Musette (also called “cabrette”) and grande cornemuse from Auvergne and Berry are some of the best-known forms. Their sweet melodies and poetic lyrics have played an influential role in shaping French song over many years.
Romanticism and Impressionism both fostered a keener sense of national identity, leading composers like Faure to incorporate folk melodies in their works; one such work being Pavane.
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are an iconic part of Auvergne tradition. These mouth-blown instruments with continuous drones are typically played using an elbow-driven bellows and have two melodic octaves and three accompanying drones; two octaves being connected through parallelepiped stocks while a larger drone rests upon one shoulder. Drones typically made of wood (sometimes tropical hardwoods such as rosewood or ebony), decorated with ornaments or symbols, which also serve as tuning slides to manipulate drone pitches by shortening or lengthening them;
Many renowned artists have depicted bagpipes, most notably in the Low Countries where they can be found on De Groot’s Delft blue tiles. But David Teniers (1610-1690) may be best remembered for depicting half-length piper images; his village scenes revealed cheerful and self-sufficient peasants as desired by society’s upper class.
Music of Quebec
As French settlers arrived in Quebec during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, their music evolved into a style influenced by Irish instrumental traditions, Scottish step dancing, old French songs brought over, fiddle, guitar or mouth organ (harmonica) and accordion became their go-to instruments; dance tunes and traditional ballads formed a large portion of their repertory.
Instrumental jazz features a strong rhythmic component and includes foot clogging – especially important during veillees when tight spaces make real step dancing challenging. Performers also often employ asymmetrical phrase lengths and accented musical phrases, giving their performances an improvised quality.
Quebec experienced a brief folk revival in the 1970s. Large numbers of enthusiastic young amateur musicians performing mostly instrumental folk music gathered together in urban areas to perform and dance to huge audiences. Now however, this form of music faces threats due to global sociocultural changes that have affected rural agrarian societies worldwide over the last century or so.
Music of Roussillon
Roussillon in southwestern France is defined by both Catalan and Gypsy music, most notably sardana (featuring brass, flutes, oboes and whistles), bearnaise music (especially its Gypsy-influenced Klezmer form) as well as Johnny Hallyday and Eddy Mitchell being iconic artists of the movement which inspired artists who fused various genres including France Gall and Sylvie Vartan who pioneered its revival.
Neoclassicism flourished in the 1920s and 1930s, notably among Lili Boulanger, Nadia Boulanger, Les Six, Henri Dutilleux and Pierre Boulez who helped develop serialism and avant garde music.
Music of the West
Europe experienced a surge of roots revivalism during the 1950s, France being no exception. Regions such as Brittany, Limousin, Corsica and Auvergne revived traditional music such as folk songs as well as traditional instruments like the accordion.
Troubadours and Trouveres were travelling musicians who sang of love, war and legends – playing an influential role in shaping European lyrical poetry as well as contributing significantly to Renaissance polyphony and instrumental music development.
Corsican music utilizes a distinct style of vocal polyphony. Composed with three or more voices, its harmonic tones may range from harmonic to dissonant; religious or secular contexts alike may use this genre. Corsican musical tradition often adheres to nationalist ideology.
The accordion is an iconic instrument in French music and can often be heard playing throughout Paris streets and cabarets. Popular artists who use accordions include Johnny Hallyday, Eddy Mitchell and Dick Rivers while Sheila, France Gall and Chantal Goya are popular singers that also utilize accordions. A new genre called ye-ye music also emerged during this era and continues to draw young listeners today.