The musical traditions from County of Nice:
Music introduction - Cross-over
Popular songs - Animal songs - Racy songs - Work songs - Political and social songs - Contemporary songs
Farandole - Round dances of May - Close couple dances - Characters dances - Circumstance tunes - Carnival tunes
Music for children - Sacred & religious music - Christmas carols - Chimes & knells

The Occitany: Limoux’ carnival tunes

Legend (click icons, on the left side of tunes title, to access to corresponding files):
		“fife & drums” MIDI file (a)(b)(c).			“brass band” MIDI file (a)(b)(c).			“other instruments” MIDI file (a)(b)(c).
		score: PDF file (c).			lyrics.
Date (dd/mm/yyyy) is the one of the MIDI file. You may also download MIDI and scores files as a whole from the Download page. (a) Tunes will sound better if your computer is connected to a high-fidelity amplifier. (b) Without any further observation, arrangements and harmonizations by J.-G. M. (c) These files and their content are © 2001-2014 Jean-Gabriel Maurandi.

1. Circulation of the musical ideas
2. Tune Adieu, pauvre Carnaval
3. Tunes Li Courdelli, El Desembre congelat, Allons, bergers, partons tous...
4. Interpenetration of the musical genres (cross-over)

Circulation of the musical ideas

The circulation of the ideas is not a notion only contemporary: all along centuries, the County participated in the western musical melting pot. Like farandole or the monferrina from Piedmont which spread to Brittany, the “timbres” ⁽¹⁾ travelled from countries to regions, and also from kinds to kinds.

With some variations, the “timbre” ⁽¹⁾ of the Farandole niçoise is well knowned all along Mediterranean littoral, from Languedoc to County of Nice. Within his Manuel moderne de fifre traditionnel, Jean-Michel Lhubac publishes two versions: the Farandole du Clapas issued from South-Catalan fund, and the Cornards’ branle, a carnivalesque song from Bousquet-d’Orb (Hérault).

The tune of the chorus in Lou Festin dei verna is reproduced exactly in Saint Fiacre aux artichauts (Saint Fiacre of the artichokes), a traditional song from South of Wallonia (Belgium).

As for the tune of the farandole provençale, it is still perceptible within an Alsacian Christmas carol.

Example: Adieu, pauvre Carnaval (Farewell, poor Carnival)

So, the timbre of Adièu paure Carneval is known in Auvergne under the name of Albanese’s air dated from the XVIII-th century, as well as in Brittany where it is used by the hymn O soñjal en hon pec’hejoù... Attributed either to Giovanni Battista Pergolesi or to the French castrat soprano Egide Joseph Ignace Antoine Albanese, composers of the XVIII-th century. The County of Nice appropriates it as a Christmas carol. The latest manifestation of this tune is found in the ending theme music of the television broadcast Bonne nuit, les petits (Good night, kids).

Example: Li Courdelli - El Desembre congelat - Shepherds, Let’s All Go...

An other example, from Provence: the timbre used by Li Courdelli, also known as El Desembre congelat in the Catalan folk heritage, is met at the French Revolution time in several revolutionary songs, for instance Le Grand Projet (The Great Project), as well as in several French carols of the XVII-th and XVIII-th centuries: Où s’en vont ces gais bergers ? (Where are going away these cheerful shepherds?) (Claude Balbastre, Marc-Antoine Charpentier), Quand Jésus naquit à Noël (When Jesus was born in Christmas) (Claude Balbastre), Noël n°10 (Christmas n°10) from Livre d’orgue (Organ Book) (Louis Claude Daquin, or d’Aquin), Bon Joseph, écoute moi (Good Joseph, listen at me) (Nicolas Chédeville), and even in a drinking song!

Allons, bergers, partons tous (Shepherds, Let’s All Go!), Christmas carol. Traditional from Provence, MIDI scheduling by J.-G. M. (22/10/2008).
Li Courdelli (The Little Cords). Traditional from Provence, MIDI scheduling by J.-G. M. (22/10/2008).
El Desembre congelat (The Cold December) or La Nit de Nadal (Christmas Night), Catalan Christmas carol. Traditional from Catalonia, MIDI scheduling by J.-G. M. (22/10/2008).
Le Grand Projet (The Great Project). Lyrics by François Marchant, MIDI scheduling by J.-G. M. (22/10/2008).
« La Guillotine » (The Guillotine).
Nouvé grassenc (Christmas carol from Grasse). Traditional from Provence, MIDI scheduling by J.-G. M. (24/11/2009).
La Pêche à la morue (The cod fishing). Traditional from Normandy.
Quand la mer Rouge apparut (When the Red Sea appeared), drinking song.
Sachez que mon goût... (You should know that my taste...), a song extracted from the comedy Les Républicains français (The French Republicans). Lyrics by Joseph Quesnel.
Le saint, craignant de pécher (The Saint, afraid of doing wrong), part of the cantata La Tentation de saint Antoine (The Temptation of Saint Anthony).

Interpenetration of the musical genres

To this geographical circulation, it is of course necessary to add the interpenetration of the various genres (cross-over, already!). For example, extracts of operas or operettas are crossed in the traditional music of the County of Nice:

L'Elisir d'amore (The Elixir of love), act II, scene 1 (n° 7 to 10): barcarole a due voci Io son ricco, e tu sei bella “I'm rich, and you are beautiful” (Dulcamare, Adina). Music by Gaetano Donizetti, MIDI scheduling by J.-G. M. (26/01/2009).
L'Elisir d'amore (The Elixir of love), act II, last scene: aria Ei corregge ogni difetto (Dulcamara). Music by Gaetano Donizetti, MIDI scheduling by J.-G. M.
Poulkà (Polka), according to L'Elisir d'amore (The Elixir of love) by Gaetano Donizetti. Traditional from County of Nice, MIDI scheduling by J.-G. M. (24/04/2001).

The light music is not indebted: the accordion music waltz Dédé de Montmartre (Andrew from Montmartre, from the movie Dédé la Musique, 1934, music by Roger Dumas, lyrics Gaston Montho) has come into the dance repertory of the County of Nice.

Conversely, popular motifs from the County of Nice are used in the academic music: in his Humoresque opus 10-2, Tchaikovsky employed the theme semplice ma espressivo from Lou roussignòu que vola (The nightingale who flies), whom he heard during his stay in Nice in winter 1871-1872.

1. Or “hum”, wellknown tune which could receive different and exchangeable lyrics.

Legend (click icons, on the left side of tunes title, to access to corresponding files):
		“fife & drums” MIDI file (a)(b)(c).			“brass band” MIDI file (a)(b)(c).			“other instruments” MIDI file (a)(b)(c).
		score: PDF file (c).			lyrics.
Date (dd/mm/yyyy) is the one of the MIDI file. You may also download MIDI and scores files as a whole from the Download page. (a) Tunes will sound better if your computer is connected to a high-fidelity amplifier. (b) Without any further observation, arrangements and harmonizations by J.-G. M. (c) These files and their content are © 2001-2014 Jean-Gabriel Maurandi.

© 2001-2014 Jean-Gabriel Maurandi
This page started on October 22nd 2008. The last update was July 30th 2013.

The musical traditions from County of Nice:
Music introduction - Cross-over
Popular songs - Animal songs - Racy songs - Work songs - Political and social songs - Contemporary songs
Farandole - Round dances of May - Close couple dances - Characters dances - Circumstance tunes - Carnival tunes
Music for children - Sacred & religious music - Christmas carols - Chimes & knells

The Occitany: Limoux’ carnival tunes