The evening of the First Gala of Adisq 2024 took place at the end of October in Montreal. Two Quebec musicians, Nicolas Boulerice and Olivier Demers, were nominated in the “Album of the Year – Traditional” category, with their new album Art populaire, teamed up for the occasion with an Acadian musician, Robert Deveaux. In a pared-down mode with three voices, two violins and a hurdy-gurdy (in French), the trio paid a remarkable tribute to the traditional songs of Acadia and Quebec. This first nomination at an Adisq Gala gave Robert great pride. He was making his very first recording, with these two founding members of the world-renowned Quebec group Le Vent du Nord. In addition, he had been propelled into the same competition as his role model, the Quebec group La Bottine Souriante, winner of the trophy that year, from which he had dreamed of being inspired since childhood. And for this Acadian singer and fiddler in the Cape Breton Celtic style, this appointment presaged a personal consecration that was just around the corner…
A lover of traditional Acadian song
Let’s first briefly look back at Robert Deveaux’s career. Originally from Saint-Joseph-du-Moine, near Chéticamp, Robert has a solid university education. He is a graduate of NDA School in Chéticamp and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish. But his real world is music, to which he has devoted most of his working time since the age of 15. In Cape Breton, he played the violin with the most renowned artists of the style or accompanied them on the piano. However, it is his other passion, traditional Acadian song, that has earned Robert great recognition in his province…
In early November 2024, in Halifax, Robert Deveaux received the Grand-Pré Prize for Creation in Nova Scotia. This award recognizes artists “whose work reflects Acadian cultural values while demonstrating excellence and originality.” And indeed, Robert has been working tirelessly for years to revive the old French folk songs of Chéticamp, which originated in the former provinces of France. By drawing them from the archives of renowned folklorists such as Father Anselme Chiasson and Helen Creighton, he perpetuates the memory of these songs, which, according to ethnologist Ronald Labelle (in French), have retained an astonishing freshness. His two Quebec friends were not mistaken, seeing in him an important guardian of this living tradition, since their first meeting in 2004 at the Celtic Colours festival. They had already highlighted several of the songs that Robert had chosen for them from the Acadian archives. And if their album Art populaire is almost entirely composed of traditional Acadian songs, it’s because they wanted to honour their friend’s work.
Undoubtedly, the year 2024 has delivered a great message of encouragement to Robert Deveaux. However, Robert is looking even further, seeking to strengthen ties with other Francophone communities in North America, so that their language and culture can be preserved and flourish. Noting that these communities share a broad musical heritage inherited from a common French history, Robert is convinced that a passion for traditional song is an essential tool to resist assimilation.
Photos Guillaume Morin, FB page Festival Mémoire & Racines 2024, courtesy of Robert Deveaux.
Jean-Marc Agator
Paris, France