and from family relatives who, like his parents and grand-parents, immigrated to the United States from Ste-Emelie-de-l’Energie (a small village north of Joliette, the home of La Bottine Souriante). When Louis was a child, Lowell was a city of ethnic neighborhoods, including a vibrant and large French-Canadian district known as “Petit Canada,” where he was raised. Louis got his start on fiddle, harmonica, and step-dancing at an early age, aided by family and neighbors. He moved with his family to Burlington, Vermont when he was seventeen. After serving in the military, he returned there and worked first as a police officer and later as a radiator repairman. His wife Julie and five daughters shared his love of music, singing, dancing hospitality and laughter. Julie and Louis have passed on, but the Beaudoin clan throw the best house party in New England!

La gigue à Julie (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=439]

La gigue à Julie (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=440]

Bonne et heureuse année! Here is a charming fiddle tune I learned from Quebec City fiddler Viateur Garneau in the 1980s. I was a volunteer administrator at a local folk arts organization at that time and one of the activities we sponsored was a monthly jam at a rather shabby community center in a Quebec City blue-collar neighborhood known as the Basse-ville. I think Mr. Garneau lived in the neighborhood–he was an older gentleman at the time, very courtly and kind, and always delighted at the chance to play tunes.

The full title of this tune is actually “Le petit mouchoir que tu m’a donné, je l’ai mis dans ma poche” (The Little Hanky You Gave Me, I Put it in My Pocket”). The title has the distinction of possibly being longer than the tune itself! I would guess that the title might be a line to a verse sung to the first part of the tune…perhaps “Le petit mouchoir” started out as a song. In any case, I’ve spread it around wherever I could, so here you go!

Le petit mouchoir (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=435]
Le petit mouchoir (sheet music, pdf) [wpdm_file id=436]

Here’s a classic Quebec session tune from the repertory of fiddler Jos Bouchard, who named it in honor of his sister (though chances are he is not the composer). In Quebec, each part of the tune is repeated before moving on to the next part, but if you are playing this tune for a contra, you’ll want to just play each part once through.  I just taught this tune for the Quebec Session Class #7 (Contra-Friendly Tunes). We’ll be playing it at this month’s 5th Annual Quebec House Party.

Joe or Jos (Joseph) Bouchard 9 (b Pointe-au-Pic, near La Malbaie, Quebec, 6 May 1905, d Île d’Orléans, Quebec, 12 Jun 1979). Jos Bouchard started on the violin at the age of 8, probably with some classical training, as well as coaching from Huron fiddler Élie Sioué; by 14 he was playing dance. Fiddling was a sideline for Jos, who worked for the CNR railroad for 32 years, but he participated in local festivals and was also part of the legendary radio band, Les Montagnards Laurentiens. Bouchard recorded 13 78 rpm records starting in the late 1930s, and followed these with a couple of LPs in later years. His playing style, characterized by a powerful bow arm, quick tempos, use of vibrato, and melodic variations, earned him a following which continues to this day. You can hear a lovely duet recording of brothers Gabriel and Jean-Louis Labbé playing “Reel Antoinette” on Youtube.

“Reel Antoinette” (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=398]

“Reel Antoinette” (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=392]

By popular request, here is (yet another!) version of a tune most closely associated with the dance, the varsovienne (a type of waltz, also called varsoviana and varsouvienne) which took western Europe and North America by storm in the the mid-1800s. The melody is eminently singable and associated sets of lyrics (and parodies) have circulated widely in Ireland (Shoe the Donkey), France and Quebec (Votre petit chien, madame) and the United States (Put your Little Foot). There are as many variants of the dance as there are tune variants. Generally, the A part tends to be the more stable of the two-part version of this tune, while there are many different melodies played for the B part.

“La valse du coq” (The Rooster’s Waltz) is a Quebec version. I can’t even remember where I first heard “La valse du coq” in Quebec; 78 rpm recording artist Joseph Allard recorded a fiddle version under this title (complete with bird calls) in 1930; my version is a bit different from his. Because there are so many different B parts, I’ve included a second B part (from the Montmagny region). For yet another Quebec variant of this melody, check out the Quebec Tune of the Month for Dec. 2012 (a lovely version from Isidore Soucy in the key of G). 

La valse du coq (dance speed, mp3) [wpdm_file id=421]

La valse du coq (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=422]

Here’s a tune from Franco-American fiddler Wilfred Guillette (1913-2004). Born in Massachusetts, Wilfred lived most of his life in Vermont. He began playing fiddle at the age of thirteen, inspired by his father’s playing. By the age of sixteen, Wilfred and his father were twin fiddling and “clogging” their feet. Wilfred played his whole life and was a favorite at the contest scene in northeast New England, often backed up on piano by his wife Aline.

“La Grondeuse” is a family of fiddle tunes most commonly played in the key of D with the fiddle tuned ADAE. There are generally two or more parts, one of which starts on the upper octave of the scale and winds it way down to the open D, the other of which is pitched on the lower octave, and prominently features the use of the low open-A string, often in 3/2 meter or mixed 2/2 and 3/2 meters.

You can hear Wilfred Guillette playing “La Grondeuse” on the Green Mountain Records LP Wilfred Guillette,Old Time Fiddlin’ (GMS 1061–out of print, I fear) and on the Media Generation documentary, New England Fiddles.

La Grondeuse (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=387]

La Grondeuse (sheet music, pdf) [wpdm_file id=387]

Here is a tune of my own making. Patrick Ouellet was a dear friend from Fort Kent, Maine who lived on a homestead of his own building close to Perley Brook with his beloved wife, Julia Bayly. Pat was a quiet, gentle, kind, unprepossessing guy who, when not working in the Napa Auto Parts store, could be found at home, stewarding the woods and lands around his property, adding outbuildings, and happily restoring great old rusty pieces of farm machinery which would have otherwise made their way to the scrapheap. He was suddenly and very prematurely cut down by brain cancer in 2008. His last wish was to spend his final days at home, where he passed away peacefully. Patrick, his beautiful homestead, and the comfort that many of us find associated with some special place, either real or imagined, were much on my mind when I made this tune and played it to him over the phone shortly before his death.

Valse pour Patrick; Patrick at Perley Brook (fiddle and piano, mp3)[wpdm_file id=383]

Valse pour Patrick; Patrick at Perley Brook (sheet music, mp30[wpdm_file id=384]

“Reel Béatrice” is actually an Italian polka titled “Oggi nevica” or “Quando nevica” (“Today it is Snowing” or “When it Snows”) which is still popular in the northeastern region of Italy known as Emilia Romagna, where the “liscio” (ballroom dancing) repertory includes polkas and mazurkas. You can see Italian piano accordionist Sebastaino Barbagalla playing a version of “Quando nevica”  on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpKQQqeyY78

How Quebec City-region fiddle player Jos Bouchard came across this tune is a matter of speculation, but I would venture to guess that he might have heard it either on the radio or on a 78rpm recording. In any case, its structure (three parts, two in minor keys, with a contrasting trio section in the major) is very much in keeping with the 19th century quadrille repertory which was in circulation in the Quebec City region in the first half of the 20th century, and its rhythms are similar to those of a reel. Jos Bouchard apparently found the combination irresistible and added the tune to his repertory, recording it in 1938 under the title “Reel p’tit Charles” on the Bluebird label, and later as “Reel Béatrice” (which was the flip-side of the 1928 78rpm recording–he apparently got the titles confused).

“Reel Béatrice” is widely played as a session tune in Quebec and has made the rounds in Irish circles in the U.S. and Ireland (as well as fiddle communities across Canada) thanks in part to Liz Carroll, who recorded it a brilliant up-tempo take in G minor and B-flat major on her eponymous album a few decades back. Nowadays  some musicians open this tune with schmaltzy Romany-wannabe introduction–under the romantic but misbegotten notion that it is a “Gypsy melody.”

The version I play here is fairly on the straight and narrow and straightforward as played by Jos Bouchard (actually, Jos Bouchard changed it up on his various recordings over the years)–so just take this as a starting point.

Reel Béatrice (dance speed, mp3) [wpdm_file id=381]

Reel Béatrice (sheet music, basic version, pdf)[wpdm_file id=382]

When I lived in Quebec, I used to go visit Henri Landry (1923-2001), a wonderful fiddler living in Pontbriand (near Thetford-Mines). He was a spirited player whose brisk, rock-steady tempos reflected his long career as a dance musician. Henri played fiddle for community dances and house parties for most of his life. After a long career as a truck driver in the mines, he spent an incredibly joyful retirement playing fiddle at local galas, contests, and house parties. He and his wife Fernande were immensely hospitable and kind, and they hosted many the memorable party, where good food and music and company filled the house to overflowing.

In addition to playing the standard local repertory, Henri had a repertory of tunes which he learned as a young boy from left-handed fiddler Thomas Pomerleau, a poor, reclusive and eccentric old man who lived in a tiny hut  abutting the Pomerleau family farm. Although Thomas Pomerleau was known locally as “Quêteux” (beggar) Pomerleau and lived a marginal, hand-to-mouth existence, his fiddle playing was in demand at local weddings and dances.

Thomas Pomerleau’s repertory included a number of truly beautiful and very singular  tunes. Henri only recorded one of them and never played them in public settings like galas and contests–my sense is that he felt that they were just  too “out of the box.” But whenever I’d visit Henri, I’d ask for these tunes, and he was always happy to share them. We had our own Thomas Pomerleau Secret Society.

I  learned this particular march in the early 1980s one afternoon when I went to watch a competition organized by the local chapter of the provincial fiddling association in the Thetford Mines region. Henri waved hello as I entered the school building and beckoned me over with a broad, crinkly-eyed smile, reporting that he’d just remembered an old Pomerleau march. Say no more! We immediately wandered off to the basement to find a quiet place for a TPSS meeting. I learned the march on the spot and have been playing it “out” ever since. It delights me that this once-obscure, lovely old tune has become a standard session tune and is making the rounds not only in Quebec, but in the States and parts of Europe. I hope you enjoy it too!

La Marche Pomerleau (mp3)[wpdm_file id=376]

La Marche Pomerleau (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=377]

In honor of this year’s featured Quebecois fiddler at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Yvon Mimeault, here is one of his tunes. Yvon learned “Hommage à Adrien Alain” from Mr. Alain, a local fiddler whose playing Yvon admired. And here’s a bit more about Yvon:

Born in 1928 in Mont-Louise, Quebec, Yvon is the seventh of a dozen children. A “preemie” baby, Yovn’s small stature precluded his following his family farming practice. Yvon discovered his passion for fiddling at the age of 21 while working as a handyman in a lumber camp. When he came home eight months later, he put his woodworking and creative skills to work and made himself a fiddle. At the same time, he went to school to become an électricien. A few months later, Yvon was playing in a radio band in Matane; from 1949 to 1954 he played for local dances on the week-ends after a 60 hour work week.

Yvon married in 1956 and he and his wife raised six children. Music went on the back burner for the next 20 years or so, but in 1977, Yvon dusted off his fiddle and started playing again. He has a huge repertory of tunes learned from family, from the radio, and from recordings, as well as a number of his own compositions. Yvon is an immensely sociable musician who loves a good laugh. He is also a very skillful woodcarver who makes wonderful animal sculptures. Look for him this summer at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes (and if you find him, please give my regards!).

Hommage à Adrien Alain (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=297]

Hommage à Adrien Alain (slow, mp3)[wpdm_file id=298]

Hommage à Adrien Alain (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=299]

In anticipation of the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, which will feature Gaspé fiddler Yvon Mimeault, here is one of his tunes. Yvon learned “Quadrille à Ti-Bé” from his uncle Antoine (Ti-Bé”) Mimeault, who played dances in Ruisseaux-des-Olives in the 1940s. And here’s a bit more about Yvon:

Born in 1928 in Mont-Louise, Quebec, Yvon is the seventh of a dozen children. A “preemie” baby, Yovn’s small stature precluded his following his family farming practice. Yvon discovered his passion for fiddling at the age of 21 while working as a handyman in a lumber camp. When he came home eight months later, he put his woodworking and creative skills to work and made himself a fiddle. At the same time, he went to school to become an électricien. A few months later, Yvon was playing in a radio band in Matane; from 1949 to 1954 he played for local dances on the week-ends after a 60 hour work week.

Yvon married in 1956 and he and his wife raised six children. Music went on the back burner for the next 20 years or so, but in 1977, Yvon dusted off his fiddle and started playing again. He has a huge repertory of tunes learned from family, from the radio, and from recordings, as well as a number of his own compositions. Yvon is an immensely sociable musician who loves a good laugh. He is also a very skillful woodcarver who makes wonderful animal sculptures. Look for him this summer at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes (and if you find him, please give my regards!).

Quadrille de l’oncle Ti-Bé (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=262]

Quadrille de l’oncle Ti-Bé (slow, mp3)[wpdm_file id=263]

Quadrille de l’oncle Ti-Bé (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=264]

Here is a lighter-than-air step dance tune from the extraordinary Gaspé coast fiddler Erskine Morris of Douglastown, Quebec. I am indebted to Erskine Morris’s son Brian and to Glen Patterson for their permission to share one of the best tunes I have ever heard.

Mine is a pretty rough take on Mr. Morris’s elegant playing of this tune–it is one of those tunes that needs to be thoroughly “played in.” I recommend you go visit the website Erskine Morris: Old-Time Fiddle Music from the Gaspé Coast and check out this fabulous resource, which includes several recordings of this tune by Mr. Morris (as well as many other recordings, videos, and all kinds of information about Mr. Morris and other fiddlers from the Gaspé coast).

Tommy Rooney’s Jig (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=243]
Tommy Rooney’s Jig (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=244]

Here’s a tune to drive dull care away from Adrien Fontaine of Bishopton in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. Thanks to Éric Favreau and Claude Méthé for keeping this one in circulation!

Reel de la p’tite misère (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=60]

Reel de la p’tiite misère (slow, mp3)[wpdm_file id=61]

Reel de la p’tite misère (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=62

Here is a great tune to start la nouvelle année: “Le Cotillon de la patte de mouton” (“Sheep Hoof Cotillion,” loosely translated!). Aimé Gagnon (see below for bio) is the source of this tune, and it was a favorite melody of  Gens du Québec, a 28-member group of Québécois traditional singers, dancers, musicians, and craftspersons who traveled to Vancouver, BC in 1986 to perform and do crafts demonstrations for ten days at the Expo ’86 Folklife Pavilion. I was the tour coordinator, and one of many happy memories of those weeks was when Aimé would play this tune: after a couple of times through the tune, everyone on stage burst into song on the first part of the tune (with those most universal of lyrics: “la, la, la”). The audience quickly joined in–it was irresistible!

Here’s a charming version of a varsouvienne-type waltz which has circulated far and wide in Europe  and North America since the mid 1800s. It usually is associated with a series of verses and refrains, and wins hands-down the contest for Waltz with the Most Variant Names.
Valse du vieux Québec (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=147]
Valse du vieux Québec (moderate speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=148]
Valse du vieux Québec (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=149]

Here is a small sample of English-language alternate titles: Clap Your Leg Up, Cock Your Leg Up, Come To Bed Love, Father Halpin, Father Halpin’s Top Coat, Father Halpin’s Topcoat, Father Murphy, Father Murphy’s Top Coat, Father Murphy’s Topcoat, Have You Seen My New Clothes?, Have You Seen My New Shoes, Is The Hen Gone, Jan Pierewiet, Jimmy Donkey’s Big Toe, Joe The Yankee, Joe The Yankee’s Big Toe, Kick A Dutchman, Kiss The Donkey, Little Foot, Little Johnny Has The Toothache, The Old Shoes, Pat’s Top Coat, Peter Big Toe, Put Your Little Foot Right Here, Put Your Little Foot Right Out, Put Your Little Toe, Reversavianna, Shave The Donkey, Shew The Donkey, Shoe The Donkey, Shoo The Donkey, Shoot The Donkey, Shoot The Honky, Silver Lakes Varsovianna, The Silver Lakes Varsovianna, Silver Lakes Varsovienne, The Silver Lakes Varsovienne, There’s A Hen Gone, There’s A Hen Gone From Jones, Throw Your Leg Up, Vals Of Vienna, The Vals Of Vienna, Valse De Vienne, Valse Of Vienna, Varsouviana, The Varsouviana, Varsouvienna, Varsouvienne, Varsoviana, Varsoviana Waltz, The Varsoviana, Varsovianna, Varsovienne, Versavienna, The Versavienna, Verse Of Vienna, Versevanna, Versevianna, The Versouviana Dance, Waltz Of Vienna, The Waltz Of Vienna, Warsoviana, Warszawianka.

This particular version is from fiddler Isidore Soucy and you can hear him play this on the Virtual Gramophone website.

Quebec Tune of the Month for Nov. 2012: Gigue à Matilda. Here is a great tune from the repertory of Joseph “Tido” Beaudry of St-Côme. He was an outstanding fiddler and clearly musical talent runs in the Beaudry family: his grandson Éric Beaudry (De Temps Antan, Norouet, La Bottine Souriante) is carrying on the family heritage with plenty of flair!

Gigue à Matilda (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=190]

Gigue à Matilda (sheet music, pdf)[wpdm_file id=123]

Here is a great old classic reel from Québec which is widely played by fiddlers and accordion players alike. En avant la musique!

Reel Saint-Paul (dance speed, mp3)[wpdm_file id=115]

Reel Saint-Paul (sheet music)[wpdm_file id=116]

Quadrille des ancêtres, 2e partie (mp3)[wpdm_file id=41]

Quadrille des ancêtres, 2e partie (sheet music)[wpdm_file id=40]

“Quadrille des ancêtres, 2e partie” (= “Old Folks’ Quadrille, 2nd Figure”) is one of my favorite tunes and is making the rounds in the Pacific Northwest. It is from the repertory of Isidore Soucy. Here’s a bit more about him.

Isidore Soucy (1899-1963) was an accomplished fiddler when he left Sainte-Blandine (near Rimouski) in 1924 for Montreal, part of the huge rural exodus which swelled Quebec cities and New England mill towns in the early 20^th century. His timing was perfect: the entrepreneurs of Montreal’s burgeoning entertainment industry, realizing that they could successfully market rural traditional culture to recently urbanized French-Canadians  and Franco-Americans, were recruiting musicians for their recording studios, stage shows, and radio “barn dance” programs.  In 1925, Soucy began recording; by 1928, he was performing full-time on CKAC and playing at the 1,620-seat Monument national theater for Conrad Gauthier’s Veillées du bon vieux temps. Over the next 35 years, he led or played in several popular groups, recorded hundreds of 78s and albums, and with his family hosted Chez Isidore, the most successful TV variety show of its day.

Here is a fiddle tune I learned from Magdelan Island fiddler Avila LeBlanc (1914-2010). This is one of several tunes which Avila classified as “rabestans” (my spelling), a type of of dance tune composed of short strains with a set of associated lyrics (generally just a couplet or two). A good singer, by combining the sung verse with lilting, could fill in for a fiddler when people wanted to dance and no musicians were present.

The words to “Le petit métier” (sung to the first part of the tune) are:

Si j’avais c’que j’ai pas,
Un métier pour fair’ d’la toile,
Si j’avais c’que j’ai pas,
Un métier pour fair’ du drap.

Here is one of my favorite cross-A Quebec dance tunes from Aimé Gagnon (1922-1997) of St-Louis-de-Lotbinière. Aimé Gagnon’s grandfather, father, and many uncles were fiddlers. As a youngster, he and his brothers would sometimes retreat to the living room and take turns playing on the one household fiddle. Aimé played many house parties and dances with the Trio Gagnon-Lemay (featuring his wife Lisette Lemay on piano and brother-in-law Marcel on accordion). En avant la musique!