Annotation:Reel Matelot
X:1 T:Reel Matelot M:3/2 L:1/8 B:J.A. Boucher – “Le Repertoire du Violoneux” (1933, No. 39, p. 23) B:“Le Repertoire du Violoneux” (Nouvelle édition 2018 par Jean Duval) [1] K:A e3 f edcB ABcA|[M:2/2] EGAB cBcd|eceg a2 ed|cABd c2A2:| |:fded fdAd|fded f2 ed|cdea a2 ed|cABd c2A2:|]
REEL MATELOT. French-Canadian, Reel (3/2 and 2/2 time). A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Save for the opening measure of 3/2 time, the reel is in cut time. Researcher Jean Duval finds "Reel Matelot" to be a variant of "Sauvagesse (La)," of which there are many in Quebec, although the most popular is that recorded by fiddler Jean-Marie Verret of Lac St-Charles. Montreal fiddler Isidore Soucy recorded a version under the title "La Belle Catherine" (although that name usually belongs to another popular reel). Duval says there is no know antecedent to the tune in traditional repertoire, and concludes that it originated in Quebec in the 19th century, being "old enough to exist in different rhythms and keys."
