Gaspé Reel (1)
Back to Gaspé Reel (1)[edit]
GASPÉ REEL [1] (Reel de Gaspé). AKA and see "Apex Reel." French-Canadian, Reel; New England, Polka. D Major ('A' and 'B' parts) & A Major ('C' part). Standard tuning. AB (Silberberg): AABB (Miller & Perron, Sweet, Welling): AA'BB' (Phillips): AABBCCBB (Brody): AA'BB'CA"A"'B"B"' (Begin). Named for Québec's picturesque Gaspé Peninsula, which forms the east bank of the St. Lawrence River as it spills into the Atlantic. The 'C' part is actually a strain of "Money Musk." Louis Beaudoin (Burlington, Vt.) learned the first two parts of the tune from a friend named Joe Danis, but heard the three-part version from Fortuna Vachon (Thetford Mines, Québec), and added the third ("Money Musk") part. However, the tune was originally recorded in 1929 as a quadrille part under the title "Quadrille du peuple 1ère partie."
Source for notated version: fiddler Pete Sutherland (Vt.) [Phillips]; Isidore Soucy via French-Canadian button accordion player Philippe Bruneau (Québec) [Begin]; accordion player Laurie Andres [Silberberg];
Printed sources: Bégin (Philippe Bruneau), 1993; No. 58, p. 86. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; p. 116. Laufman (OK Ladies and Gentlemen, Lets Try a Contra), 1973; p. 9 (appears as "Apex Reel" {Apex is the name of a Canadian recording company, printed on the label of an otherwise unidentified version of the tune}). Miller & Perron (101 Polkas), 1978; No. 57. Miller & Perron (New England Fiddler's Repertoire), 1983; No. 155. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1), 1994; p. 94. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; p. 50. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1964/1981; p. 61. Welling (Hartford Tunebook), 1976; p. 16.
Recorded sources: Beet 7003, "Wretched Refuse." Front Hall 01, Fennigs All Stars- "The Hammered Dulcimer." Kicking Mule 209, Henry Sapoznik- "Melodic Clawhammer Banjo." Philo 2000, "Louis Beaudoin" (1973. First two parts learned from fiddler Joe Danis).
See also listing at:
Hear "Quadrille du peuple 1ère partie", 1929, Starr label 15532 A [1] at Virtual Gramophone (info from Lisa Ornstein via Sylvia Miskoe).
