Chants d'Auvergne (French pronunciation: [ʃɑ̃ dovɛːʁɲ]; English: Songs from the Auvergne), by Joseph Canteloube, is a collection of folk songs from the Auvergne region of France, arranged for soprano voice and orchestra or piano between 1923 and 1930. The 27 songs, collected in five series, are in the local language, Auvergnat, a dialect of Occitan. The best-known of the songs is the "Baïlèro", which has been frequently recorded and performed, sometimes with slight variations of Canteloube's arrangement, such as for choir or instrumental performance, rather than the original soprano solo.
The first recording, of eleven of the songs, was by Madeleine Grey in 1930, with an ensemble conducted by Élie Cohen. The songs are part of the standard repertoire and have been recorded by many singers.
The melodic elements of two of these songs, "Baïlèro" and "Obal, din lou limouzi (La-bas dans le limousin)", were incorporated into William Walton's soundtrack for Laurence Olivier's 1944 film of Shakespeare's Henry V. "Baïlèro" (sometimes known as "Le Baylere" or "The Shepherd's Song") has also been re-arranged for full chorus by Goff Richards for the National Youth Choir of Great Britain.[1] It was recorded by Tony Osborne Sound for use in a Dubonnet advertisement in 1972.[2]
- ^ NME Music News[permanent dead link]
- ^ Mitra Encyclopedia on "Shepherd's Song" Archived January 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine