La Sansonette reel

I was just glancing through the archives and I saw that the 3/8 bourree,“Les Poules Huppees” had been posted.Here’s a 4/4 version that I picked up in Belgium.

This tune is called La Sansonette and it is a classic scottische from central France. Original tonality is g-minor.

A better ABC for this great scottiche can be found here:
http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/SAM_SAO.htm
(look for “sansonette”).
I don’t think “Les Poules Huppees” is the right name for this tune.

I have a setting of this one as a jig on my site
http://malcolm.schonfield.free.fr/zik.php?tune=zoliv&lang=en

Source Aisdair White
via dots from Vanessa Loerkens of Elandir fame

Alasdair White

Sorry for typo!
Alasdair is known also as the fiddler of the Battlefield Band.

Alasdair is also a super guy and very modest.

I was at a session up in Stornoway (Isle of Lewis, Scotland) last August and this red haired chap came and sat next to me. It soon became obvious that this guy could play, but rather than becoming the tune hog decribed in another current thread, he quietly asked some of his neighbours if they knew such and such tunes - when some common ground was reached, away we went.

A lot of the locals knew him (he’s from Lewis himself), so I foolishly asked him if he played in a local band or anything - he replied that he did most of his playing down in Edinburgh these days, and only when I pressed him, did he mention his Battlefield Band involvment! Also invited me to call him if I was in Edinburgh, to play some tunes, and take me through some others.

Great lad, great sense of humour (oh, and can he sup some ale??!!)

Yes indeed Domnull, and an absolutely deadly player. He came across to Ullapool from Lewis for the annual tune in the Arch on the 2nd. A very drunken but tuneful affair.

K:G
B2 _B=B ABGB|FAGF EGFE |EFGA (3 BcB AB|d2 e2 B2 (3BBB|
B2 _B=B ABGB|FAGF EGFE |EFGA (3 BcB AG|FGAB EB (3BBB:|
B2 GB cGBc|B2 GB cGBc|F3 B cGBc|F3 B cGBc|
GB GB cGBc|GBGB cGBc|FcBA GAFG|EFGB EB (3BBB:|

I met these guys on a bus somewhere between Belfast and Dundalk (my hometown) when the train was aaah discouraged from travelling (this was the late ’70’s and bombs on the line were a regular occurrence). We struck up a session at the back of the bus and several bottles were opened. The snow-storm became a blizzard and the trip took hours - some of the best of my life. WHAT a session we had.
To end it I approached the bus driver who was blindly following the other buses in front. I asked to be let off as I was 100m from home and the train station (end point) was another mile. We crashed into the bus in front and I think another crashed into our rear. - Doors opened, I sprang, (I bear the scar to this day) - alas I never saw the Battlefield band again. My loss.

Peter - if you met the “Battlefield Band” in the late 1970s, the only member still playing with them when Alasdair White was a member is Alan Reid. I don’t think Alasdair - who’s being discussed here - was even born in the “late 70s”. Good story though.

I picked up their latest album in an Oxfam shop three days ago, out of curiosity: I was ready for anything… To my surprise there wasn’t even a hint on it of the slightest (mis)use of the screwball keyboard that used be part of their sound. Happy days! That keyboard could kill a tune! (or joy!)

About this scottische: See if you like it with f# and c# throughout. Or in the first part just. Nice tune, though I find French music too often ‘self-indulgently ’morose‘’!

I agree that f# instead of f can make some sense here, but c# ??

This tune has been composed by Gilles Chabenat, the french hurdy.gurdy player. It was played at the time (somewhere around the mid-80ies)by a wonderful group called “Les Ecoliers de St Genest”. I just can’t remmeber it’s name for now, but I’ll look…

Indeed, the bourree is a different tune and is already on the site
https://thesession.org/tunes/562

Sadly, I’ve also heard this schottische butchered at some rediculous undanceable tempos…

On YouTube ~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fgVnFKGEg4 ~ brilliant, I love this one!

play video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsHbf553-BQ

play video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAeFLg-RROE

play video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhAD2hbQIWI

play video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzdLC69Je30

play video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=347YkMkTYQ0

play video

X: 2
T: La Sansonette
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: schottische
K: Dmin
|: A2 ^GA =GF- F2 | E>GFE D4 | DEFG A2 GA | c2 B2 A4 |
A2 ^GA =GF- F2 | E>GFE D4 | DEFG A2 GF | EFGA D4 :|
|: A2 FA BFAB | A/B/A FA BFAB | E2- EA BEAB | A2 EA BEAB |
[1 A2 FA BFAB | ADFA B2 AE- | EBAG FGFE | DEFE D4 :|
[2 A2 DF BDFB | ADF/G/A B/c/B AE- | EBAG FGFE | DEFE D4 |]

This composition is attributed to Daniel Forge from France. Unfortunately I can find no recording attributed to the composer or any other information, which would be welcome…

X: 3
T: La Sansonette
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: schottische
K: Emin
|: B2 ^AB =AG- G2 | F>AGF E4 | EFGA B2 ^AB | d2 c2 B4 |
B2 ^AB =A2 G2 | F>AGF E3 _E | EFGA B3 E | FB^AB E4 :|
|: B2 GB c3 G | B/c/B GB cGBc | F3 B cFBc | B2 FB cFBc |
[1 B2 GB cGBc | BEGB c2 BF- | FcBA GAGF | EFGF E4 :|
[2 B/c/B EG cEGc | BEG/A/B c/d/c BF- | FcBA G3 F | E^DGB E4 |]

With this e minor transcription, D fingering played on a C instrument, woodwind, would give d minor. But, there’s nothing wrong with it in e minor on a D woodwind…

http://archive.folx.org/
http://archive.folx.org/node/58

This is actually a French dance tune called ‘La Sansonette’, composed by Dominique Forges. It was very popular in Edinburgh in the late 90s, partly through the playing of Ewan MacPherson, from whom I learned it, and from whom I suspect Alasdair learned it as well.

Have a look here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhAD2hbQIWI&feature=related

play video

This tune sandwiches in very effectively between Ziri Piri and MacPherson’s Strut for a set with real attitude!

Dominique FORGES

La Sansonette, a scottische written by Dominique Forges, a french hurdy-gurdy player, the tune was popularised by the Galician band Os Cempes, the original key is Gm.

From the playing of Reel It In.

First tune, starting at ~49s, and picks up in tempo around 2mins 21s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVxeXXjwOR4

play video

This setting is closed to the one played by the Galician Band Os Cempés. They made this tune quite famous in Spain, specially because it was included in a compilation called Naciones Celtas 2.

It is in the same key as they play it. I would say it is C Minor, but as I cannot see it in the options, I chosed F Dorian just to be able to use the same key signature.

This is the recording of the tune by Os Cempés:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig2T-NWizCQ

play video

Thanks to Tirno & Bruce Lambelle-Rudd for crediting this tune.
And to Fernando Durbán Galnares for providing the G version: Os Cempés’s version is an instant classic!
Moreover, it is a good tune to introduce to a fiddle class, to make them practice a variety of fingering options in the second parts (in the three keys of G, A and B)
B works wonders on the tinwhistle as well, I use it to teach students the C# ‘swipe’ roll…

Dominique Forges is based in Nevers, in the Nivernais region of Central France.
His love story with trad French music was sparked by a concert La Chavannée (a trad band from Bourbonnais) gave in 1978.
His artist’s description / production / letterbox can be found at;
https://lacompagnieberot.com/dominique-forges/