M
maugein96
Guest
My previous post concerned the Swiss player, Rene Dessibourg, and was meant to illustrate how French musette often spills over into adjoining countries. In Belgium, the musette style is mainly associated with the French speaking or Wallon areas. However, the area of West Flanders is so close to France that, although the people speak Flemish (Dutch) as a first language, they are living on Frances doorstep. Naturally the French musette accordion is popular there, although there is a Belgian influence. Belgian musette tuning is slightly different to the standard French. It is rather difficult to describe, but you can usually hear it as a more North European musette sound compared with French musette tuning.The CBA accordions are also usually B system with various arrangements of the buttons depending on which row the C note is found. You cannot simply walk into a Belgian accordion store and ask for a CBA. You must specify if you want a Do2 Charleroi (C on the second row), or Do3 Liegeois (C on the 3rd row).
The most famous of all the Belgian accordionists was probably Gus Viseur. Other prominent Belgians were Adolphe Deprince from Malines/Mechelen, Rene Ninforge, Albert Hennebel, Hector Delfosse,Oscar Denys from Poperinge, and the still extant Andre Loppe, Patrick Sengers, Jo Destre, and Guy Denys (son of Oscar Denys).
The Flemish language, as spoken in parts of French Flandres and in the northern part of Belgium is afforded no recognition whatsoever by the French government, which insists that all of its citizens are French, and must therefore communicate in French. Therefore, Flemish, Picard, Breton, Occitan, Basque, Limousin, Auvergnat, Savoyard,and the Germanic dialects of Alsace-Lorraine are all treated with disdain. There will be other dialects which Im not aware of, but their status is the same.
Regrettably, there are no links available to the playing of Oscar Denys, who managed to get incredible sounds out of his Hohner, which I think was a Morino. As a consolation here is a clip of his son, Guy Denys, playing Souvenir de Steenvoorde, a Flemish village in France. Carpentier accordions are renowned for their great musette sound, and are made in Verdun, Lorraine.
Unfortunately a lot of the virtuoso type stuff and bass runs are played by the blond guy on the Ketron keyboard synthesiser.
The most famous of all the Belgian accordionists was probably Gus Viseur. Other prominent Belgians were Adolphe Deprince from Malines/Mechelen, Rene Ninforge, Albert Hennebel, Hector Delfosse,Oscar Denys from Poperinge, and the still extant Andre Loppe, Patrick Sengers, Jo Destre, and Guy Denys (son of Oscar Denys).
The Flemish language, as spoken in parts of French Flandres and in the northern part of Belgium is afforded no recognition whatsoever by the French government, which insists that all of its citizens are French, and must therefore communicate in French. Therefore, Flemish, Picard, Breton, Occitan, Basque, Limousin, Auvergnat, Savoyard,and the Germanic dialects of Alsace-Lorraine are all treated with disdain. There will be other dialects which Im not aware of, but their status is the same.
Regrettably, there are no links available to the playing of Oscar Denys, who managed to get incredible sounds out of his Hohner, which I think was a Morino. As a consolation here is a clip of his son, Guy Denys, playing Souvenir de Steenvoorde, a Flemish village in France. Carpentier accordions are renowned for their great musette sound, and are made in Verdun, Lorraine.
Unfortunately a lot of the virtuoso type stuff and bass runs are played by the blond guy on the Ketron keyboard synthesiser.