Singing and Thinking for Spring

A few days ago.....

It was great fun to sing four new songs with Le Brigade des Chanteurs.

It was great fun to be part of a team working together to bring sonorous entertainment to those who knew not what we were about to sing.

It was great fun to be part of a whole experience as we sang in the dark with torches and candlelight, under woodland trees with birds singing at dusk; ‘à la crepuscle’.  The latter is such a beautiful, evocative French word that almost lullabies us to sleep.

I’d missed two months of practice whilst helping others in England, so had not learned by rote as had the others. Despite my own musical talent being very stale and out of practice, I’ve caught up within 4 weeks, apart from knowing the words off by heart, which I AM working on.  The lyrics are not in French and not in English, therefore, it is unsurprising to have mastered learning a new language of sound without knowing it’s meaning.    

The process of learning the songs has required a great deal of mental attention which has been very good to do.  It must be good for preventing any form of dementia!   I have been told that my mind is very active, over active, over thinking conversations, situations and why people do this and that, say this and that.  I know my mind is constantly chattering away, thinking in my head about what happened, or what am I doing now and what is going to happen, how did I get here, what is it I needed to find!  It also discusses how I reacted to or react to or could in the future react to or do differently something I have done before.  It is constantly wondering about this and that.  I excuse myself and say it is because I am and have been living alone in France, which is for many people extremely challenging and emotionally difficult. Well, it has been for me.  It’s also about being busy and creative, even though the body has slumped the brain and mind. Then in a rest period the mind starts again. I have to tell it to be quiet. It's nowhere near as bad as it used be. Out of the busy mind comes writing and communicating even if no-one is reading or listening.... the point is to  create construction out of chaos  It is exhausting; worse if anxiety steps in.   I can see how it must drive people mad!

I return to the SINGING.

I now know the melody of each song.

I now have the words typed and glued onto filing card for performance and glued onto one folded sheet of paper which travels with me.  Whilst driving along I can sing and practice by rote each line, each couplet (verse), each refrain (chorus). Whilst gardening I could go over the words and that would prevent me thinking about all the other issues and challenges, I must do which I do not have time for. Indeed, I have been and am also a princess of procrastination. I keep telling myself not to waste precious time but sometimes I need to slump and go to sleep!

Ah… three songs are from the TSIGANES of Bulgaria/Romania/Serbia:

Kanna May

Jag Bari

Nishki Banya

and one is the oldest known canon – in 12^th century South West of England language:

Sumer is Icumen in …

PART 1:

We sang one song after the aperos and picnic where drinks and food were plentiful. I think it is good to display food that people bring to share with others with due care and attention to presentation.  Maybe it didn't quite happen because rain had only recently stopped, and it was cold.  It all seemed to be “put on the table higgledy-piggedly”.  Eventually some sat at the benches and others stood.  It had rained all day so no one was going to sit on picnic blankets and I expect we all thought we would have to tumble indoors.  Rain stopped so we enjoyed the evening.

Part 2: Then, the musicians and singers led people down to the chemin of La Malvoisine https://anglessuranglin.com/la-malvoisine-en-1982/ where we waited for the Professional Storyteller.  I spoke to him afterwards about folk lore and fairy tale versions of same tales. He knew about a favourite book of mine called “Women Who Run with the Wolves” which title I was trying to tell him about and then he told me!

Part 3: We continued to a place where dark blue tarpaulin was the place for a performance by a circus school of acrobatic and dance skills to represent the formation of La Malvoisine.

Part 4: We continued further ‘upstream’ as it were, where we whispered as if hidden, as we crouched down by stone walls, whilst the public passed us by…. dolls were suspended in the trees… … red fish marked the sit for the story teller second tale.

Part 5:

We continued further into the darkness of the woods.  Fiery fuelled candlelight marked our way to where, sat in his peacock cushioned chair, the story teller told another tale – this, based on a modified African tale, showing how similar folk lore is across the world.

Part 6: We led the way towards the chateau, as if we were the waters, slowly and quietly gathering sound of Nishki Banya until we arrived back to the starting point where hot chocolate and hot wine were served as we stood around the braziers whilst feeding them with logs.

Slowly people left. I found myself helping clear the tables of abandoned bottles and food all onto one table. Then I found myself helping two others to wash and dry the re-usable plastic cups and the glass wine glasses – ready for the next event.

I walked home, glad to have my new torch as after 23h there are no street lights.  Melody and words rang and sang as I made my home gladdened to have an experience with French people even though it shows how much more progress and practice, I need to make!

Cauliflower quiche for the pique-nique