Work
Joseph Canteloube Composer
Jou l'Pount D'o Mirabel (Au pont de Mirabel), folksong for voice & orchestra (Chants d'Auvergne, Series 4, No.1)
Performances: 1
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Jou l'Pount D'o Mirabel (Au pont de Mirabel), folksong for voice & orchestra (Chants d'Auvergne, Series 4, No.1)Year: 1923-30
This song, "At Mirabel Bridge," is a fascinating combination of the sophisticated and the simple. Its long vocal lines, without much tonal variation, is strongly evocative of the Arabic influences on Auvergne music. Canteloube supports these lines with a flowing instrumental accompaniment that conveys the impression of the slowly flowing water, and, with its light tonal colors, remains largely as background for the vocal line.
The song is one of the longest of the Auvergne songs, but the text is one of the shortest. It translates as "At Mirabel Bridge, Catarina was washing. Three armed cavaliers came by. At Mirabel Bridge, Catarina was weeping." The theme of gentlemen or soldiers and peasant or servant girls is a common one in the Auvergne songs, and usually the story ends with the girl outwitting the soldier or gentleman, making this song somewhat unusual.
These ambiguous lyrics and the sparseness, almost minimalism, of the vocal and instrumental parts create a challenge for the perfomers and for the audience to interpret, but when effectively done, is one of the most powerful and moving of the Auvergne songs.
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