Rameau Poleon
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Rameau" Poleon, also known as "Papa Kilte", is a folk
fiddler
born in Vieux Fort
, Saint Lucia
. He has won the Best Violinist Competition in Saint Lucia twice, and was recipient of the Saint Lucia Medal of Merit (Silver) from the Governor General of Saint Lucia in 2000.
Encouraged by his father, Rameau Poleon began playing violin when he was 15 years old under the guidance of his uncle, Flood Polean. Following public and critical acclaim, he joined the Mount Gallion Folk Group directed by Eric Adley, lead singer and drummer. He has appeared at Caribbean
festivals and toured widely in Europe and North America. His music is strongly influenced by the moulala and la comette, based on the French minuet
, as well as the gwan rond (grande ronde), lakonmèt (mazurka
), faci, and other indigineous Creole
folk sounds of Saint Lucia.
He has been recorded by Smithsonian Folkways
's Folkways Records
label on the album Musical Traditions of St. Lucia, West Indies: Dances and Songs from a Caribbean Island, where he appears as lead fiddler on a kwadril
suite of five dance tunes with the Kwadril Ensemble.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
fiddler
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
born in Vieux Fort
Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia
Vieux Fort is a town located near the southernmost point of Saint Lucia. It is named after a fort that used watch out towards Saint Vincent towards the south...
, Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
. He has won the Best Violinist Competition in Saint Lucia twice, and was recipient of the Saint Lucia Medal of Merit (Silver) from the Governor General of Saint Lucia in 2000.
Encouraged by his father, Rameau Poleon began playing violin when he was 15 years old under the guidance of his uncle, Flood Polean. Following public and critical acclaim, he joined the Mount Gallion Folk Group directed by Eric Adley, lead singer and drummer. He has appeared at Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
festivals and toured widely in Europe and North America. His music is strongly influenced by the moulala and la comette, based on the French minuet
Minuet
A minuet, also spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in 3/4 time. The word was adapted from Italian minuetto and French menuet, and may have been from French menu meaning slender, small, referring to the very small steps, or from the early 17th-century popular...
, as well as the gwan rond (grande ronde), lakonmèt (mazurka
Mazurka
The mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, and with accent on the third or second beat.-History:The folk origins of the mazurek are two other Polish musical forms—the slow machine...
), faci, and other indigineous Creole
Creole
- Languages :A Creole language is a stable, full-fledged language that originated from a pidgin or combination of other languages.Creole languages subgroups may include:* Arabic-based creole languages* Dutch-based creole languages...
folk sounds of Saint Lucia.
He has been recorded by Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...
's Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
label on the album Musical Traditions of St. Lucia, West Indies: Dances and Songs from a Caribbean Island, where he appears as lead fiddler on a kwadril
Kwadril
In French Caribbean culture, especially of the Lesser Antilles, the term kwadril is a Creole term referring to a folk dance derived from the quadrille. It consists of five separate dances: the pwémyé fidji, dézyèm fidji, twazyèm fidji, katwiyèm fidji and gwan won...
suite of five dance tunes with the Kwadril Ensemble.
External Links
- Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries, Musical Traditions of St. Lucia, West Indies, includes playable music sound files