Annotation:Gigue du père Mathias

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 GIGUE DU PÈRE MATHIAS (Father Mathias' Step-Dance). French-Canadian, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'BB'CC'. The melody was composed by accordion player Adélard Thomassin, and, according to Eric Lortie, was used as the theme music to "Les invités du Père Mathias /The Guests of Father Mathias," a television show that played in the 1955-1956 season, hosted by actor Gilles Vigneault. Thomassin played with the influential folk group Les Montagnards Laurentien. A gigue in Québec is a stepdance, and the name attached to a tune simply means a vehicle for stepdancing, no matter what the meter.  Source for notated version:  Printed sources:  Recorded sources: Laurie Hart & Greg Sandel - "Danse Ce Soir!: Traditional Tunes of Québec" (2007).  See also listing at: Eric Lortie's Identitairs Québécois

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