*S is for Song. Songs are just that – songs, or sometimes merely melodies, that are well-known in their country of origin, but aren’t necessarily associated with any particular dance. They may be traditional folk songs, or pop songs written in the folk style, or ‘pure’ pop creations that are dance-able. People will dance to them, but there is no culturally agreed upon ‘traditional’ dance that is particular to that song, just as we don’t associate any particular dance with “Blowin’ in the Wind” or “Lady Madonna”. For more on Song, Click here.
*L is for Living Dance. My definition of a living dance is one that is currently danced in its area of origin by locals for their own purposes, not for an audience beyond their community. Dancing could be in a social club, a party, a wedding, a street fair, a religious ceremony, etc. The Recreational (International) Folk Dance community has thousands of dances in its repertoire, yet most of these dances are no longer performed in their land of origin or its diaspora (indeed most never were!). Some are only seen on stage, as part of a presentation of traditional culture. To my mind, these dances, no matter how enjoyable, are museum exhibits. For more on Living dances. Click here.
Meaning of Bastringue
PRONUNCIATION: lah buh-STRANG
One of our few, true folk dances, La Bastringue is still danced by “folk” in Quebec Canada, as part of a longer dance suite. Some say “la bastringue” means “the hoedown.” Some say it means “the honkey-tonk.” Like most folk material, it has evolved into several similar but different dances in the traditional/country/contra dance movement, in the clog dance movement, and in the folk dance movement. These notes are for the original dance as collected by Jean Trudel and presented by Yves Moreau in 1975. Source: https://www.sfdh.us/encyclopedia/bastringue.html
Wikipedia has an article in French called Piano Bastringue, which according to the Wikipdia-supplied English translation means “A tack piano (also known as a harpsipiano, jangle piano, and junk piano is an altered version of an ordinary piano, in which objects such as thumbtacks or nails are placed on the felt-padded hammers of the instrument at the point where the hammers hit the strings, giving the instrument a tinny, more percussive sound. It is used to evoke the feeling of a honky-tonk piano. Tack pianos are commonly associated with ragtime pieces, often appearing in Hollywood Western saloon scenes featuring old upright pianos. The instrument was originally used for classical music performances as a substitute for a harpsichord.” However, the music referenced as “originally used” was first played in 1945. Source: https://books.google.ca/books?id=c82agE6TZWoC&pg=PR41&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
La Bastringue – the Song
La Bastringue – Sheet Music and Lyrics
For Sheet Music, refer to the site https://thesession.org/tunes/3052 for several versions.
Lyrics for the La Bolduc/Ovila Légaré version. Translation: Ilona Kemény, https://lyricstranslate.com/fr/la-bastringue-bastringue.html
Messieur, messieur je voudrais danser Sir, sir I'd like to dance
Oh La Bastringue, pis La Bastringue Oh the Bastringue, and the Bastringue
Messieur, messieur je voudrais danser Sir, sir I'd like to dance
La Bastringue dans vot’ café The Bastringue in your café
Venez, venez j’vais vous faire danser Come on, come on, I'll make you dance
La Bastringue, pis La Bastringue The Bastringue, and the Bastringue
Venez, venez j’vais vous faire danser Come on, come on, I'll make you dance
La queue d’votre robe va r’voler The tail of your robe will rise up
Avec toué je veux pas danser I don't want to dance with you
ah La Bastringue pis La Bastringue Oh the Bastringue, and the Bastringue
Avec toué je veux pas danser I don't want to dance with you
Tu es bien trop exité You're much too excited
Mais dis-moi donc t’es pas gênée Then tell me you're not cheeky
La Bastringue, La Bastringue The Bastringue, the Bastringue
Mais dis-moi donc t’es pas gênée Then tell me you're not cheeky
V’nir m’insulter dans une veillée To come and insult me at a party
T’as pas besoin de te fâcher You don't need to get angry
ah La Bastringue, pis La Bastringue Ah the Bastringue, and the Bastringue
T’as pas besoin de te fâcher You don't need to get angry
J’ai faite ça c’est pour t’étriver I did it just to tease you
Me voilà donc le coeur brisé Now here I am with a broken heart
La Bastringue, et pis La Bastringue Ah the Bastringue, and the Bastringue
Me voilà donc le coeur brisé Now here I am with a broken heart
D’la peine que tu m’as donnée From the trouble that you've caused me
Viens dans mes bras mon cher André Come into my arms my dear André
ah La Bastringue, pis La Bastringue Ah the Bastringue, and the Bastringue
Viens dans mes bras mon cher André Come into my arms my dear André
Viens donc je vas t’embrasser Come so that I can kiss you
T’as donc un beau bec sucré You have such a nice sweet kiss
La Bastringue, La Bastringue The Bastringue, the Bastringue
T’as donc un beau bec sucré You have such a nice sweet kiss
Je suis prêt à r’commencer I'm ready to start over
The tune is a popular party song that tells a story of a young “Mademoiselle” who is asked to dance the “Bastringue” by a rather older “Monsieur,” who then finds that he’s just not up to the task. Dick Oakes.
Lyrics below from the Session site, posted by kjlowe 20 years ago. “Here are the verses I know. I’ve heard there are many more – some of which we can’t print here.” 🙂
Mademoiselle, voulez-vous danser Mademoiselle, would you like to dance
la bastringue, la bastringue? the bastringue, the bastringue?
Mademoiselle, voulez-vous danser? Mademoiselle, would you like to dance
La bastringue va commencer. The bastringue is about to start (or La bastringue est commencer The bastringue is about to start)
Oui, Monsieur, je veux bien danser Yes, Monsieur, I would like to dance
la bastringue, la bastringue. the bastringue, the bastringue
Oui, Monsieur, je veux bien danser Yes, Monsieur, I would like to dance
C’est pour vous accompagner. In order to accompany you. (or La bastringue si vous voulez La bastringue, if you wish)
Mademoiselle, il faut nous arrêter Mademoiselle, we must stop
la bastringue, la bastringue. the bastringue, the bastringue
Mademoiselle, il faut nous arrêter Mademoiselle, we must stop
Vous allez vous fatiguer! You will tire yourself!
Non, Monsieur, je sais bien danser No, Monsieur, I know how to dance (Non, monsieur j’aime trop danser No. Monsieur, I like too much to dance)
la bastringue, la bastringue. the bastringue, the bastringue
Non, Monsieur, je sais bien danser. No, Monsieur, I know how to dance
Je suis prête à r’commencer! I’m ready to start again!
Mademoiselle, je n’peux plus danser, Mademoiselle, I can’t dance any more
la bastringue, la bastringue. the bastringue, the bastringue
Mademoiselle, je n’peux plus danser, Mademoiselle, I can’t dance any more
car j’en ai des cors aux pieds! because I have corns on my feet!
La Bastringue – the Fiddler Jean Carignan
The iconic fiddler from Quebec, one of the greatest ever from any country..
La Bastringue – the Dance
La Bastringue is usually danced as the fifth or sixth part of a long Québec quadrille. The dance is also known as Les Confitures (the fruit preserves). According to Francis Coleman, La Bastringue “is older than most of its counterparts. When danced by earlier French colonialists in America, it was almost a sedate dance, without the benefit of fast tapping loudly or the more raucous noises that are now customary.” So, the Appalachian Clog** steps that one sometimes sees and the yelling that one sometimes hears in the Unites States are not be true to the original form of the dance (but they ARE fun, aren’t they!). Source: http://www.phantomranch.net/folkdanc/dances/La_Bastringue_A_French_Canadian.pdf
From French Wikipedia, Google translated. The (or the) bastringue is an old popular dance. While it disappeared from France, it took root in New France and remains more than ever a flagship of Quebec folklore. The definition given in 1801 by the Treatise on French Orthography in the form of a dictionary shows that this dance was not then held in high esteem in France: “Gesticulatory German dance, very opposed to decency and seriousness of minuet. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastringue_(danse)
» Incidentally, this dictionary, which specifies that “bastringue” is a masculine noun, bears witness to the shift in meaning that the word was coming to know around 1800: “This dance gave its name to the tavern houses, where there is always a ball for the people. » This semantic drift would end up a century later by applying the name “bastringue” to mechanical pianos used in popular ballrooms (see Piano bastringue). Dance and song In Quebec (and in Acadia), the bastringue (always feminine) evolved to become a dance which probably no longer has much to do with what it had been in France: the dancers move alternately in the round and in twirling couples, with a change of partner at each alternation (in this way, the bastringue is a mixer). The obligatory music is a song played in a very lively reel rhythm and entitled La Bastringue. The song La Bastringue, whose lyrics have many variations, was enormously popularized in the 1930s in the form of a record by Bolduc. This song is a true standard in the repertoire of Quebec traditional music groups. It has been recorded by many artists such as Édith Butler, Natasha St-Pier and even Céline Dion (on the DVD of the show Céline sur les Plaines). On a simple basis, the bastringue dance can lend itself to complex and even spectacular choreographic variations due to the frenzied cadence of the music (the tempo has notably accelerated since the time of Bolduc). As a result, its popularity today goes beyond the limits of French-speaking Canada. Groups of traditional dance enthusiasts have adopted it throughout North America and Europe. Source, Wikipedia https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastringue_(danse)
Footnote – Clog dancing**
Wikipedia: “American Clogging is associated with the predecessor to bluegrass—“old-time” music, which is based on English, and Irish fiddle tunes as well as African American banjo tunes. Clogging primarily developed from Irish step dancing called Sean-nós dance; there were also English, Scottish, German, and Cherokee step dances, as well as African rhythms and movement influences too. It was from clogging that tap dance eventually evolved.“
It’s possible that some Quebeckers did (or do) some clogging steps to La Bastringue, but it’s probably a later development (as clogging moved up from the States), and not part of the original footwork of La Bastringue.
Folkdance Footnotes 