Edouard Duleu - Indifference

[maugein96]

From time to time my friends here in Scotland ask me why I never considered Scottish accordion music. I cannot really come up with a comprehensive answer, and tend to start looking for apologetic excuses.

Please listen to this guy, Edouard Duleu, originally from Wattrelos, Roubaix, but who later settled in the south of France. Wattrelos is right on the Belgian border so his box is B system with those upside down Belgian basses. Its a fact that a fair number of the better known older French players played accordions like his. It will probably have been a Maugein, as that was his preferred make throughout his long career.

The sound he gets from it is unique, and he puts a little element of swing into his playing. Ive never heard of any other player who even comes close to getting that sound, and often suspect there was some kind of electrical enhancement to his recordings. I honestly dont know, but hope this track will explain why I became hooked on French musette.



As a child I used to listen to French radio stations in my grandfathers house, and stuff like this got me wanting to listen to more. I only discovered Italian musette when I became an adult, as it never got anywhere near as much media attention. The two styles have almost merged these days, but the Italians have a slightly more deliberate way of working the bellows, with a rather more aggressive attack on the treble keys, and slightly different phrasing.

 

[Matt Butcher]

You wanted that kind of verve and excitement? I can understand that.

Plus also perhaps, it must have been something exotic and outside of the mainstream, so on that count there was probably a French kid somewhere near Belgium listening to Scottish reels... but the music justifies itself.

 

[maugein96]

You never know!

My father and grandfather used to wax lyrical about the accordionists they heard in France, Belgium, and The Netherlands, during the last two World wars, and that's probably what got me going. I have a soft spot for players from the Belgian/French border, as you appear to have noticed. Shame I never started playing until I was about 30, but French type accordions were simply not available to potential players in Scotland much before the 70s, and in the area where I lived any accordionist able to play was usually commandeered by one of the sectarian accordion bands. I think I've touched on that before in previous posts.

You'll know that I've been tempted to dabble in other styles, but I've never really managed to get going with them. I really like Italian players, but their playing style is different to mine. They have a very deliberate bellows action, with an aggressive attack on the treble, and phrasing that gets me all mixed up with the French stuff I've been playing for so long. I'm due to retire (again) this week, so hopefully I'll have more time to start playing again. I'm finding it a bit of a struggle after such a long lay off, but there are quite a few videos on You Tube which show a few techniques I had heard but never knew how to accomplish. For years I had been kidding myself that I could play a bit, but you'll know that there is actually quite a lot more to good musette playing than is credited by some players of other styles. I'm slowly learning how to put chords into the melody, something I had previously largely ignored. Better bass playing is also on my agenda, although I wish I had a 3x3 for that. Maybe some day!

 

[morenito]

I like this interpretation. No virtuosity for its own sake. Really (vera). Clean as the little girl:

 

[Glenn]

A talented your girl. That piece is great however it's played.

 

[maugein96]

Hi Morenito,

Very well played indeed, Elisa Berthe! Notice she's now moved onto a 5 row Pigini. She's also in a few clips as part of an accordion orchestra, where she plays lead instrument. No three voice musette allowed, as it's all very civilised. That girl is going to be one of the top names very soon I think.

 

[JerryPH]

It's lovely to see someone grow musically like this!