Featured Fiddler: Hermas Réhel of Bridgeville, Gaspe, QC

Last week I stumbled across some videos of the great Gaspesian fiddler Hermas Rehel on youtube that his daughter Élaine posted earlier in the week. She took this great footage at Hermas and his wife Rita White's 50th Wedding Anniversary in St. Bruno, Quebec. I hadn't heard any of Hermas' music until seeing these videos and I was really blown away. All the older Gaspesians I talked with kept telling me I needed to hear Hermas Réhel and I now understand why. Cyril Devouge says that if he could have had the bow arm of any fiddler in the world it would have been Hermas Réhel's.

The first tune, "La Grondeuse" seems to be a variant of the better known "Growling Old Man and Woman" or "The Grumbler" as I've heard many Gaspesians (including Erskine) call it. Check out Hermas' great bow work. He really has such a nice touch, the right combination of smooth and jagged. The second tune is a really beautiful C tune that I don't know the name of. I just love the way he lifts his bow between the phrases to get little pauses in the tune. As well, in both tunes Hermas' clogging is spot on. After the first two tunes, you can see a great montage of pictures taken throughout Hermas and Rita's life.

In the second video, we are treated to Hermas and his son Damien doing some great gigue dancing to a set of hornpipes. At the end, Hermas' daughters Francine and Élaine get up to join the boys for a few steps. The first tune is the Golden Eagle Hornpipe. This is some really elegant footwork here. The amazing Yvon Cuillerier is playing fiddle in this clip.

Here is a wonderful bio of Hermas that his daughter Élaine has done for the readers here at the Gaspe Fiddle blog. Merci bien Élaine! (English translation follows):

Mon père est né à Bridgeville (municipalité de Percé) le 31 janvier 1920. Il aura donc 91 ans bientôt. Son père est Albert Réhel et sa mère Hélène Jeanne Francis, tous les deux francophones mais les Francis sont d'origine anglaise (d'Angleterre). Les Réhel sont originaires de Mégrit, région de Bretagne en France.

Mon père a créé son commerce dans les années 1940. Il a tenu un magasin général jusqu'en 1978, quand il a été exproprié par la Gouvernement du Québec pour l'élargissement de la route 132 qui était, à l'époque la route 6. Cette expropriation l'a mené à la retraite et à son installation la même année à Brossard. Il y vit depuis ce temps.

Il a été à la fois marchand, barbier, musicien. Il cultivait ses pommes de terre, coupait son bois de chauffage et nous élevait avec ma mère. Il jouait dans les soirées de danse sur la côte gaspésienne, principalement de Douglastown jusqu'à Port-Daniel. Mes parents se sont justement rencontrés à l'école du village, à Percé, dans une soirée dansante. Cette école existe encore et on y exploite une boutique de souvenirs appelée "L'Ancienne École" en face du bureau de poste. Un soir, mon père était engagé pour jouer du violon. Le guitariste devant l'accompagner ne s'étant pas présenté, on a demandé si, dans la salle, il y avait quelqu'un qui pouvait jouer de la guitare. C'est ainsi que ma mère s'est offerte et voilà la naissance de notre famille. Mon père ne parlait pratiquement pas l'anglais et ma mère ne parlait pratiquement pas le français. C'est la musique qui les a réunis.

Mon père a appris à jouer du violon par son oncle, Moïse Francis, le frère de sa mère. Les Francis étaient des gens qui jouaient de la musique et qui chantaient bien.

Sa fille, Élaine, a été la gagnante en 1985 du très populaire "Festival en chanson de Petitie-Vallée" en Gaspésie. Ce concours est reconnu nationalement. Tous les enfants d'Hermas et Rita jouent d'un instrument, chantent ou dansent. La tradition continue dans les arts aussi à travers de certains de ses arrières-petits-enfants.

Here is my best attempt at an English translation:

My father was born in Bridgeville (municipality of Percé) on January 31, 1920. He will soon be 91 years old. His father was Albert Réhel and his mother was Hélène Jeanne Francis, both francophones but the Francis family was originally from England. The Réhel family originated in the Mégrit région in Britanny, France.

My father opened his general store during the 1940's and he kept it until 1978 when the government of Quebec expropriated it to enlarge the Route 132 (then called the Route 6). The expropriation of his store brought forth his retirement and relocation to Brossard on Montreal's South Shore where he has lived since.

During his life he was a merchant, a barber, and a musician. He grew his own potatoes, cut his own fire wood, and raised his children with my mother. He would play fiddle at house parties and dances on the Gaspe coast, mostly between Douglastown and Port-Daniel. My parents met each other at a dance at the village school in Percé. This school building still exists and is now a souvenir boutique called "L'Ancienne École" and stands just across from the Post Office. One night, my father was hired to play the fiddle there. His guitar player did not show up and he asked if there was anyone in the room who could play guitar. It was then that my mother offered her talents and voilà, the birth of our family. When they met that night, my father barely spoke English and my mother barely spoke French. It was music that united them.

My father learned the fiddle from his uncle Moïse Francis, the brother of his mother. The Francis family were all people who played and sang music well.

In 1985, his daughter Élaine was the winner of the popular "Festival en chanson de Petitie-Vallée" in the Gaspésie. This contest is renowned throughout Canada. All of the children of Hermas and Rita play an instrument, sing, or dance. The tradition continues even among some of his great grand children.