La petite Aurore, l'enfant martyre (AU1998-1073-008)
Franco-Americans--New England
French-Canadians--New England
Folk Songs, French--New England
Folk Songs, French--Québec (Province)
Franco-Americans--Music
French-Canadians--Music
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1073-008) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “La petite Aurore, l'enfant martyre” (”Little Aurore, the martyr child“) is a song created in Quebec concerning the notorious homicide of Alberta Gagnon (1909-1920) of Fortierville, QC, who died of exhaustion, starvation, and blood poisoning from some 52 wounds inflicted by her father and stepmother, Marie-Anne Houde.. Following the sensational murder trial of her parents, Aurore Gagnon became an icon of Quebec sociological and popular culture, inspiring plays, songs, books, and films. One of the first publications was a song, “La dernière prière de l’enfant martyre“ (“The Final Prayer of the Martyr Child”), set to the melody of “Le Rosaire” with words by Henri Rollin, published in Montreal in 1921. Alberta Gagnon’s song is set to the melody of “The Prisoner’s Song,” an American hit song from 1924 which quickly gained popularity with French-language audiences in Quebec and New England through its 1925 transliteration published under the title “La chanson du prisonnier” with lyrics by Montreal songwriter and translat0r Roméo Beaudry. Although no published printed versions of Alberta Gagnon’s song are known, it seems likely that “Aurore, L'enfant martyre” dates to the second half of the 1920s, when its associated melody was widely heard on the radio, stage, and recordings. An advertisement in the classified section of the Quebec City daily newspaper, Le Soleil, appeared regularly during the months of August, October, and November advertising that for the price of 25 cents, one could receive the book La Petite Aurore l’Enfant Martyre and for an additional 10 cents, the advertiser (L. Desrosiers, 5206 des Erables, Montreal) would also send the song of “La Petite Aurore” “sur l’air du Prisonnier.” Although Alberta Gagné’s song has been collected in field recordings from singers in both Quebec and New Brunswick, it does not appear in Conrad Laforte’s catalog. Alberta Gagné had some difficulty recollecting the lyrics and her version is missing some of the lyrics. A complete set of lyrics appears in the manuscript collection of the Vermont Folklife Center’s Desrosiers/Joyal Family Collection (VFC2011-0009: Petite Aurore, Petite Martyre (MS2011-3178).
VFC1998-0007 Martha Pellerin Collection. TC1998-1073 interview with Alberta Gagné. Vermont Folklife Center Archive, Vermont Folklife Center, Middlebury, Vermont, United States of America.
Full Interview: vfc1998-0005_tc1998-1073
sound cassette (analog)
digital audio file (MP3)
sound recording
text
Vermont (state)
New England (general region)
Quebec (province)
Highgate Center (inhabited place)
Au cours de mes voyages [first line] (AU1998-1073-009)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1073-009) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “Au cours de mes voyages” (”Over the course of my travels“) is Montreal songwriter and translater Roméo Beaudry’s 1921 setting of Aloha ʻOe" (“Farewell to Thee”), a Hawaiian popular song written circa 1878 by Liliʻuokalani (1838-1917), who was then Princess of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It is her most famous song and is a common cultural symbol for Hawaii. Parts of "Aloha 'Oe" resemble the song, "The Lone Rock by the Sea" and the chorus of George Frederick Root’s 1854 song, "There's Music in the Air.” "The Lone Rock by the Sea" mentioned was "The Rock Beside the Sea" published by Charles Crozat Converse in 1857, and itself derives from a Croatian/Serbian folk song, "Sedi Mara na kemen studencu” (Mary is Sitting on a Stone Well). In 1913, a Hawaiian ensemble called The Hawaiian Quintette recorded “Aloha Oe” in Hawaiian on the Victor label B-13113. English-language and English-Hawaiian renditions of the song soon followed, and by the 1920s, it was arguably the best-known Hawaiian song and had sparked an infatuation in the United States for songs on Hawiian themes. Roméo Beaudry (1882-1932) was, along with his friend Herbert Berliner, the most important producer of Canadian artists in the first half of the 20th century. During the 1920s, Beaudry’s Montreal-based Starr studio produced 693 francophone records, featuring almost every great name in Quebec lyric, folk and variety song with equal success. He was also a gifted song lyricist who translated and/or reimagined more than 150 French-language adaptations of hit American songs from the 1920s. He also composed original songs, of which more than 75 were recorded. Beaudry’s French-language lyrics for “Aloha Oe” have virtually no connection to the original Hawaiian text nor its English translation. As is often the case, he borrowed the melody, but his text represents a complete re-imagining. In 1921, Montréal baritone Hector Pellerin recorded the Beaudry transliteration under the title “Aloha oe” on the Starr label. Montréal baritone Jean Cartier recorded a second version of Beaudry setting in 1928 on the Starr/Compo label (issue # 15499, matrix # 3446). Alberta Gagné’s version presents the full set of lyrics from the Beaudry setting.
Par une nuit d’étoiles (AU1998-1073-010)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1073-010) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “Par une nuit d’étoiles” (”One starry night“) is an original song from Quebec western singer-songwriter and guitarist Paul Brunelle (1923-1994). Brunelle got his taste for singing and performance as a member of a youth choir, and in the early 1940s rose to the attention of RCA Victor, after winning two talent contests hosted by the Montreal CKAC radio show Living Room Furniture. Victor signed him on and he began a very successful career translating American pop western songs and writing his own western songs. Brunelle toured in Quebec, Ontario and the Maritime provinces with a troupe mixing music and skits 1949-1951 and went on to star in his daily radio show on CKVL in Montreal from 1955-1957. In the 1960, RCA Victor re-released Brunelle’s hits on a series of 33rpm recordings. Brunelle first recorded “Une nuit d’étoiles on the RCA Victor Bluebird label as a 78 rpm (55 5281) in 1947. Alberta Gagné’s version of the song is virtually identical to the Brunelle original recording.
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1073-011) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “C'est un jeune garçon” (”It’s a young man“) is a traditional French song about a timeworn theme: the soldier’s return from war. It is one of a number of songs in which the returning soldier finds that his sweetheart has died. The outstanding feature of this song is that the soldier visits her grave and converses with her from the beyond. The conversation varies, but as is typical, the deceased sweetheart predicts that he will find other loves. In many versions, including this one, the soldier returns to his regiment and pledges service in perpetuity. Versions of this song have been widely documented in French-speaking North America, including New Brunswick, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Louisiana. The song is also well documented in France, and versions also have been documented in Switzerland and Belgium.
C’est à vingt ans que la vie est joyeuse (AU1998-1073-012)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1073-012) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “C’est à vingt ans que la vie est Joyeuse ” (”It’s at the age of twenty that life is joyous“) is a sentimental, moralizing song written by 19th century Parisian lyricist Maurice Patez (18??-1888. Little is known about Patez’s life or career; he appears to have had some success as a lyricist of comic songs in the mid 1800s. Evidence suggests that he was a friend of Parisian sociopolitical activist, songwriter and poet of the 1848 barricades, Charles Gille (1820-1856), who also hosted one of Paris’s most celebrated goguettes (a goguette is a festive social group tradition which flourished in France and Belgium in the 18th and 19th centuries, bringing together groups of friends and associates for a weekly Saturday evening of convivial drink and contemporary songs often written by the members themselves). Gille published or co-published a number of collections of goguette songs during his lifetime. Shortly after his death, a group of fellow poets and friends including celebrated singer-songwriter Victor Rabineau (1816-1869) and Charles Colmance (1805-1870) published a collection of songs from Gille, themselves, and other contemporaries, titled Au coin du feu : chansonnier nouveau (Paris: Le Bailly, 1858) which includes the text of Alberta Gagné’s song, under the title “Trois amours de la vie” (“Three Loves in Life”), with lyrics credited to Maurice Patez, set to the melody of a familiar song of the day titled “Rayon du soleil.” There do not appear to have been any known sheet music publications of this song either in France or Quebec. in old age which reflects a lifetime of commitment and the ties to children
L’oiseau qui vient de France (AU1998-1073-013)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1073-013) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “C’est un oiseau qui vient de France” (”It’s a bird that comes from France“) is a sentimental, patriotic French song referencing the annexation by Prussia of Alsace-Lorraine following France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. The lyrics are Belgian journalist, police informer, scam artist, and songwriter Alphonse Van Den Camp (1833-1901), writing under the pseudonym Camille Soubise, and the melody is by Frédéric Boissière (18 ??-1889). One of most popular of a number of patriotic songs on the theme of Alsace-Lorraine, “C’est un oiseau qui vient de France” appears to have been an instant success from the moment it was first published in 1885 by J. Hiélard in Paris. It went on to become a perennial favorite in French-speaking communities on both sides of the Atlantic: there are numerous references to performances as well as recordings and sheet music editions published both in Franco-American New England and in Quebec between the Franco-Prussian War through the end of WWII. Alberta Gagné’s version is virtually identical to the original lyrics and melody. She remembered having seen it in a published song collection from Quebec.
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1073-014) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “Voici venir la neige” (”Here comes the snow“) is a mystery song. To date, no printed or recorded versions of it have surfaced either in France or Quebec. Sentimental songs about birds were a staple of popular French song in the latter 18th and 20th centuries.
Le livre d’or de nos souvenirs [first line] (AU1998-1073-015)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1073-015) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “Le livre d’or de nos souvenirs” (”The golden book of our memories“) is a song whose authorship has yet to be identified, but which clearly enjoyed some popularity in Quebec in the first half of the 20th century. Almost identical lyrics are quoted in a privately published collection of songs from the repertory of Georges-Alphonse Olivier (1907-1993), who hailed from Ste-Élisabeth, Quebec (Les anciennes chansons que mon père chantait dans son jeune âge. Édité par Réjean Olivier 3e édition, Joliette : Édition privée, 2015) under the title “Le livre d’or de mes souvenirs.” Celebrated Quebec singer-songwriter Gilles Vigneault quotes the opening lines of the refrain of this song in an original 1968 song entitled “Le Nord du Nord,” using it as an evocation of a collective memory of well-known tunes of yore.
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-001) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “La passagère” (“The Female Passenger”) is a version of an old French ballad, more commonly known as “La batelière” (“The Boatwoman”). It is one of a number of songs in which a would-be seducer is thwarted in his efforts by the cleverness of his would-be victim, who also humiliates him and deprives him of some of his wealth in the process. This song has been documented in Belgium, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, and France.
VFC1998-0007 Martha Pellerin Collection. TC1998-1074 interview with Alberta Gagné. Vermont Folklife Center Archive, Vermont Folklife Center, Middlebury, Vermont, United States of America.
Full Interview: vfc1998-0005_tc1998-1074
C’était un soir par un beau clair de lune [first line] (AU1998-1074-002)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-002) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “C’était un soir par un beau clair de lune“ (“It was on a beautiful moonlit night“) is a sentimental tragic song about a man who falls in love at first sight with a beautiful young orphan whom he shelters and who dies shortly after their marriage. The more common title for this song is “Quand fleuriront les roses“ (“When the Roses Bloom Again”), the last line of the refrain. A song by that title, with lyrics by Charles Madidier (18?? -1897) and music by Célestin Bazin (1843-1921), was published in Paris by P. Dommanget in 1888; it may well be the same song sung by Alberta Gagné, but it has not been possible to confirm this because of lack of access to a copy of the sheet music.
Prendre un verre de bière, mon minou (AU1998-1074-003)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-003) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “Prendre un verre de bière, mon minou” (“Have a Glass of Beer, Sweetie”). The earliest known appearance of this Québécois original song is a ca. 1949 recording with this title, on the Starr/Compo label (issue # 16875, side A), performed by the Pierre Girard Trio (Pierre Girard, violin, George Houde, guitar, and possibly Roméo Perusse on vocals). This song is most closely associated with La famille Soucy (Isidore Soucy and his family orchestra), who recorded a 78rpm recording of this song in 1950 for the RCA Victor/Bluebird label (matrix number #55-5363A). Fernando Soucy is generally credited as the composer of this song, although the provenance and date of the Pierre Girard trio recording remain to be resolved.
Le diable dans la bricole (AU1998-1074-004)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-004) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “L’diable dans bricole” (“The Devil is afoot”) is a very old and widespread French “cumulative song.” Cumulative songs are songs with a simple verse structure modified by progressive addition so that each verse is one line longer than the verse before. This song has been documented as early as 1560 in France, and hundreds of versions have been documented in Belgium, Switzerland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Louisiana, and Rhode Island.
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-005) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “L’habitant d’St-Marc” (“The country man from St-Marc”). Here we have what appears to be a song which originates in Quebec. It is a “cumulative song”: a song with a simple verse structure modified by progressive addition so that each verse is one line longer than the verse before. No Old-World versions have been found to date. All documented versions are from Quebec, with a single version from Maine. After Mrs. Gagné finished singing the song for Marthe, she remembered an additional final line: C'est l’ombrage de la couleur du bout du poil du bout d'la queue du chien du cousin d'la nièce du garçon d'la fill’ d'la femm’ dl'habitant d'St-Marc qui s'en va t-à Montréal.
Tu me demandes, Marguerite (AU1998-1074-006)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-006) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “Tu me demandes Marguerite” (You ask me, Marguerite”) appears to be a somewhat garbled reworking of a Parisian sentimental and romantic song by the street singer/songwriter and musician Eugène Baumester (1809-1892). His original song, titled “Ce que c’est que l’amour” appeared in Volume 2 of the song lyric compendium Album du gai chanteur, a five-volume series published in Paris by A. Huré between 1859 and 1864. Baumester set his lyrics to the melody of a popular song of the period, “Pour faire un nid” (words by Francis Tourte, music by Étienne Arnaud). The son of a traveling musician, Baumester began singing on the street at the age of four. For 80 years, he walked the streets of Paris singing songs of his own composition or borrowed from Parisian goguettes, clubs where men gathered to sing, drink, and socialize, and which were in their heyday during his lifetime. He began publishing and selling broadsides (single song printings) and compendiums of these songs in the 1860s. As a songwriter, he specialized in sentimental, romantic songs and drinking songs. How Baumester’s song came into Alberta Gagné’s repertory is a bit of a mystery, but along the way there it underwent a number of transformations, producing somewhat garbled lyrics. Here are Baumester’s original lyrics as they appeared in the Album du gai chanteur [source : Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Littérature et art, YE-13893] : Tu me demandes, Marguerite, En causant avec moi le jour, De ta bouche rose et petite, Parfois, ce que c'est que l'amour. L'amour, à ton âge, ma belle, Lorsqu'on a seize ans révolus, Ne se montre jamais rebelle Et vous place avec ses élus. L'amour possède un doux visage ; Il règne à la ville, à la cour ; Mais, il est trompeur et volage : Voilà ce que c'est que l'amour. Tout fait l'amour dans la nature ; Le papillon le fait aux fleurs ; Le ruisseau, dans son doux murmure, Fait l'amour en versant des pleurs. Le soleil le fait à la terre, Le zéphyr le fait aux forets ; L'oiseau fait l'amour sans mystère Sur les branches, dans les guérets. L'amour possède, etc. Lorsque ma main cherche la tienne, Quand je regarde les beaux yeux, Je voudrais que tu m'appartiennes, Pour goûter le bonheur des dieux. Lorsque ta voix pure et candide Me répond avec sa bonté, Mon pauvre cœur devient timide : C'est de l'amour, en vérité. De l'amour, vrai, c'est le langage, Dit la jeune fille à son tour ; Je t'aimerai ; mais, sois bien sage, Je sais ce que c'est que l'amour.
Derrière chez-nous y a un étang (AU1998-1074-007)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-007) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “Derrière chez nous y a un étang” (“Behind our house there is a pond”) is a version of a traditional French song which has been circulating in France since the 15th century. Known by a variety of titles which sometimes quote from the song text (ex., “Trois beaux canards” = “Three Beautiful Ducks”) or from one of the scores of different refrains associated with the verses (ex. “En roulant ma boule” = “While Rolling My Ball”), it is the single most-collected traditional folk song in French-speaking Canada, with more than 260 different documented versions. While the verses themselves have remained remarkably stable, the associated melody and refrain vary tremendously, though the refrain “En roulant ma boule” is probably the best known of the choruses. This song has also been documented in Louisiana and Maine. Alberta Gagné’s refrain is a spin-off of another common refrain most commonly sung: “Envoye, envoye, la p'tit’, p'tit’, p'tit’, Envoye, envoye la p'tite jument.” A number of commercial 78rpms of this song were recorded in Quebec in the early 1900s, the earliest known being a 1915 Berliner/Victor recording titled “En roulant ma boule” (issue # 0017; matrix # 3044) featuring baritone Joseph Saucier, accompanied by piano:http://amicus.collectionscanada.gc.ca/gramophone-bin/Main/ItemDisplay?l=0&l_ef_l=-1&id=591997.123149&v=1&lvl=1&coll=24&rt=1&itm=31386134&rsn=S_WWWbeaGr0BvB&all=1&dt=AW+|en|+AND+|roulant|+AND+|ma|+AND+|boule|&spi=-&rp=1&v=1
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-008) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “Le p’tit sauvage” (The little savage”) is a song which appears to have originated in Quebec. Versions have been documented in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Maine, but no European versions have been documented. “Sauvage” is a derogatory French term meaning a wild or uncouth person and was commonly used in France and Quebec up through the first half of the 20th century to refer to First Nations people. Alberta Gagné learned this song from her mother.
Lorsque je t’ai connu [first line] (AU1998-1074-009)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-009) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “Lorsque je t’ai connu“, (“When I met you “) is a sentimental romance which relates a story of abandonment, forgiveness and reconciliation between two sweethearts. The text and melody suggest that it dates to the latter 1800s or early 1900s and it could as easily have originated in Quebec as in France, but to date no references have been found to provide further details about its provenance.
On va tu n’avoir du plaisir (AU1998-1074-010)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-010) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “On va tu n’avoir du plaisir” (“Won’t we have fun”)
Envoyons d'l'avant nos gens [first line] (AU1998-1074-011)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-011) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “Envoyons d’lavant nos gens” (“Let’s push on ahead, folks”) is a traditional song which was most likely created in Canada (either in Quebec or French-speaking Ontario) and which has been documented in both provinces. A single version has been documented in Maine. It is one of a number of songs about loggers returning home after working in the logging shanties. In 1924, Montreal singer Charles Marchand recorded a version of this song under the title “Envoyons d’l’avant!” for the Starr/Compo label (issue # 15142; matrix #1324, side A). Marchand (1890-1930) founded a vocal quartet called “Le Carillon canadien” in order to promote French-Canadian folk songs and new songs inspired by traditional customs and settings. He recorded another setting on the Columbia label in 1926. Conrad Gauthier also recorded a setting under the title “Envoyons de l’avant nos gens” on the Victor label just a month after Marchand. Gauthier (1885-1964) was at various times a director of silent movies, a journalist, an accountant, and a municipal officer, but it was as a singer and actor that he made his name in Canada and the United States. In the 1920s, he was a pioneer in radio and in the recording of Quebec folk music, making 78s of more than 100 song. You can hear You can hear Marchand’s 1924 rendition on the Library and Archives Canada website, The Virtual Gramophone: https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/virtual-gramophone/Pages/Item.aspx?idNumber=1019481398 It seems likely that Alberta Gagné learned her version either from the Marchand recording or from someone who learned it from that source; like Marchand, she goes into falsetto voice when singing the lines in the song which are spoken by the loggers’ sweethearts. This novelty singing gimmick is generally absent in oral tradition but appears occasionally on commercial recordings by professional singers such as Marchand, who enjoyed adding a bit of theatrical flair. NOTE: At present, this item also includes the beginning of the recording of “Mais quand on part du Canada [first line] (AU1998-1074-012).”
Mais quand on part du Canada (AU1998-1074-012)
Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-012) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné. “Mais quand on part du Canada” (“But when we left Canada”). As soon as Alberta Gagné finished singing the previous song, “Envoyons d’l’avant nos gens,” she immediately launched into this song, which shares the same melody, refrain, and theme: the return of young men to their families in “Canada” (the term “Canada” in most traditional French-Canadian songs generally refers to the province of Quebec, not the nation of Canada). This “spin-off” song, which comically relates the return of some would-be jobseekers who head to the United States, are unable to land work, and return home, has only two known documentations, both from Ontario. The theme, melody, and structure of “Envoyons d’l’avant nos gens” has inspired other spin-off songs, such as “La Tapinie,” popularized by the Quebec traditional band La Bottine Souriante on their album Chic ‘n Swell (Mille-Pattes 2033, 1983). Alberta chose to omit some additional verses which she said she’d rather not sing. She added that she learned this song from some lumberjacks who visited on weekends when she and her family were living in Newport, New Hampshire.