The Music of Western France

The West of France is made up of the Pays de Nante, the provinces of Vende, Maine, Vendee, Anjou, and the Poitou-Charentes region, the folks of ballad-singing, dance-songs and fiddle-playing have survived, predominately in Poitou and the Vendee. Jerome Bujeaud collected extensively in the place, and his 2 volumes work chants et chansons populaires des province de l’ouest, Poitou, Saintonge, Aunis et Angoumois (Niort, 1866) remains the principal scholarly collections of music and rhythms. In the recent years John wright and Claude Ribouillalt (amongst others) have done much to collect, analyze and promote the surviving folks.

source of picture: latestnewspics.blogspot.com

The Marais Breton of vendee is noted particularly for its folk of veuze playing which has been revived by the bagpipe-maker and player Thierry Bertrand and for traditional composer like Pierre Burgaud. The folk dances specific to the West of France include the courante or maraichine, and the bal santongeais. Bourees in triple time have been noted in the 19^th century by Bujeaud, and more currently, in Angoumois. Circle-or chain- dances followed by callers-and- response singing have been noted in the West, and also in other area like Normandy, Brittany and Gascony.