A MUSICAL LECTURE: ‘A Political History of Folk Song’

Emmanuel Pesnot, vocal coach to numerous groups and performers of traditional folk music (including Barrut, La Malcoiffée, the Maaar trio, and others), offers us a political perspective (in the noble sense of the term!) on the act of singing.
This singing lecture makes a bold claim: beyond passing fads, the practice of singing, particularly in a group, is most often a social act.

For at least four reasons: It is speech, and therefore song, that draws the child out of fusion with the mother and socialises them,
effectively transforming them into a political animal, as Aristotle describes it, that is to say, capable of social interaction with the group.
Group singing is a powerful vehicle for socialisation and the affirmation of group identity; it has contributed and continues to contribute to collective trance.
Folk songs have always served to describe phenomena or situations, to convey, warn, alert, cooperate, share… This is a social, religious, and therefore eminently political role.

Finally, the success of choirs in general – and in particular those that present themselves as socially engaged – demonstrates a desire to reclaim a voice that has been confiscated and distorted by the elites.
This conference is designed to be shared: it will be preceded by a session to learn songs related to the theme, which will be sung during the conference. And, during the event itself, the audience will be invited to take part in polyphonic, vibrational and social experiences!

Free admission, subject to availability.