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The musical traditions from County of Nice: Music introduction - Cross-over
Popular songs - Animal songs - Racy lovesongs - Work songs
Political, social and satirical songs - Contemporary songs
Carnival tunes - Circumstance tunes - Close couple dances - Characters dances - Farandole - Feasts - Round dances of May
Music for children
Chimes & knells - Sacred & religious music - Christmas carols from County of Nice - Sanctuaries
Brief survey of the traditional musics from the South of France: The Occitany - Limoux’ carnival tunes
The Piedmont - The Provence - Christmas carols from Provence
Other countries
| Legend (click icons, on the left side of tunes title, to access to corresponding files): | | |  | “fife & drums” MIDI file (a)(b). | |  | “brass band” MIDI file (a)(b). | |  | “other instruments” MIDI file (a)(b). | | |  | score: PDF file (a)(b). | |  | lyrics. | | | | | You may download MIDI and scores files as a whole from the Download page.
(a)Without any further observation, arrangements and harmonizations by J.-G. Maurandi.
(b) These files and their content are © 2001-2025 Jean-Gabriel Maurandi. |
1. Circulation of the musical ideas
2. Tune Adieu, pauvre Carnaval
3. Tunes Li Courdelli (Lei Courdello), El Desembre congelat (La Nit de Nadal), 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” travelled from countries to regions, and also from kinds to kinds.
With some variations, the “timbre” 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 Farandoulo dei tarascaire (Farandole of the tarascaire, or Farandole from Provence), 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 18th 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 18th 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 (Lei Courdello) - El Desembre congelat (La Nit de Nadal) - Shepherds, Let’s All Go... |
An other example, from Provence: the timbre used by Li Courdelli or Lei Courdello (The Laces), also known as El Desembre congelat (The Cold December) or La Nit de Nadal (Christmas Eve) in the Catalan folk heritage, is met in: | | | a Christmas carol: Allons, bergers, partons tous (Shepherds, Let’s All Go!) or Quand Dieu naquit à Noël (When God Was Born at Christmas);several satirical songs at the French Revolution time, for instance: Le Grand Projet (The Great Project), La Guillotine, Nous conserverons le roi (We shall conserve the king);a drinking song (Quand la mer Rouge apparut);working songs of Norman cod-fishermen (Faut avoir du courage, La Pêche à la morue);several organ French carols from 17th and 18th centuries:
– Bon Joseph, écoute moi (Good Joseph, listen at me) (Nicolas Chédeville),
– Noël n°10 (Carol n°10) from Livre d’orgue (Organ Book) (Louis Claude Daquin, ou d’Aquin),
– 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);regional traditional carols:
– Allons, bergers (Let’s go, shepherds) (Béarn, Gascogne),
– Les Bergers de Bethléem (The Shepherds from Bethlehem) (Québec, Canada),
– Que chacun s’arme soudain (Let everybody arm suddenly);vaudevilles:
– comic opera Le Bouquet du roi (Jean Joseph Vadé), tune « C’est savoir se retourner... »,
– comedy Les Républicains français, or La Soirée du cabaret (The French Republicans), tune « Sachez que mon goût... » (You should know that my taste...),
– comedy La Revanche forcée (The Forced Revenge) (Jacques Marie Deschamps),
– secular cantata La Tentation de saint Antoine (The Temptation of Saint Anthony), tune “Le saint, craignant de pécher” (The saint, afraid of doing wrong). |
See also The movies.
Le Grand Projet (The Great Project) satirical song, 1791.
Lyrics by François Marchant, MIDI scheduling by J.-G. Maurandi.
« La Guillotine » (The Guillotine) satirical song, 1789.
« Nous conserverons le roi » (We shall conserve the king), 1791.
Lyrics by François Marchant.
 Nouvé grassenc (Christmas carol from Grasse).
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: | | | so, L’Elisir d’amore (The Elixir of love, 1832) by Gaetano Donizetti has supplied the theme of a polka, extracted from the barcarole Io son ricco, e tu sei bella (Dulcamare/Adina), and from aria Ei corregge ogni difetto (Dulcamara) ;an aria from the D.F.Esprit Auber’s light opera Le Cheval de bronze (The Bronze horse, 1835) is found within the song La miéu bella Nissa (My beautiful Nice-city) (aria “Quand on est fille, hélas!”);the last theme of the Offerte des festins (Offertory of the feast) would be, according to Georges Delrieu, a borrow to “Robert Wallace”. |
Le Cheval de bronze (The Bronze horse), act II, n° 9 Quand on est fille, hélas “When we are a girl, alas!” (Peki).
Music by D.F.E. Auber, MIDI scheduling by J.-G. Maurandi.
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. Maurandi.
L’Elisir d’amore (The Elixir of love), act II, last scene: aria Ei corregge ogni difetto (Dulcamara).
Music by Gaetano Donizetti.
Poulkà (Polka), according to L’Elisir d’amore (The Elixir of love) by Gaetano Donizetti.
| Conversely, since 19th century, popular motifs from the County of Nice or Provence are used in the academic music: | | | to compose the “farandole” of his Arlésienne, Georges Bizet has borrowed from theme for the chivau-frus (“petticoats-horses” or “dashing-horses”) – musical support for the Corpus Christi plays in Aix-en-Provence –, to which he has superposed in the final fugue the Provençal Christmas carol La Marcho di rèi (The March of the Three Kings);the 3rd movement « Pastorale » from Concerto grosso n° 1 by Ernest Bloch is composed of several traditional themes, among which the one of Se canto;the collection Chants d’Auvergne (Songs from Auvergne) by Joseph Canteloube contains the Souòn, souòn (Sleep, sleep) lullaby;the Christmas carol La cambo me fai mau (My leg does harm myself), or Li a proun de gènt que van en roumavage, attributed to Nicolas Saboly (17th century), is reused by Émile Goué in his Noël languedocien (Trois pièces faciles pour quatuor à cordes, op. 28) composed while he was in captivity during year 1941;the opera Mireille composed on 1864 by Charles Gounod, libretto by Michel Carré according to poem Mirèio by Frédéric Mistral, contains in act II the Magali’s song that takes up the theme of O Magali ;the Catalan composer Miguel Llobet transcribed for guitar the tune El Desembre congelat (The Cold December) in his opus Canciones populares catalanas (Catalan popular songs) under the title La Nit de Nadal (Christmas Eve);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 on winter 1871-1872. |
L’Arlésienne (The Girl from Arles), Suite n° 2 (#4 “Farandole”). Music by Georges Bizet, MIDI scheduling by J.-G. Maurandi.
La Chanson de Magali (Magali’s song), opera Mireille according to poem Mirèio by Frédéric Mistral, act II. Music by Charles Gounod, MIDI scheduling by J.-G. Maurandi.
Li Chivau-frus (The “petticoats-horses” or “dashing-horses”).
La Marcho di rèi (The March of the Three Kings).
The light music is not indebted: the accordion music waltz Dédé de Montmartre (Andrew from Montmartre, from the movie Dédé la Musique, music by Roger Dumas, lyrics Gaston Montho) has come into the dance repertory of the County of Nice.
| Legend (click icons, on the left side of tunes title, to access to corresponding files): | | | | “fife & drums” MIDI file (a)(b). | | | “brass band” MIDI file (a)(b). | | | “other instruments” MIDI file (a)(b). | | | | score: PDF file (a)(b). | | | lyrics. | | | | | You may download MIDI and scores files as a whole from the Download page.
(a)Without any further observation, arrangements and harmonizations by J.-G. Maurandi.
(b) These files and their content are © 2001-2025 Jean-Gabriel Maurandi. |
© 2001-2025 Jean-Gabriel Maurandi.
The musical traditions from County of Nice: Music introduction - Cross-over
Popular songs - Animal songs - Racy lovesongs - Work songs
Political, social and satirical songs - Contemporary songs
Carnival tunes - Circumstance tunes - Close couple dances - Characters dances - Farandole - Feasts - Round dances of May
Music for children
Chimes & knells - Sacred & religious music - Christmas carols from County of Nice - Sanctuaries
Brief survey of the traditional musics from the South of France: The Occitany - Limoux’ carnival tunes
The Piedmont - The Provence - Christmas carols from Provence
Other countries
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