Annotation:Valse de Opelousas

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VALSE DE OPELOUSAS (Opelousas Waltz). Cajun, Waltz. USA, southwestern Louisiana. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). One part. Raymond Francois (1990) remarks that the town of Opelousas, Louisiana, is an old city, once the site of an Indian trading post. The name derives from an Indian word for "dark or murky water." The original recording was made in 1959 by Austin Pitre and the Evangeline Playboys, "...among the first records to be made at Floyd Soileau's studio in Ville Platte." Fiddler Dennis McGee and accordion player Amédé Ardoin also recorded a "Valse de Opelousas" in 1930 (Brunswick 559).

Source for notated version: accordionist Austin Pitre (1918-1981, Aubrey "Cabri" Menier (La.) [Francois].

Printed sources: Francois (Yé Yaille, Chère!), 1990; pp. 436-437.

Recorded sources: Arhoolie CD445, Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin with Canray Fontenot - "La Musique Creole." Brunswick 559 (78 RPM), Amédé Ardoin & Dennis McGee (1930). Swallow Records SW-LP6041, Austin Pitre. Swallow Records,Ossun Playboys - "Dans le coeur O'ssun" (1997).