St. Anne’s Reel is sometimes mistakenly considered to have originated in Ireland. Although it is popular in Ireland (and many other countries), its a traditional French Canadian fiddle tune that gained popularity in the 1930s.
Maybe I’ve heard some say that its been over-played, as is sometimes common with many popular tunes. However, it still doesn’t seem to have lost any of it’s appeal after all these years. Also, its definitely a favorite of students, and it appears on this website by request (thank you Brenda!). As a result, its not uncommon to hear it played at Irish or Scottish sessions, and the tune is probably in the repertoire of most old time fiddlers.
The Tune
St. Anne’s is a nice, easy-to-play tune with notes that just seem to flow together. Yet, there’s lots of room for embellishment and variation. There’s a ton of different versions out there.
It has a simple, but catchy melody that will stick in your head all day. I think that St. Anne’s Reel will be one of the more popular tunes on these pages.
Listen to “St. Anne’s Reel” for mandolin:
Downloads:
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St. Anne’s Inspiration
There are hundreds of churches and shrines throughout North America dedicated to St. Anne. Considered to be one of the more popular saints, devotion to St. Anne is widespread among French Canadians. She is the official patroness of the province of Quebec.
In St. Anne de Beaupré, just east of Quebec city, there is a famous shrine Basilica dedicated to St. Anne. There are many miracles attributed to the shrine and it is the oldest pilgrimage site in Canada. Each year, people visit the Basilica from all over to pray for family and friends, or to seek help from St. Anne.
Thanks for taking a look at St. Anne’s Reel. I hope you enjoy the tune.
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