Oscar Thiffault

Oscar Thiffault (1912–1998) was folk musician from Quebec, Canada.

Early life

Thiffault was originally from Estrie, and lived for most of his life in Ste-Étienne-des-Grès.

Career

Working on construction sites, Thiffault composed new versions of Quebecois folk songs,[1] and also wrote many songs setting new lyrics to traditional melodies.[2] He first found success in 1954 with Le Rapide-Blanc, a humorous song written in 1935 while working on the Rapide-Blanc Generating Station.[3][4] The song was a country and western adaptation of the traditional song "Le moine tremblant et la dame".[5][6]

Thiffault wrote songs honouring local sports figures, including hockey players Maurice Richard, ("Le Rocket Richard"),[7] and Guy Lafleur("La Tourne à Ti-Guy Lafleur").[8] Other songs that he wrote were "Je parle à la française"[9] and "En écoutant Y mouillera pu pantoute".[10]

In 1988 a documentary film about Tiffault's life, created by Serge Giguère, was released.[11][12] His songs continue to be played and recorded in Quebec; the band Carotté included "“Tape la bizoune" on their debut album.[13]

References
  1. "Oscar Thiffault: Ah! Ouigne in hin in!" (in French). cinemaquebecois.telequebec.tv. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  2. "Oscar Thiffault (1912-1998)". Université de Napierville website.
  3. "Parcours" (in French). qim.com. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  4. "D'Oscar Thiffault à Omnikrom : ces chansons inappropriées que l’on a oubliées". On dira ce qu'on voudra, with host Rebecca Makonnen, 3 March 2017 Ici Radio Canada.
  5. Ursula Mathis-Moser (2009). Acadians and Cajuns: The Politics and Culture of French Minorities in North America. Innsbruck University Press. ISBN 978-3-902571-93-9.
  6. Jacques Bertin (1987). Félix Leclerc: le roi heureux. Editions Arléa. p. 22.
  7. Charles Foran (8 March 2011). Extraordinary Canadians: Maurice Richard. Penguin Canada. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-14-318042-5.
  8. "Music about Sports". The Canadian Encyclopedia, by Florence Hayes, Richard Green, January 17, 2012
  9. Irène Belleau; Gilles Dorion (1984). Les Oeuvres de Création et le Français Au Québec. Conseil de la langue française. p. 33. ISBN 978-2-551-06415-1.
  10. Jean-Nicolas De Surmont (2010). De l'écho canadien à la lanterne québécoise: comment la chanson est devenue la figure de proue de l'identité québécoise, 1850-2000 : essai. Éditions GID. p. 30. ISBN 978-2-89634-071-2.
  11. Repère. Volume 1-2. Services documentaires Multimedia. 2008. p. 2143.
  12. "Quebec Dreams: The films of Serge Giguère & Sylvie Van Brabant". By Claude Lalumière • Point of View, April 1st, 2007 • Issue 66, Summer 2007
  13. “For me, music and agriculture go hand in hand”. Words + Music, by Philippe Renaud | June 13, 2017
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