Annotation:Mistigri (Le)
X:1 T:Mistigri, Le N:From the playing of fiddler Isidore Soucy (1899-1962, Montreal) M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel Q:"Quick" D:Starr 15518B (78 RPM), Isidore Soucy (1928) D:https://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/m2/f7/15965.mp3 Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz K:G g2 gf g2d2|efge dBGB|a2a2 abag|faab adef| gfga g2 d2|efge dBGB|c2c2 BcBG|ABAF G2Bd| gagf g2d2|efge dBGB|{efg}aaaa abag|faab adef| gfga g2d2|efge dBGB|c2c2 BcBG|ABAF G2|| D2|GABc d2dd|efge dcdf|efge dBGB|c2c2 BcBG| |:1FAAB A2D2:|2ABAF G2Bd||
MISTIGRI, LE.AKA and see "Danse de campagne," "Set de la Rivière-aux-renards." French-Canadian, Reel (cut time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABB': AABB' (Duval). Soucy researcher Jean Duval explains that Le mistrigi was a play-party dance popular in the early 20th century. He finds that Soucy recorded variations of the tune twice more, as "Danse de campagne" (1929, with the Henri trio) and as "Vieux set canadian" (1937) with accordion player Donat Lafleur. The second strain of "Le mistigri" is nearly identical to the first strain of "Tom Howard's Hornpipe" printed by James S. Kerr in the first volume of Merry Melodies (c. 1880), and Duval finds the first strain of J. Coutt's "Merry Makers Schottische" also to be cognate with 'mistigri's' second strain [1]Jean Duval, La Musique de Isidore Soucy 1988-1962, 2017, p. 205.
See also Omar Dumas's version as "Set de la Rivière-aux-renards" (1945, Bluebird 55-5221). Duval also associates this tune with "Whiskey before Breakfast," a tune that originated in the Métis community of western Canada, but which has become widespread in North America[2]. The accordion duo of Adélard LeBrun (1877-1931) and his wife (1868-1953, whose first name was not given on the label) recorded a tune called "Le mistigris" in Montreal in 1926, but it is musically unrelated to Soucy's reel and rather is a set of Allard's "Reel de minuit."
