Various Compositions and Interpretations

A work by Françoise—very well done in terms of both the text and the performance—that brings to mind her novel *I Wasn’t Born to Die*. It would still deserve a different musical accompaniment, though 🙂

A song by Christiane Rochefort, written for the French Women’s Liberation Movement.

On August 19, 1936, the great Spanish poet Federico García Lorca was murdered in a field near Granada by fascist militiamen, who were acting in their usual manner. It is said that he was shot, but the controversy over the circumstances of his execution continues to this day.

A hoisting song. This type of work song served very specific purposes: coordinating collective efforts during maneuvers—such as raising an anchor (hauling it in with the windlass) or hoisting or furling a sail. They also boosted the morale of the crew, who performed a difficult and dangerous job, and served as a collective memory. A…

A rowing song. This story of the ship’s boy falling overboard has historical roots—the ship actually existed, and the event really happened. And the song has endured. As we’ve noted elsewhere, Françoise was deeply attached to her native Brittany. In the 16th century, the Piston branch of the family was settled in Saint-Servan (Saint-Malo). They…

A song by Henri Heugel, circa the late 19th century.

Is it a song by Françoise, or perhaps an old, realistic song that we haven’t been able to track down?…

A song from Françoise’s childhood. In the 1920s and 1930s, cars were far less common than horse-drawn carriages. But they would never become as widespread as those.