music of the 16th century

what does the music of the 16th century sounds like?

That is exactly what I wanted to find out for myself when I attended the performance by a vocal chamber ensemble. You wonder how that term comes about, but indeed, the nature of the performance includes a chamber setting and purely vocals... the soprano, alto, tenor and bass.

They introduced 8 numbers which were revived by the printing technique (carving on wood), the oldest dated back to 1440, the earlier times before the copper engraving technique.

So what does 16th century chansons sounds like? For an instant, I thought I was in a church listening to the church choir but pay attention to the lyrics, and you know they are not. They are close to what people called the secular music. Words of love and life filled the lyrics and probably that's how joie de vivre comes about for the French.

Pierre Certon's (c.1515-1572) "La, la, la, je ne l'ose dire" is a light and rhythmic number on the gossiping of a man's unfaithful wife. Antoine de Bertrand's (fl. 1561-1582) "Holà, Caron" is an interesting one, a dialogue between Charon (in Greek mythology, the ferryman of the dead) and a soul who claimed to have died of love. And what did Charon told the poor soul? "Seek another boatman, for neither I nor the Fates would ever enroach on the grand master of heaven."

"Le Chant des Oiseaux" (Clément Janquin - c.1485-15558) last is a piece which imitates sounds of birds... triggering laughter from the audience.

For more on French Chansons in the 16th Century-> http://www.hoasm.org/IVI/IVIFrenchChanson.html


History itself does not interest me, but the feeling of revelation from it has cast a spell on me.

it's in the words

you dream of what you think in the day... recently my food for thought revolves 'round music.

read on not only cos you are a fellow french enthusiast but if you are a poet of the heart, if you are too an aficionado of beautiful words...

with full credit to my professor from my usual 'la classe de chants', a melodic and romantic tune he would recommend to be sang at weddings.

my take: quite an addiction which kept me replaying the youtube video again and again. and once you learned to sing it, you would. the words in the song propelled you to envision the scenes and the sentiments. the song title, literally translated as 'there where i'll bring you' painted the everlasting, timeless love story you would have read before; of the man who will bring you till the end of the world, who will care & protect you, make your dreams come true and give you eternal bliss.

"Là où je t'emmènerai" by Florent Pagny
C'est au bout du regard
Là où les bateaux quittent la mer
Là, où l'horizon est tellement plus clair
Sous la belle étoile celle qui te dit que la vie ici
ne sera jamais rien que ton amie

C'est au fond de tes yeux
Là, où le monde affleure tes rêves
Là, où le bonheur n'est plus un mystère

for the full lyrics

taken from the first few verses of the song, là où les bateaux quittent la mer
- there where the boats leave the sea;
imagine looking across the sea where the boats slowly fade away from your sight and disappear
describing the horizon.

Là, où le monde effleure tes rêves
Là, où le bonheur n'est plus un mystère
there where the world comes close to your dreams, where happiness is no longer a mystery
thinking of the happily ever after? now we're talking.

I recalled my professor saying, 'a loving couple do not look at each other but they look in the same direction of where they are going'
speaking of love and future? awww... I can't help but to envy at the look of bliss on my teacher's face, a happy man.
makes my heart lurch... at the thin possibility of finding the one in this big big world.

my conclusion? people are probably right saying the french are really romantic afterall.

fête de la francophonie

Imagine my excitement and delight in knowing about the francophonie festival this year!

I've started learning French 2 years ago and had that 2 years break till now...
finally I've come to know what I've missed out all these while!

what is fête de la francophonie?

Half a billion Francophones around the world will celebrate International day of Francophonie on 20 March. This event began in 1998 as a way for the 49 members of La Francophonie to celebrate their common bond, the French language, as well as their diversity.

Francophonie refers to the ensemble of people around the world who speak French. A Francophone is a person who speaks French.

(from french.about.com)

how wonderful it is to know that there is actually a festival when people celebrate the language of French! and yes, all around the world!

check out the francophonie events happening around the globe!

17 Mar 07

Nearer to home, there are many activities lined up for the french-speaking community here!

There was a competition with the theme on the comic character Tintin with participation from various universities/schools... all who are learning/have learned french. Up till the last minute before the race begun, my friends and I were still thinking we were just going to be spectators! Not so when our teacher roped us in to form a participating team! Trust us, we know nuts about Tintin! Yes, I have never watched a single episode or read the comics as a kid!

-> catch Tintin and The Broken Ear, english version

So there we found our other team members... with our two youngest friends from the german school and the eldest being a 70 year old lady.

We were up and about the entire school... from staging some scenes in the comics, answering quizzes from watching the cartoon, piecing the comic sequence, translating and coming up with the original scripts, singing french songs (perhaps that was my only contribution). Excuses being that we are the only elementary learners while the rest are already seasoned french learners and speakers... we could barely understand most part of the game. Yes, even the german kids beat us to it.

Unexpectedly or not, our team won first prize. We even went up the stage to receive our prize and took a picture with AF's executive-director. We were delighted but could only humbly accept the prize for our contributions seemed so minimal.

In the evening, there was prize presentation for the francophonie awards... the best students were rewarded with a trip to France! That certainly was the best reward for any french learner! :)

Later, we had a buffet serving up an array of delicacies (presented from francophonie countries) like belgian wafflesand beer, swiss chocolates, canadian brownies, egyptian pastries, french dishes, cheese and wine!

A great gathering of french-speaking people where I caught up with all my french teachers (even the one from 2 years ago)!

24 Mar 07 -> Beach Party at Bora Bora Bar, Sentosa

Drop the idea of sexy bikini babes if that was what you would expect from a beach party with the French! And mind you, this party was organised by APFS! So expect nothing but a decent gathering of all things French!

Venture into the island at night on the brand new Sentosa Express!

It was like an amusement ride or similar to the skytrain at the airport.... so yes if that was what you wanna know. By the way, the train only stops at a few stations which left us on a walking trail to Palawan Beach. Being newbies to the nightlife at Sentosa, it was not easy finding our way to the bar! We only knew we were in the right place when we heard that familar tune from our french singing class!


Lesson 1 - Never be late for a party! We were left stranded amidst the heaps of people where life at the party had started way ahead! Forget about what they told you about Chinese weddings, it doesn't apply here. We had a hard time finding our places to fit into the crowd - and I meant literally. All seats taken. So seems like the first protocol we gotta keep to is punctuality. With the kind assistance from our mr. nice guy cum professor, we found a whole big table to ourselves - which didn't help when we were seated away from the tentage area where the crowd were! We were at least compensated by being near the centrestage where the live French band was singing and playing away! The food was nothing impressive compared to the international buffet we had earlier on. So be glad for the company and music we had for the night.

Hop on to the dancefloor for that was the most happening part of the party!

Dance the night away! How I wished I could but pardon me for being a lousy dancer :( Oui, ma premiere fois! More dance practice, more clubbing please! Perhaps I just need that extra boost of alcohol! So otherwise, let loose and enjoy the rest of the night!

Alas, the night was not good for photo-taking as the wind was so strong that plates and things started flying everywhere... and yes, in my direction! So we were all virtually Marilyn Monroe... only that by standing against the night sea breeze, we risked getting hit by sand and being blown away if we were ever light enough. Even on our way back, we saw people sitting in the tram with their hands on their face!

Some late night beach partying to remember! :)

Pourquoi

taken from the movie 'le papillon', a film I vaguely remembered watching some 5 years back and when I could barely understand a single french word.

and coincidence has it that I got the chance to learn about the meaning of its song.

learning about expressing and replying the word 'pourquoi' - meaning 'why' in french.

and this nice little tune brings out the curiosities of a little mind questioning on the little things happening around us that we often took for granted. silly but meaningful questions.

how often do we question about things that are happening around us? on things that thave always been there.

and try thinking your own answers to the questions

pourquoi?

Pourquoi les poules pondent des oeufs? Pourquoi les amoureux s'embrassent? Pourquoi les jolies fleurs se fanent? Pourquoi le diable et le bon Dieu?

Pourquoi le feu brule le bois? Pourquoi la mer se retire? Pourquoi le soleil disparait? Pourquoi le diable et le bon Dieu?

Pourquoi le loup mange l'agneau? Pourquoi le lievre et la tortue? Pourquoi les anges ont-ils des ailes? Pourquoi le diable et le bon Dieu?

Pourquoi notre coeur fait 'tic-tac'? Pourquoi le temps passe si vite? Pourquoi tu me prends par la main? Pourquoi le diable et le bon Dieu?　　

La vidéo est ici

dans la vie, faut pas s'en faire

Dans la vie faut pas s'en faire
Moi je ne m'en fais pas
Ces petites misères
Seront passagères
Tout ça s'arrangera
Je n'ai pas un caractère
A me faire du tracas
Croyez-moi sur terre
Faut jamais s'en faire
Moi je ne m'en fais pas

from the chorus of 'Dans la vie, faut pas s'en faire' by Maurice Chevalier

Another new song learned today though I must admit it was quite a lullaby! In midst of keeping myself awake during the class, like many French songs; this one sends a reminder, as said by its song title, 'in life, you should not worry'.

Ca n'avance a rien d'etre triste
Le vrai moyen pour etre heureux
C'est de vouloir etre optimiste
En se disant demain ca ira mieux
Au lieu betement qu'on recrimine
Disons-nous que dans l'univers
Il n'y a pas de medaille sans revers
Il n'y a pas de roses sans epines
C'est pourquoi me riant du sort
J'ai chante et je chante encore

Il n'y a pas de roses sans epines - there is no rose without thorns
what an unique way to describe the hurdles in life & really, that's the kind of beauty I see in the French language and probably why I'm so in love with it! there's some way I feel I can relate better to the language than with any other languages - like they say, some French words just can't be translated or explained in English! it's an unique sense of affinity. like how I fell in love with works by Marcel Proust cos I felt some connection with his works! French comes naturally to me and it just grows on me everytime I am in touch with anything French! Pourquoi francais? and many times I find it hard to explain why... probably the best reason I can find; je pense je suis francais dans ma vie precedente! what a wishful thinking!

Here I am, into my next session of classes! I am so grateful that I am able to continue the classes! Only pity is I will miss my professor! He is just such a nice guy, and everyone would just agree! I can't thank him more for his patience, guidance, understanding and attention! And for forming part of the reinforcement and drive for me to do well!

At this time when I'm questioning about the decision I've made... I saw another strong beam of light ahead of me, leading me to follow on... making my little mind so preoccupied & filled with excitement... that at least, I can quit worrying about things that have already been decided and have no turning back for.

Looking ahead, I felt anticipation... I have so much to look forward to. my goals. my ideals.

I'm so thankful for everything.

voir la vie en rose

all of us are searching for that purpose in life or might already have one. we are all driven by different motivations, and often associated with our needs, personalities and backgrounds.

what's life? probably it isn't about finding that purpose, that goal, that destination. it's about the many small steps we took.

plan but never plan too far ahead. plan for the next moment you are living for and not for the uncertainty that you may not live to see. be a pessimist who counts life day by day, be an optimist who cherish every next moment of life.

however mundane and dreadful the daily life can be, add that spark & vitality to it.

voir la vie en rose.

indulge in little pleasures of the everyday life.

make yourself happy and be happy about every single little things that can possibly make you happy.

small little acts can brighten up your day. good things come in small packages.

even a friendly smile or kind gesture from a stranger.

like how my teacher stepped out during class to make a copy of a missing page from my book, specially for me. So touched by his little act of kindness and thoughtfulness!

let love shine through! the natural love for fellow humans and love for life!

it's meaningless to wish for a long life. it's how we can maximise our life experience... to the every moment!

Voir la vie en rose by Edith Piaf

Des yeux qui font baisser les miens
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche
Voilà le portrait sans retouche
De l'homme auquel j'appartiens

Eyes which cause a drop in mine
A laughter which is lost in its mouth
Here is the portrait without final improvement
Of the man to which I belong

Quand il me prend dans ses bras,
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose,
Il me dit des mots d'amour
Des mots de tous les jours,
Et ça me fait quelque chose
Il est entré dans mon coeur,
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause,
C'est lui pour moi,
Moi pour lui dans la vie
Il me l'a dit, l'a juré
Pour la vie.
Et dès que je l'aperçois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon cour qui bat.

When it takes to me in its arms,
It speaks to me low
I see the life pink,
It tells me words of love
Words of tous.les.jours,
And that does something to me
It entered my heart,
A share of happiness
Whose I know the cause,
It is him for me,
Me for him in the life
It said it to me, swore
For the life.
And as soon as I see it
Then I feel in me
My court which beats.

Des nuits d'amour à plus finir
Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place
Des ennuis, des chagrins s'effacent
Heureuse à en mourir

Nights of love to finishing more
A great happiness which takes its place
Troubles, sorrows are erased
Happy to die about it

Des nuits d'amour à en mourir
Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place
Les ennuis, les chagrins s'effacent
Heureux, heureux pour mon plaisir

Nights of love to die about it
A great happiness which takes its place
The troubles, sorrows are erased
Happy, happy for my pleasure

French spectacular!

3 Nov 2006

The opening night of the musical, Notre-Dame de Paris was truly highly anticipated.

Being a French enthusiast, I wanted to be part of the magic and grandeur of the opening night. Be mesmerized! Be captivated! I was prepared to indulge in every single moment of the musical.

Being the debut show, the atmosphere was great for a musical as the red carpet streamed in guests in gowns and suits, and many others in the audience who had great respect for the evening also came dressed for the event.

The show began with the musical hit, Le Temps des Cathedrales, as Gringoire took the stage. This was the one of the most iconic scenes in the musical and I was filled with rather high expectations from Gringoire, considering the fact that I was first drawn to the musical by this very scene . Gringoire is the narrator of the story, a poet in Paris. Played by Cyril Nicclolai, he had given a pleasing performance but not as impressive as the original cast played by Bruno Pelletier. The musical mainly depicts a complicated love story in which three men, the hunchback bellringer (Quasimodo), the priest of Notre-dame(Frollo) and a soldier (Phoebus) whom were all attracted to a gypy (Esmeralda). As it goes, a heart can only belong to one and so this sparked off the hatred, revenge in this story. In short, the very extremes of obsession; one, which turned a man evil in his jealousy & unfulfilled desire and another quiet obsession gone unrequited. Rejections. Friendship. The harsh reality that Beauty & the Beast doesn't exist in this story.

The acrobatics incorporated with the musical were splendid. There was a scene where Quasimodo climbed down from the tall wall of the cathedral.

Déchiré sees the part of the show where Phoebus was split between two women, and male acrobats dancing in the background. The scene had a very strong visual impact. Beau comme le soleil is another beautiful track sang by Esmeralda and Fleur-de-lys on their admiration and love for Phoebus.

There are screens with subtitles which I would much prefer to be removed as they are mere distractions from the stage, even though I still couldn't understand fluent french, I chose to focus more on the music and the live scenes which are more meaningful than spending time to decipher the interpretations flashed across.

Though the remaining of the cast are not from the original cast in 1998; Quasimodo (Matt Laurent), Esmeralda (Nadia Bel), Phoebus (Laurent Ban), Clopin (Roddy Julien),Phoebus (Jerome Collet), Fleur-de-lys (Chiara de Bari), music is definitely still the selling point of the musical. Though every single verse is in French, you can't help but fall in love with the music and keep asking for more. And to Cyril's credit, he brought the audience to a high with an encore of the hit at the end of the show. The audience response was admirable as they were welcoming in their applauses and at the end of the musical, even the VIP guests rose from their seats and took honour to show their appreciation for the cast.

Though I took too many sneaks before the actual musical resulting the fall in the surprise and 'wow' elements, the night was certainly a feast to the ears. Notre-Dame de Paris marked my very first time to a musical and my very first french musical!

check out more on the musical www.notredame.com.sg

Picture from www.notredame.com.sg



Lune performed by Bruno Pelletier