From the Archives - Dans l'temps des sucres
For the past nine months we have been working with French-Canadian music specialist (and renowned fiddler!) Lisa Ornstein on a project to enrich the documentation of one of the collections of Franco-American song in our archive, the Martha Pellerin Collection. Over this time Lisa has steadily worked her way through a series of recordings created by Martha with Alberta Gagné of Highgate, VT in 1995, researching each of Mme. Gagné’s songs in detail so we can add this new information to our online archive.
This February, as sugaring time began here in Vermont, Lisa excitedly shared with our archivist something she discovered about one of Mme. Gagné’s, songs--«Dans l'temps des sucres» (“In Sugaring Time”). Not only does the song’s melody date back to France in the 1600s, but Martha’s recording of Mme. Gagné represents one of the few documented examples of the song in North America, and the only one in the United States.
LYRICS
Tapes from the Martha Pellerin Collection
Dans l'temps des sucres, nous sommes tous invités,
Sans trop de luxe, pour aller en manger.
Quand tout est préparé,
Les œufs, le lard salé,
Le pain pour la trempette,
Un flacon pour fêter, ça c'est pas bête !
(Laughter)
Partons en route, Les hommes partent en avant,
Dessur la croute, les paniers à la main.
Les femmes suivant de près,
En blouses et en gilets,
S'écrièrent à tue-tête :
« Préparez les palettes pour la sucrette ! »
De la cabane s'écrient tout en chœur,
Les filles, les femmes, le front couvert de sueur.
Les hommes de leur côté,
Pour montrer leur gaieté,
Se font l'écho des femmes,
Se crie à plein gosier : « V'là la cabane ! »
Through her research Lisa discovered that the melody underlying it has its roots in French ecclesiastical music from the late 1600s--and possibly even earlier. In particular it was used for the kind of songs English speakers today would call “carols”--holiday songs, often religious in nature, associated with the Christmas season including «Dans cette étable» (“In this Manger”). The melody was very popular in France and French speaking Canada, being pressed into service over the years to support scores of different lyrics, including comical songs and parodies such as «Dans l'temps des sucres». You can learn more about the song in our Online Digital Archive.
Tape #3 containing a recording of «Dans l'temps des sucres»
Martha Pellerin dedicated her life to documenting, sharing and revitalizing the heritage of Franco-Americans in New England, and her project with Mme. Gagné was just one of her many efforts to spread greater awareness of the cultural practices of French-Canadian immigrants. Learn more about Martha in Episode 6 of the VFC Podcast VT Untapped™ and hear Lisa speak about «Dans l'temps des sucres» in Episode 19.
The Vermont Folklife Center Archive holds three significant collections of Franco-American music in Vermont: the Martha Pellerin Collection, the Beaudoin Family Collection and the Desrosier/Joyal Family Collection. Each contains a rich mix of audio recordings and manuscript songbooks documenting family and community repertoire across the 20th century. Franco-American heritage is an integral part of the culture of contemporary Vermont, and we are dedicated to making these materials as widely accessible as possible.
Support for Lisa’s work with the Martha Pellerin Collection came through a CARES Act Grant of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
