Quebec & The Fiddle

It’s hard to believe we’re just a few short weeks away from kicking off the Drunken Fiddles retreat in Quebec City! In preparation, let’s learn a little about the musical history of Quebec and how fiddle has played a vital role. 

A Rich & Varied History
When you think about fiddle, Canada is probably not the first place that comes to mind. Instead, it’s probably images of a rollicking pub in Ireland or the rolling green hills of Scotland. Fair, fair... But it’s the depth of those musical traditions that provide the backdrop for how a uniquely Quebecois style evolved. 

As settlers from Scotland, Ireland, and France migrated across the Atlantic in increasing numbers through the mid-17th and 18th centuries, they brought their fiddles and distinct styles along. According to the Canadian Studies Center, the violin “flourished in New France during the 18th century, animating the bals of society and folk alike” and was used widely in social dance events across all levels of society. 

Expansion & Evolution 
As these immigrants moved west, historians note small fiddles could be easily managed and played by a single musician - thus cross tunings, drone notes, and percussive, rhythmic clogging evolved to fill the gaps left by having no other accompanying instruments. Moreover, a call-and-response folk style evolved as it allowed groups to sing songs as long as only a single member knew it. The long, cold winters encouraged indoor music-making as a vital form of entertainment; and by the beginning of the 20th century, a distinctly Quebecois version of traditional music emerged with fiddle as the premier instrument accompanied by “a persistent galloping rhythm tapped out with the feet.” 

Hear For Yourself
If you’re interested in exploring Quebecois music, here are a few places to start: 

• Isidore Soucy (1899-1963) was one of the first recording starts of the fiddle in Quebec. Many of his recordings are on YouTube, including the album Le Violonneux par Excellence  
• La Bottine Souriante is the group most famous for leading the folk revival in quebec in the 1960s and continuing with a new generation of musicians even today. Their seminal album La Traversee de l’Atlantique is also available on YouTube. 

Much more information is available through articles by the Canadian Studies Center of Arctic & International Relations and Washington Revels: Song and Music in Quebec.