FORGERON, LE (The Blacksmith). AKA - "Reel du forgeron (1)." AKA and see "Blacksmith's Reel (2)." French-Canadian, Reel. A Major. AEae tuning (fiddle). AA'BB'. A 'crooked' tune popularized by Montreal fiddler Jean Carignan, but composed by Omer Dumas. Omer Dumas, a renowned violinist, folklorist and composer, was born in Saint-Antoine-Abbé, near Châteauguay, on April 1, 1889, and died in Montreal on July 9, 1980, aged 91. Omer DumasIn 1912, after having moved to Montreal, he began playing in an ensemble that accompanied silent films in the city. Twenty-five years later with his band The Minstrels, he played regularly on Canadian radio and then TV. Carignan played "Reel du forgeron" at the 1960 Newport Folk Festival, to which he had been invited by American folk musician Pete Seegar, who 'discovered' Carignan in 1958.
Additional notes Source for notated version : - Acadien fiddler Pius Boudreault via Jean Carignan (Montreal); also André Alain (St-Basile de Portneuf) [Remon & Bouchard].
Recorded sources : - Bluebird B-1219 (78 RPM), Omer Dumas (1940). Folkways FG 3531, Jean Carignan - "Old Time Fiddle Tunes played by Jean Carignan" (1960). Le Bottine Souriante - "Rock and Reel" (1998). Mille-Pattes V21102041, La Bottine Souriante - "Anthologie" (2001). XXI-CD 2 1575, "Omer Dumas et ses Ménestrels avec Mariette Vaillant" (2007). Yvon Mimeault - "Y etait temps!/It's About Time" (adapted from Jean Carrignan's version). Les Chauffeurs à pieds - "Au studio des trois lits" (2006). Omer Dumas et Ses Menestrels - "100 Ans De Musique Traditionnelle Quebecoise (1940-1960)."
See also listing at : Hear Jean Carignan's 1960 folkways recording at [1]
See Eric Lortie's standard notation version at Identitairs Québécois [2]
Hear an accordion version on youtube.com [3]
