I’m going to play my first-ever France memorial celebration for Armistice Day. The orchestre I’m rehearsing with, has been rehearsing other music, but none of the music we’re scheduled to play at the village event on Monday morning!
The commemorative music titles are:
La Marseillaise (chantée par les élèves du collège)
Les Dragons de Noailles
La Marche de Robert Bruce
La Madelon
Les sonneries habituelles (Aux Morts, Au drapeau)
I’m going to be literally playing by ear. I’ve had to do this before with other town band performances (in the states, not in France though!), and I’m hoping that the general idea is to show up on time in proper dress, and of course with musical instrument; play as often as possible, as correctly as possible, and as softly as possible.
I’m going to participate in a French community event, along with all of these other musicians (only a few of whom speak English) most of whom are France natives and for whom this kind of thing is what they’ve been used to since childhood. I think it’s a bit thrilling and nerve-wracking; I hope I have the right attitude, given the situation, for this first time experience.
This evening, there’s a rehearsal, and perhaps they’ll hand out some music tonight. Crossing fingers and toes but generally just trusting that things will work out…
Google and youtube might be your friends tonight? But well done you - a great thing to do!
I remember when I lived in a greek cypriot area my music teacher asked me to help at a big cypriot local event (I forget what it was now…just that there were a lot a small women dressed in black in the front row looking very stern). I play the saxophone, which is not a traditional instrument, and what he forgot to tell me is that the orchestra was his children’s orchestra and nearly everything was to be in 9/4. I am 5’10”, not a child, and not in any way greek cypriot looking. I was petrified - but the feedback was all very positive about the fact that I had joined in. So enjoy it as a great experience!
Music is such a wonderfully integrating medium, all my wrinkles and jags smooth out when I sing, although I don’t play an instrument (we learned recorder at infant school, what teacherly genius! ).
Our “éléphant” band thrills us all in Sourdeval, and I hope very much you too thrill and are thrilled on Monday. Bon courage!
That’s it. The huge brass euphonium thingie is painted to look like an elephant’s head and trunk, and the band took on that name. It has a signature march, and I’ll ask what is tomorrow. It’s jolly, and invites a jolly crocodile to march along after it.
And it’s fun to read them, and often instructive in all sorts of unexpected and original ways, I find.
I wonder if French immigrants to UK have such usefully novel experience there, and share them on forums, as we do. What on earth would they find life-enhancing?
Perhaps they will tell us. Mind you, @vero spills the cross-cultural beans very entertainingly and often
).