Songs III to French Texts

Desmond Maley is a librarian at the J.W. Tate Library, Laurentian
University.

The Canadian Musical Heritage Society Series has brought to light an
enormous amount of valuable material that shows that our musical
tradition is far richer than previously realized. This excellent
publication is no exception. Prefaced by a masterly essay by Lucien
Poirier, professor of music at Laval, Songs III to French Texts brings
together 63 songs written before 1951 by more than 40 francophone
composers born after 1860. The collection is divided into categories of
sacred and secular song. That only four sacred songs were selected is a
reflection of the strict censorship imposed by the Roman Catholic
Church, which discouraged originality. In contrast, there was a
remarkable outpouring in the secular arena. The popular songs (chansons)
mirror the changes that swept Quebec society during this period,
including a rapidly expanding and urbanizing population, the
introduction of the radio and phonograph, and the emergence of an
American-influenced mass-entertainment industry.

Among the singer-songwriters represented are Mme Bolduc, Willie
Lamothe, Roland LeBrun, and Félix Leclerc. Popular songs associated
with radio and cinema are also included. In contrast, the bonne chanson
movement led by Father Gadbois emphasized traditional folk song.
Authentic folk songs were also collected by folklorists like Marius
Barbeau, who travelled the province between 1916 and 1920, and who, in
turn, influenced such troubadours as Charles Marchand.

Most of the collection, however, comprises lyrical songs (mélodies) by
composers such as Charles Baudouin, Jean Papineau-Couture, Achille
Fortier, Alfred Laliberté, Rodolphe Mathieu, Franзois Morel, Йmiliano
Renaud, and Léo Roy. Fortier’s “Qui saurait?” would make a
delightful encore piece today. “Marches funиbres” by Roy is
sufficiently intriguing that one wishes more from his unpublished
60-song collection had been included. Papineau-Couture’s
“Йglogues” and Morel’s “Quatre chants japonais” are both
finely realized. But the highlight is Mathieu’s “Hiver,” which has
the stormy, windswept quality of a Group of Seven painting.