Tunes that our Acadian ancestors have been signing for centuries.

Following a concert in Memramcook in 2004, I was greeted by my cousin Pius LeBlanc, who was carrying a thick book of songs under his arm. He had also brought with him a photograph of my father. Both our fathers had studied at the “Collège St-Joseph de Memramcook”, from where the song-book had been rescued. When the college folded in 1966, the village baker picked it up and took it home. Many years later, his daughter was about to give it away when my cousin intercepted it. His mother, who had a lovely voice, used to sing songs from it and he proudly pointed out which ones.

The book, “Rondes et Chansons Populaires illustrées”, comes from France. It was published in Paris in the late 1890s and is beautifully illustrated. Our Acadian ancestors brought with them many beautiful songs from France which were passed down from generation to generation. After returning from exile (from The Grand dérangement or Great Upheaval), the founders of the college and of the village of Memramcook, known as the cradle of Acadia, continued to sing folksongs, literary songs, and also began to write new ones.

The “Collège St-Joseph”, founded in 1864 and thus celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, played a leading role in the preservation and renaissance of Acadian culture as the first French-language and degree-granting university in Acadia, before it merged with other Acadian colleges to form the Université de Moncton in 1963.

At the end of the book, there’s a section called “Noëls Anciens” which caught my attention”. The Christmas tunes are named after their places of origin : Noël de Cluny, Noël Dijonnais, Noël Lorrain, Noël Bourguignon and Noël de Paris, to name a few. Most of the titles and the tunes were new to me, and some have their unique way of telling the Nativity story, like “St-Joseph cherchant un logis” and “Les Trois Mages”. We included eight of the “Noëls Anciens", along with three festive songs from other sections in “Rondes et Chansons Populaires Illustrées” (“La Veillée", “Plus on est de fous, plus on rit" and “Les Cloches”). They are joined by “Noël Auxois", “Escaouette”, and the instrumental pieces Sir Simon the King and Up and down the southern shore.

The album spans the entire Christmas cycle, from Christmas to “La Chandeleur”, or Candlemas, which is celebrated on February 2nd and marks the return of light. It is also the day when the Christmas crèche can be packed away and was once one of the biggest holidays in parts of Acadia. The song “Escaouette” - which might be derived from the Mi’kmaq word “Neskawe”, meaning a dance-song with gestures, was vital to the rituals of “La Chandeleur” . It accompanied the dancers and singers as they went from door to door, collecting alms for those in need. The song also thanked the donors and reprimanded those who were less generous. .

The overall musical approach results in quite a variety of styles. I am delighted to put these songs back in circulation, thanks to my cousin’s rescue efforts, and to bring music and dance into your homes for the Christmas season.

 

Following a concert in Memramcook in 2004, I was greeted by my cousin Pius LeBlanc, who was carrying a thick book of songs under his arm. He had also brought with him a photograph of my father. Both our fathers had studied at the “Collège St-Joseph de Memramcook”, from where the song-book had been rescued. When the college folded in 1966, the village baker picked it up and took it home. Many years later, his daughter was about to give it away when my cousin intercepted it. His mother, who had a lovely voice, used to sing songs from it and he proudly pointed out which ones.

The book, “Rondes et Chansons Populaires illustrées”, comes from France. It was published in Paris in the late 1890s and is beautifully illustrated. Our Acadian ancestors brought with them many beautiful songs from France which were passed down from generation to generation. After returning from exile (from The Grand dérangement or Great Upheaval), the founders of the college and of the village of Memramcook, known as the cradle of Acadia, continued to sing folksongs, literary songs, and also began to write new ones.

The “Collège St-Joseph”, founded in 1864 and thus celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, played a leading role in the preservation and renaissance of Acadian culture as the first French-language and degree-granting university in Acadia, before it merged with other Acadian colleges to form the Université de Moncton in 1963.

At the end of the book, there’s a section called “Noëls Anciens” which caught my attention”. The Christmas tunes are named after their places of origin : Noël de Cluny, Noël Dijonnais, Noël Lorrain, Noël Bourguignon and Noël de Paris, to name a few. Most of the titles and the tunes were new to me, and some have their unique way of telling the Nativity story, like “St-Joseph cherchant un logis” and “Les Trois Mages”. We included eight of the “Noëls Anciens", along with three festive songs from other sections in “Rondes et Chansons Populaires Illustrées” (“La Veillée", “Plus on est de fous, plus on rit" and “Les Cloches”). They are joined by “Noël Auxois", “Escaouette”, and the instrumental pieces Sir Simon the King and Up and down the southern shore.

The album spans the entire Christmas cycle, from Christmas to “La Chandeleur”, or Candlemas, which is celebrated on February 2nd and marks the return of light. It is also the day when the Christmas crèche can be packed away and was once one of the biggest holidays in parts of Acadia. The song “Escaouette” - which might be derived from the Mi’kmaq word “Neskawe”, meaning a dance-song with gestures, was vital to the rituals of “La Chandeleur” . It accompanied the dancers and singers as they went from door to door, collecting alms for those in need. The song also thanked the donors and reprimanded those who were less generous. .

The overall musical approach results in quite a variety of styles. I am delighted to put these songs back in circulation, thanks to my cousin’s rescue efforts, and to bring music and dance into your homes for the Christmas season.