Vazzy in New France For information and bookings: Suzanne Leclerc/Vazzy 5200 Hardy Mountain Rd Grand Forks, BC V0H 1H2 250-442-3818 vazzymusik@hotmail.com www.vazzy.ca Text: Suzanne Leclerc Research: Bryn Wilkin, Suzanne Leclerc Layout: pulp fictions
Table of Contents The performance page 2 A little history page 3 Map of New France page 4 Traditional and folk music, song and dance in New France page 5 The instruments you will hear during the performance page 6 La laine des moutons page 8 Teacher s page suggested activities page 9 School workshops offered by Vazzy page 10 Biography of the musicians page 11
The performance The performance starts with the artists, dressed in period costumes, giving a brief historical presentation. The students are introduced to the various colonies and regions of New France with the help of a map from 1713, when New France covered the greatest area. Then, through traditional songs and music, we journey from France to the coast of the New World. We speak of the First Nations people s contributions to the survival and development of the colonies. We sing a Huron chant. Through songs, music, mime and dance we explore the life of the French settlers. The music and the songs in our program were known in France and New France at the time of colonization. The songs came to New France with the settlers and many are still showcased, four hundred years later, in the repertoire of French Canada today. The instruments played during the performance were already developed and in use at the time of colonization. The students are introduced to ten instruments during the show: fiddle, jaws harp, oud, vihuela, mandolin, spoons, foot percussion, tambourine, as well as frame drum and doumbeck. The students participate in singing, mime/acting, dancing, spoon playing and clapping rhythm to some of the lively traditional songs. They also answer questions directed to the audience during the presentation. The presentation is followed by a short question period. The performance is appropriate for all levels from kindergarten to secondary. Keeping it interesting and relevant to all age groups, the artists adjust the content of the program so students can benefit from the educational and cultural notions of the presentation at their level of studies and comprehension. This show is very engaging as well as educational. It can be used as an entertaining introduction to the French-Canadian culture, its early history and its place in Canada today. The artists are bilingual and flexible; performing in French, English or using both languages for French immersion groups of different levels and French as a second language audiences. Technical Information All teachers (or subs) must be present with their class during the performance Space for show...stage or gym Performance...50 min + 5 min question period Set-up time...1 hr Take down time...1 hr Technical requirements 2 electrical outlets at performance space (or adequate extensions cords in place on arrival) 1 low table (piano bench, small desk) 1 chair with no arms 2
A little history th In the early 16 century, the Europeans started building ships big enough to cross oceans and explore the coast of many continents. French fishermen first came to Newfoundland and the Atlantic coast, fishing in the summer and returning to France before winter. With them they sometimes brought back furs they had collected or traded with the First Nations people. The region was explored by Jacques Cartier in 1534 when he took possession of the territory in the name of the King of France. The king, François I, had sent him to explore the new continent, to make contact with some of the native population and to try to find a direct passage to China for trade and commercial purposes. The Hudson Bay area was explored for that purpose. France was also looking for gold in the New World. Spain was already bringing back golden treasures from the land across the big ocean to the west and the King of France wished to do the same. th There was a great demand for furs in Europe at the end of the 17 century. Some French merchants decided to fund a permanent colony in New France to establish French control over the fur trade. They first founded the colony of Acadia in 1604. Champlain started a new colony in Quebec City in 1608. Champlain and the merchants who funded the colony figured they would be in a much better position to control the entire North American fur trade from that point on the Saint Lawrence River. The city of Quebec became the governmental capital of New France. It was situated in the area called Canada, which then included most of the provinces of Quebec and Ontario today. Louisiana was also a colony of New France. It had been discovered by explorers who left the Saint Lawrence River in canoes, paddled through the Great Lakes and down the many rivers to the Mississippi River. It was named Louisiana in honour of Louis XIV, who was then the King of France. Many immigrants, mostly men at first, left France looking for a better life in the new French territory. Some stayed in the larger centres and port cities to work as masons, carpenters, clerks, labourers, surveyors, blacksmiths, cartwrights, wheelwrights, wood cutters, voyageurs and coureur de bois. Most spread throughout the area to become habitants, clearing a parcel of land of its trees and using the land to establish their families, grow crops and raise livestock. Men sometimes added to their farming income by fishing the sea or logging in distant forest camps during the winter months. Except for the bourgeoisie, the women who came to New France worked mainly as servants in private houses. Most married an habitant for a rural life on the farm. In addition to raising many children, women helped with various chores on the farm, looked after the garden preserving their food for the winter months. Weaving, sewing and cleaning also occupied a lot of their time. Most children were born in New France. As there were no schools for a long time, they learned by helping their parents with all daily tasks. In 1763, after losing a war in Europe, France gave the territory of New France to England. It was the official political end of La Nouvelle-France. Most of the bourgeoisie, the government officials and the soldiers went back to France, but the settlers and their families stayed, and with them their music, songs and dances... 3
New France 1602-1763 Map of 1713, when New France had its largest territory 4
Traditional and folk music, song and dance in New France More than 90% of the French-Canadian traditional song repertoire came from France with the first settlers between 1604 and 1673. People sang at home, while working, while paddling their canoes, at weddings and other gatherings. Many of those folk songs are still part of the singing tradition in French Canada today. Songs as well as fiddle and dance tunes were often accompanied by foot percussion and sometimes by spoon playing. Dancing was a favourite activity for the community of settlers; weddings, balls, community events and other social gatherings were always good excuses for music and dance. The various musical instruments you will hear during the concert Vazzy in New France were in use in Europe and North America during the era of New France. They include fiddle, spoons, feet (podorhythm), oud (Arabic lute), mandolin, vihuela (early guitar), jaws harp, frame drum, doumbeck and tambourine. Illustration: Association Québecoise des loisirs folkloriques 5
The instruments you will hear during the performance Fiddle Instrument with four strings played with a bow. Then manufactured in quantity in France, it could be bought quite cheaply there. Some came to New France and the voyageurs took them on their travels, spreading the fiddle s popularity throughout North America. It is still the most popular instrument in traditional French-Canadian music today. Podorhythmy This word describes foot percussion. It comes from the Latin podo for foot and rhythmy for rhythm. The player keeps time to a song or a fiddle tune by beating his or her feet on the floor. This form of percussive accompaniment is unique to French Canada. Oud (Arabic lute) An instrument of the lute family, it has eleven strings and no frets. It was played with a feather or the fingers. It was introduced to Europe from the Middle th East in the 8 century and during the crusades. The oud is the ancestor of the modern European lute. We know that New France s first governor of Montreal, Sir Paul de Maisonneuve, played the lute. Spoons Spoons are a very ancient instrument. They were popular and played in Europe to accompany medieval music. The image on an old piece of Greek pottery from the th 4 century suggest a person sitting and playing, just as we do today, what seems to be a pair of spoons or a very similar instrument. 6 Mandolin This instrument of the lute family has eight strings and is played with a plectrum. It was invented in Italy at the beginning of th the 17 century and was popular throughout Europe during the New France era.
frame drum Drums and tambourine Of the percussion family, the doumbeck, the frame drum and the tambourine came to Europe from North Africa and the Middle East. Frame drums are found in many parts of the world in different forms. They are played with the hand, fingers and/or a stick. They were already used and played across North America at the Europeans arrival. tambourine doumbeck Jaws harp This instrument from the vibraphone family was the second most popular instrument after the fiddle in New France. It is held against the front teeth and the metal tongue is moved with a finger thus vibrating between the teeth. The mouth becomes the sound box. It is a very ancient instrument also found in Europe, India, and throughout Southeast Asia. Some are made of steel (Europe and North America), others of brass or bamboo. Vihuela Instrument with eleven strings and gut frets. The fingers are used to pluck the strings. The vihuela was very popular to accompany songs in th France during the 16 century. It is the ancestor of the modern guitar. We know that some of these early guitars came to New France. Voice The voice was the most used instrument in New France. Everyone has a voice, and people loved to sing. Most people did not have musical instruments or read music notations. Singing was a very strong tradition handed orally from generation to generation over hundreds of years. More than 10,000 traditional songs from French Canada have been collected and archived. 7
La laine des moutons This work song describes the different steps necessary to process wool, from shearing the sheep to spinning the wool into yarn. Shearing was done by the habitant. Washing, carding and spinning the wool was the work of the women of the house with the help of their children. Excerpt from La bonne chanson, Les 100 plus belles chansons, ed. Louise Courteau, page 9 8
Teach students the song La laine des moutons Map of 1713 Teacher s page suggested activities Colour the map Find the 5 colonies of New France Find other important colonies of the era such as New England, the Caribbean and Mexico. Why were those colonies important at the time? Costumes Draw and colour the artists and their costumes Research the various costumes of the era Traditions Invite students to share and discuss their ethnic background, traditions still carried in their families today, ex: foods, games, songs, stories, dances, celebrations, holidays Trades and occupations Discuss the different occupations of the time Which of those trades and occupations do we still perform today? How have some of those occupations changed over time? ex: wheelwright and cartwright/auto mechanic; women s occupations now compare to the New France era Websites of interest for further exploration and research www.civilization.ca/vmnf www.collectioncanada.gc.ca/gramophone www.spdtq.qc.ca www.mnemo.qc.ca 9
School workshops offered by Vazzy We use live fiddle music for most workshops. The complexity of what we teach depends on the age of the group. We work with one class at a time. The activities of the workshops could easily be an addition to a school performance (show/concert for parents) by the class at a later date. Podorhythmy and spoon playing (8 years to high school) (50-60 min) Spoon playing and podorythmy (foot tapping) were the primary percussion instruments to accompany fiddle music and songs throughout French Canada. Spoons are still used in popular traditional music today in French Canada, Newfoundland and the Atlantic Provinces. These two instruments are easy to obtain and can be used to accompany various styles of contemporary music. A pair of table spoons from the kitchen and one s own feet is all that is needed to make music. We supply wooden spoons for the workshops. Workshop: We teach the students to hold the spoons in one hand in a position that facilitates the making of a percussive sound. Once they acquire that skill, we teach them basic patterns and movements to accompany reels, jigs and waltzes (time signatures of 4/4, 6/8, 3/4). Once the students are at ease with the spoons, we introduce the foot percussion. Again, they learn the basic movements to accompany reels, jigs and waltzes with their feet. After they master this new skill, we put the two together; playing the spoons and the feet at the same time. Traditional Dance from French Canada (8 years to grade 12) (50-90 min) These are social dances still danced in Quebec today. Many of the movements, the steps and the formations are found in the dances of other cultures and other styles of social dancing such as Irish, Scottish, contra and square dance, to name a few. It is a cross-cultural exercise where everyone s focus, cooperation and courtesy gives the dancers a lot of pleasure and a wonderful sense of self-accomplishment. In these dances we find three basic group formations: circle, contre-dance (two rows facing each other) and quadrille (or square/four couples). The intricacy of the dances varies with the age of the group so the activity is interesting and challenging, but not too difficult. These dances are designed to be learned easily and quickly they do not require a high level of technical ability, although they involve many skills they are all about fun and sociability. Traditional rounds, dances and games from French Canada (K-8 years old) In this workshop we explore various games and rounds played at home or in the school yard by young children in French Canada over a period of many hundreds of years. They are group activities that need very few accessories to be enjoyed by all. The rounds involve simple movements in a circle formation usually accompanied by a short song (ditty). The movements mimic the subject or actions of the song. For example: L avoine describes the actions/steps performed to grow oats, from ploughing the earth to grinding and eating the grain. The dance involves simplified movements and formations to introduce young children to social traditional dances as taught to the older groups. The games can later be played in the classroom, schoolyard or at home with a group of friends or siblings. The accessories required are minimal, for example: a handkerchief or small piece of cloth. These games have amused children (and families) for hundreds of years. They encourage focus, physical and social skills as well as cooperation and courtesy between individuals. cont d... 10
School workshops (continued) Traditional French-Canadian song workshop (K-12) This applies to French as a second language, different levels of French immersion, as well as French programs. In order to keep the workshops interesting, the songs vary with the age of the group, their level of understanding and their language skills. The songs range from ditties for the youngest to humorous tongue twisters and turlutte (mouth music) for the eldest. Lyrics to the songs are provided. Fiddle tunes from French Canada This workshop is for established music or band programs. A tune is taught the traditional way, orally on the spot. Students can use other melodic instruments than the fiddle. Music notations will also be provided. Biography of the musicians The duo Vazzy has entertained audiences from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland and the US for many years. Specializing in folklore, it is very important for them to share their talent, knowledge and expertise with everyone youngest to eldest. The two talented musicians offer a warm, dynamic and engaging performance sure to make you want to sing, laugh, dance and dream. Suzanne Leclerc is from an Acadian family in New Brunswick. She learned to play spoons and foot percussion as well as many of the songs she sings in her family. In addition to singing she plays jaws harp, doumbeck, bodhran, harmonica, and tambourine. She shares her traditions through her touching interpretations and by giving fabulous song, spoon playing, foot percussion and traditional dance workshops. Bryn Wilkin grew up in Ontario and Europe. He plays banjo, mandolin, fiddle, oud and vihuela. He draws the instrumental pieces from his wide repertoire of traditional Celtic and French-Canadian tunes. Since its creation in 2006, the show Vazzy in New France has successfully toured in various schools, children s festivals and other family and young audience events in BC, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. It has also toured more extensively in collaboration with organizations such as Le Festival du Bois in BC and Jeunesses Musicales du Canada in Ontario and Quebec. 11