Help: French Voyageur music

Subject: French Voyageur music and beyond
From:
Date: 19 Jun 01 - 11:48 PM

I'm looking for some traditional music (especially fiddle tunes or waltzes) which might have been played by early French explorers in Wisconsin or might have been popular with the developing Matis population. This would be music from the late 1600's into the 1800's. I think St. Anne's Reel might fit into this category. This is new ground for me and I would greatly appreciate any helpful suggestions.

Thanks much.

Glenn Gourley [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Help: French Voyageur music
From: GUEST,Ship'scat
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 01:01 AM

Checkout, Great Canadian Tunebook

Subject: RE: Help: French Voyageur music
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 01:42 AM

Also, this place: FRENCH FOLK SONGS has some really great tunes, well-done, too.

Welcome to the Mudcat!

kat

Subject: RE: Help: French Voyageur music
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 08:47 AM

You might like to have a look at Andrew Kuntz's  Fiddler's Companion;  searches for wisconsin, metis and so on should give you plenty of leads to follow up.  There's a good chance that St. Anne's Reel may be a 20th century composition, mind.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Help: French Voyageur music
From: GUEST,Wavestar
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 10:51 AM

Lynn Noel, in the Boston area, does French Voyaguer music. Last time I checked she was under the name CrossCurrents.

-J

Subject: RE: Help: French Voyageur music
From: raredance
Date: 20 Jun 01 - 11:56 PM

Edith Fowke and Alan Mills in their book "Singing Our History, Canada's Story In Song" (1960, 1984)include several songs from that era in history.

"Al la claire fontaine (By the clear fountain)" is a love song that they say has sung since the days of Champlain in the early 1600's.

"Vive les matelots! (Hurray for the sailors)" is a lively sailor's song that was a good rhythmic canoing song.

"En roulant ma boule (While rolling my ball)" was another good canoing song. The verses contain the story of a young prince who goes out to shoot a duck. The same story line and verses appear in another song called "Le canard blanc (The white duck)". Yet another version of "Le canard blanc" is better known by the extended chorus that has been combined with the duck shooting verses. The chorus begins with "V'la l'bon vent", a rendition of which was recorded years back by Ian & Sylvia.

"Tenaouich' Tenaga, Ouich'ka! (There came an ancient huron)" which is a mock tragic song about a voyageur who meets an old Indian who tells him his friend has died and the Indians gave him a proper burial. The words in the title may be French attempts to do Huron dialect.

"Petit Rocher (Oh little rock)" is a lament of a dying trapper that appears to date from the early 1700's. The legend on which the story line is based is fairly detailed. A trapper and his family are surrounded by Iroquois. He loads his family in a canoe and sends them down the rapids to a French post. He doesn't make it. A search party passes near by but he is too weak to summon them. A few days later his body is found in a shallow grave he dug himself and also left his lament written in blood on a piece of birchbark on his chest.

rich r

Subject: RE: Help: French Voyageur music
From: RangerSteve
Date: 21 Jun 01 - 09:10 AM

Check out the replies to my thread Canadian Music on CD. there's a reference to the Canadian Society for Traditional Music. They offer a cd of Metis fiddle tunes. It's listed under "music of Western Canada".