Reel De Gaspé reel

The Fiddler’s Fakebook has a nice C part to this tune.

I assume this tune is French Canadian - as stated above, the name is spelt with a French accent. I heard it years ago on a record called “How To Make A Bakewell Tart “ by melodeon player Tufty Swift, sadly no longer with us, who made that record a showcase for the one-row melodeon, which he played throughout. He played the “Gaspe” in at least two keys on it, and indeed it’s a tune that could easily be played in D, then G, then A - if so desired - on usual session instruments.

Tufty Swift played it quite a lot faster than the midi. It’s a proper reel, maybe the speed of “Soldier’s Joy” or “The Flowers Of Edinburgh”.

Carignan got this reel from Bernard Morin, french canadian fiddler. On the first archives CD, you can hear Carignan playing it in a medley with The temple house

https://thesession.org/recordings/2324

I’ve always heard it played in D,with a third part

K:Dmaj
L:1/8
M:4/4
|:f2 ef e2d2|dBBd (3BcB A2|
g2 (3fgf e2d2|cABc B2A2|
f2 ef e2d2|dBBd (3BcB A2|
g2 (3fgf e2d2|1cABc d2e2:|
2cABc d2f2||
:e2f2g2 fe|fefg a2f2|
e2 ef gfed|cABc (3BcB A2|
ecef g2 fg|fefg a2 gf|
ecef gfed|cABc d2f2:||
:e2 cA e2 cA|Bcdf e2 cA|
e2 cA e2 cA|e2 cA Bcdf|
e2 cA e2 cA|BA^GB A4:||

Tufty Swift,great melodeon player and stalwart of The Umps And Dumps band,sadly missed.

Does anyone know if Morin wrote this, and if so is it in copyright, or if not is it PD trad?

Am I right in thinking there are two tunes by this name?

This one for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv5q2MA5fX8

play video

You are right tombliss, there are at least 2 tunes with this name. Here is what the fiddler companion has to say about it:

GASPÉ REEL [1] (Reel de Gaspé). AKA and see “Apex Reel.” French-Canadian, Reel; New England, Polka. D Major (‘A’ and ‘B’ parts) & A Major (‘C’ part). Standard tuning. AB (Silberberg): AABB (Miller & Perron, Sweet, Welling): AA’BB’ (Phillips): AABBCCBB (Brody): AA’BB’CA“A“‘B“B“’ (Begin). Named for Québec’s picturesque Gaspé Peninsula, which forms the east bank of the St. Lawrence River as it spills into the Atlantic. The ‘C’ part is actually a strain of “Money Musk.” Louis Beaudoin (Burlington, Vt.) learned the first two parts of the tune from a friend named Joe Danis, but heard the three-part version from Fortuna Vachon (Thetford Mines, Québec), and added the third (“Money Musk”) part. Sources for notated versions: fiddler Pete Sutherland (Vt.) [Phillips]; Isidore Soucy via French-Canadian button accordion player Philippe Bruneau (Québec) [Begin]; accordion player Laurie Andres [Silberberg]. Bégin (Philippe Bruneau), 1993; No. 58, pg. 86. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 116. Laufman (OK Ladies and Gentlemen, Lets Try a Contra), 1973; pg. 9 (appears as “Apex Reel” {Apex is the name of a Canadian recording company, printed on the label of an otherwise unidentified version of the tune}). Miller & Perron (101 Polkas), 1978; No. 57. Miller & Perron (New England Fiddler’s Repertoire), 1983; No. 155. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1), 1994; pg. 94. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 50. Sweet (Fifer’s Delight), 1964/1981; pg. 61. Welling (Hartford Tunebook), 1976; pg. 16. Beet 7003, “Wretched Refuse.” Front Hall 01, Fennigs All Stars‑ “The Hammered Dulcimer.” Kicking Mule 209, Henry Sapoznik‑ “Melodic Clawhammer Banjo.” Philo 2000, “Louis Beaudoin” (1973. First two parts learned from fiddler Joe Danis).
X:1
T:Gaspé Reel [1]
M:C|
L:1/8
K:D
f2ef e2d2|FA FA B2A2|g2fg f2e2|BA Bc B2A2|
f2ef e2d2|FA FA B2A2|g2fg f2e2|B2c2d4:|
e2f2g3e|f2g2a4|e2f2g2e2|BA Bc B2A2|e2f2g3e|
f2g2a4|e2f2gfe2|B2c2d4:|

X:2
T:Gaspé Reel [1]
M:4/4
K:D
f3f2e2d2 | F2A2B2A2 | g2fgf2e2 | BABc (3BcB A2 | f3fe2d2 | F2A2B2A2 | g2fgf2e2 | B2c2d 4:||
c2d2e4 |d2e2f4| c2d2e4 | BABc (3BcB A2 | c2d2e4 | d2e2f4 | g3fe2d2 | B2c2d4 :||

GASPÉ REEL [2] (Reel de Gaspe). French-Canadian, Reel. D Major. Standard tuning. AA’BB’. No relation to “Gaspé Reel [1].” Cuillerier (Joseph Allard), 1992; pg. 15. Bluebird B-4935-a (78 RPM), Joseph Allard.

X:1
T:Reel de Gaspe [2]
C:Joseph Allard
M:2/4
L:1/16
Z:Transcribed by Bruce Osborne
K:D
FE|DFAF DFA,D|FDAF GEEG|FAdA FAdf|edcB AGFE|!
DFAF DFA,D|FDAF GEEG|FAdA FAdf|ecAc d2:|!
|:cd|ecAc EAce|fdAd FAdf|gfeg fedf|edcB ABcd|!
ecAc EAce|fdAd FAdf|gfeg fedf|ecAc d2:|!

from:

http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/GAMB_GAY.htm#GASPE_REEL_[1]

Hi Carabus - sorry I’ve been so long in replying.

I’m afraid I can’t read ABC - do you know of a score version of the second tune? is it this one, by any chance?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv5q2MA5fX8

play video

Tom

It seems it’s also called The West Point Reel from PEI.

Tom

# Added by Thistledowne - October 26th, 2004
https://thesession.org/tunes/3767

Jean Carignan plays a different tune (also entitled Gaspé reel). He learned from an old Albert Bastarache 78. Check it out: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MKH9bHpSI7c

play video