If the violin is the king of instruments in music traditional Quebecer, the accordion is certainly the prince there. It is a relatively modern instrument - invented in Austria in 1829. It would be a convent of the ursulines of Quebec which would have imported the first accordion to us, in 1843, and it is in 1895 when one called Odilon Gagné begins the home-made manufacturing of accordions in Quebec - the Maison Gagné et frères is moreover always in business today. For the keen on history, an article very enriched on the orgines of the accordion in Quebec is on the site of Mnémo (here).

It is necessary to note that we play especially here the diatonique accordion in 10 buttons and the accordion with buttons in two rows. Quebec counts moreover excellent factors of this type of instrument, which the most famous belong to Montmagnie - where is every year held the Carrefour mondial de l'accordéon (World Crossroads of the Accordion). If you want to know everything about the accordion, I recommend you the website Accordéon 101.

In my humble opinion, THE Grand Master of this instrument is unmistakably Alfred Montmarquette - although, to think of it indeed, Tommy Duchesne does not leave his place. Their successors are Marcel Messervier and Philippe Bruneau. Has also small young people there who keep(guard) the very alive tradition. Listen to Alexandre Caron (who indeed has to be only fifteen years old) play Le p'tit bal à l'huile.