Music of Gascony
Encyclopedia
Gascony
is a region of France
that has produced several well-known performers and composers of classical, folk
and popular music
. Gascony is home to several major music festival
s. In modern days, the town of Merciac is home to an annual jazz
festival, one of the biggest in France. The town of Mirande
is also home to an annual festival (Le Country Musique), devoted to country music
.
, which have a rectangular chanter and drone combination, (this form is unique to Gascony), and are made out of sheepskin with the fleece showing. The wandering performers known as troubadour
s and jongleurs were well-established in Gascony.
Gascony, like many regions of France, and elsewhere in Europe, underwent a roots revival
in the early to mid 1970s. The beginning of this trend in Gacony can be traced to the release of Musique Traditionelle de Gascogne by Perlinpinpin Folc, a band formed in 1972 and led by Christian Lamau.
Some twenty years late, this revival continued with the repopularization of pastorale
s, an ancient form of musical theater. There is also a modern style, inspired by the jongleurs and troubadours of the region's history, called rappadoc, which uses various lyrical styles in satirical and topical performance.
Modern traditionally-styled bands from Gascony include Verd e Bleu.
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
is a region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
that has produced several well-known performers and composers of classical, folk
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....
and popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
. Gascony is home to several major music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s. In modern days, the town of Merciac is home to an annual jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
festival, one of the biggest in France. The town of Mirande
Mirande
Mirande is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
is also home to an annual festival (Le Country Musique), devoted to country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
.
Folk music
Gascon folk music is known for a kind of small pipes called bohaBoha
The boha is a type of bagpipe native to the Landes and Gascony regions of southwestern France....
, which have a rectangular chanter and drone combination, (this form is unique to Gascony), and are made out of sheepskin with the fleece showing. The wandering performers known as troubadour
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
s and jongleurs were well-established in Gascony.
Gascony, like many regions of France, and elsewhere in Europe, underwent a roots revival
Roots revival
A roots revival is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly-composed songs with socially and politically aware lyrics, as well as a general modernization of the folk sound.After an...
in the early to mid 1970s. The beginning of this trend in Gacony can be traced to the release of Musique Traditionelle de Gascogne by Perlinpinpin Folc, a band formed in 1972 and led by Christian Lamau.
Some twenty years late, this revival continued with the repopularization of pastorale
Pastorale
For Beethoven's Pastoral symphony, see Symphony No. 6 Pastorale refers to something of a pastoral nature in music, whether in form or in mood....
s, an ancient form of musical theater. There is also a modern style, inspired by the jongleurs and troubadours of the region's history, called rappadoc, which uses various lyrical styles in satirical and topical performance.
Modern traditionally-styled bands from Gascony include Verd e Bleu.