Fortunat MalouinREEL DE RIMOUSKI [1]. AKA - "Reel de l'harmonica," "Vieux Champion (Le)." French-Canadian, Reel. G Major ('A' part), C Major ('B' part) & F Major ('C' part). Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'BB'CC'A"A"'B"B"'C"C"'A""A""'. Rimouski is a town on the east bank of the St. Lawrence River, above Quebec City. The tune is attributed to Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, violinist and traveling salesman Fortunat Malouin (1870-1935) who lived in Quebec City but was originally from Saint-Sauveur, Québec. He was an influential musician who recorded in the 1920's. His "Reel de Rimouski" (recorded as "Le Rimouski" in New York in 1928) has become a show-case tune for fiddlers. The melody was included in Montreal musician, publisher, and music dealer A.J. Boucher's (1869-1927) Le Repertoire du Violonneux [sic] (Dec., 1933), a collection of Quebecois tunes that included versions of all eight tunes that Malouin recorded--all under different titles. "Reel de Rimouski" ("Le Rimouski") appears as "Vieux Champion (Le)." Researcher Jean Duval believes that Boucher and Malouin were rivals or competitors, at least from Boucher's point of view. Malouin had won a provincial fiddle competition held in the St-Sauveur district of Quebec in 1926 (perhaps besting Boucher? Duval speculates) which may have led to his New York recording opportunity. It is possible that Boucher was being somewhat 'snarky' by pointing out Moulin's age in his "Vieux Champion" title. Duval also points to the inclusion of a different tune called "Rimouski (Le)" (No. 88) in Boucher's volume, perhaps to diminish Moulin's claim to the title he used for his recording[1].
"Reel de Rimouski" was popularized by fiddler Joseph Bouchard (1905-1979). Harmonica player Aldor Morin recorded the tune as "Reel de l'harmonica."
Additional notes Source for notated version : - French-Canadian button accordion player Philippe Bruneau (Québec) [Bégin].
Printed sources : - Bégin (Philippe Bruneau), 1993; No. 40, pp. 60-61. Billette & Mallette (Québec Folklore, vol. 2), 2004; p. 27. Duval (La Musique de Fortunat Malouin 1870-1935), 2020; pp. 2-3.
Recorded sources : - Calvin Vollrath - "Tunes from My Past" (2010). CAT-16001, La famille Soucy - "Un party ben l'fun avec Pôgne et la Famille Soucy" (1973). Columbia 34130-F (78 RPM), Fortunat Malouin (1928). Columbia 34608-F (78 RPM), Joe Bouchard. Disques Mérite, La famille Soucy - "Un party ben l'fun avec la famille Soucy, vol. 1" (1999). Gael-Linn CEFCD 151, Buttons and Bows - "Grace Notes" (2012). Patrimoine PAT 19001, Jean Carignan - "Musicient Traditionnels Québécois--Jean Carignan--de Ti-Jean...le violoneux à Jean Carignan" (1977). RCA Victor Gala CGP-254, "Ti-Blanc Richard." Smithsonian Folkways SFW40539_105, Aldor Morin - "Classic Canadian Songs From Smithsonian Folkways" (2006. Appears as "Reel de l'harmonica"). Philippe Bruneau - "Accordeons Diatoniques: Musicque Quebecoise" (1984).
See also listing at : See/hear Jean Carignan with Gilles Losier play the tune at youtube.com [1]
