Centre Acadien, Université Sainte-Anne

George Comeau, traditional Acadian singer - According to his family members, Comeauville native George Comeau (1878-1965) sang constantly, whatever the Mr. Comeau knew a wealth of songs by heart: drinking songs, comedic songs, love songs, laments and hymns, to name a few. Most were folk songs from the land of his ancestors, France.

George Comeau learned a great many of his songs from his mother, grandmother and village elders. Some had been transmitted to him by loggers in woodlots, the Eudist priests from France who came to establish the Collège Sainte-Anne, and Émile Stéhelin, founder of New-France, NS. As a delivery man, Mr. Comeau had contacts with a variety of people, which enabled him to discover new songs.

In Clare, like other French-speaking regions, the transmission of folk songs very nearly ceased. Fortunately, researchers interested in oral literature rescued some number of folk songs. Towards the end of his life, George Comeau was visited by ethnologists. Several of his songs were collected by Carmen Roy, and deposited in the Museum of Man (now the Canadian Museum of History) in Ottawa and in the Radio-Canada archives.

Eddie Comeau, one of the traditional singer’s children, also recorded the George’s songs, as part of a university project, under the direction of ethnologist Luc Lacourcière. One hundred and fifty-three songs were deposited in the folklore archives at Laval University in Quebec City and in the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa, as well as Université Sainte-Anne’s “Centre acadien”. A transcript of the songs in the Eddie Comeau Collection is also available.

Topic: Arts and Culture

Date: 20 July 1964

Reference: Eddie Comeau Centre Acadien Song 56

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