C’est dans Paris …

14 Sunday Feb 2021

Posted by michelinewalker in Canada, Quebec, Traditional Music

Tags

C'est dans Paris, Les Voix du Vent, Traditional Music

Les Voix du Vent perform C’est dans Paris

I have been looking for French Canadian folklore and traditional music. These sites do not appear immediately. Moreover, I was far from Quebec for forty years and I had been trained to be a concert pianist, which means I was learning Bach’s Preludes and Fugues. There was very little time left for learning folklore and I wasn’t hearing any music from Quebec on the radio. In 1960, the French-language CBC, Radio-Canada or Ici Radio Canada, had yet to reach the West coast.

Les Voix du Vent are also known as Le Vent du Nord. Le Vent du Nord plays Celtic music. However, I am featuring a French song that tells a story.

The Story

The story is about a servant girl who wanted to be as beautiful as her mistress (as in master). She went to the pharmacist, l’apothicaire, to purchase makeup, du fard. He prepared a powder and told her not to look at herself in a mirror after applying the fard. The next day, le lendemain, she met her cavalier, a boyfriend, or a man she wished to attract. He told her that her face was black, black as a chimney. She was barbouillée (smeared). She returned to the apothecary who explained that he sold her coal. Servants should not try to look like their mistress.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY ❤

Tom Thomson's Pine Island — **Tom Thomson**, *Pine Island* (National Art Gallery of Canada)

Quebec Ensembles

29 Friday Jan 2021

Posted by michelinewalker in Quebec, Traditional Music

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

folklore, La Nef, Les Charbonniers de l'enfer, Traditional Music

*Portrait of Several Musicians and Artists* by François Puget. Traditionally the two main figures have been identified as Lully and the librettist Philippe Quinault. (Louvre) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

**Amanda Keesmaat**, cello | **Pierre-Alexandre Saint-Yves**, voice, flutes, chalumeau | **Patrick Graham**, percussions| **Seán Dagher,** Musical Direction, voice, cittern | **Alex Kehler**, nickelharpa, violin
la Nef.com (fr/en)

La Nef & Les Charbonniers de l’enfer

In earlier posts, I wrote about the Celtic influence on Quebec music. For instance, Quebecers play reels. I also featured legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin playing with the late Jean Carignan, Quebec’s most prominent fiddler, in his days. We also heard an old French song, Le Navire de Bayonne, interpreted by La Nef and Les Charbonniers de l’enfer. A characteristic of La Nef and Les Charbonniers de l’enfer is enhanced rhythm. Groups may use podorythmie, a form of step dancing.

La Nef is a Montreal ensemble founded in 1991. The Charbonniers de l’enfer was founded in 1994. My last post featured soprano Meredith Hall and La Nef, interpreting Robert Burns‘ My Love is a Red, Red Rose. Robert Burns drew his inspiration from traditional music. The current répertoire of Quebec ensembles includes not only the traditional music of Quebec but also that of other cultures. Under la Nef.com (fr) or lanefeng.com (en), you will find a list of the music La Nef has recorded and possibly the music itself.

The music embedded below features both La Nef and Les Charbonniers de l’enfer. Meredith Hall is the group’s soprano.

RELATED ARTICLES