Description
The first movement of the Voyageur Suite.
The voyageurs were French-Canadian men who guided and paddled the canoes of explorers and fur traders from Quebec and Montreal to the regions bordering the Great Lakes and on to the Mackenzie and Columbia Rivers during the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries. While they paddled hour after hour in their cramped canoes, the voyageurs sang of their canoes, their country, their life and their loves. This suite is based on melodies from three of their songs:
1. Quand J'étais Chez Mon Père
2. Le Retour du Mari Soldat
3. La Bergere Muette
At least two of my ancestors, both named Antoine Pepin, were voyageurs. This suite is dedicated to my nephew, Alexander Pepin Gilbert, on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah.
Voyageur Suite was commissioned by Dr. Gary Powell Nash of Fisk University. The Alaska Brass of the United States Air Force Band of the Pacific presented the world premiere at a concert sponsored by the Canadian Consulate at the Loussac Library's Wilda Maston Theater in Anchorage, Alaska, on February 15, 2007.
The Llevant Chamber Brass video of Quand J'étais Chez Mon Père was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2012 Burke & Bagley Prize competition.