Leclerc played a major role in revitalising the Quebec folk song "chanson" tradition. He also was a strong voice for Quebec nationalism. Multiple parks, roads and schools in Quebec have been named in his honour. In , the Government of Canada honoured him with his image on a postage stamp. Biography Lists News Also Viewed.
The basics. Although he did not entirely abandon the sweetly poetic themes he drew from daily life, or the poetry-in-song inspired by his keen observations of the world around him, the pieces Leclerc wrote during this momentous decade reveal a man struggling with a crisis in values.
His songs show a man plagued by doubt and a degree of rebellion, a man who expresses stronger feelings of attachment to human values and to life NOTE However, a milestone event was about to occur, one that would have a major influence on the 32 songs he wrote after Canada debate.
If the man himself was a loner, so was the singing poet NOTE Leclerc had made a real exception in leaving his refuge on the Island. This song style, initially called French-Canadian, evolved in particular as a result of influences of the s.
One telling example was the song-writing competition, Festival Radio-Canada , launched in April , and which attracted hundreds and hundreds of entries. Almost 1, unpublished songs were submitted under pseudonyms; of them were selected after a first round of evaluations. The number of chansonniers increased exponentially at the end of this decade — and the public was eager for any opportunity to experience and applaud their talents. Chez Bozo was also the name of the venue where they performed.
Leclerc's death came as a shock to Quebec. Thousands of people gathered in Quebec City and Montreal. Messages were received from around the world, including from the French government. Leclerc pointed the way for a generation of singer-poets.
He continues to have a wide following. Leclerc's art and songs have been analyzed by numerous writers and critics. He's a singer, of course, and a composer and performer, but of a kind to which music-hall standards cannot be applied.
He drew inspiration from the elements — water, earth, sun, fire and wind — and his themes reflect a love of animals and nature. His songs embody a character that is either happy or sad depending on whether he has relinquished his childhood. References to castles, kings and dancing festivities speak to the tribulations and glories of human existence. His poetry, simple and direct, conveys a tragic vision of existence. To Leclerc, the tragic character of humanity is rooted in nature.
Human effort may occasionally lead to death under the yoke, but at the same time it provides a link with the beyond and adds a spiritual dimension to everyday actions and indeed to life in general. Nature is omnipresent in Leclerc's songs. The seasons provide the backdrop to the recurring themes of escape, death, God, woman and country. In songs original compositions and 14 covers , Leclerc distinguished himself from his French-speaking European and Quebec predecessors by his combination of carefully chosen verse and the unique style of musical setting for acoustic guitar.
Among his characteristic traits are the guitar's lowered tuning all strings one or one-and-a-half tones below standard and the placement of the right hand over the high range of the fingerboard. Overall, six major categories of influence can be traced in Leclerc's music. First, he appears to have been mildly influenced by the classical repertoire, due to his pianist sister and possibly the teaching of Thomas-Wilfrid Gagnon. A further influence was that of popular early 20th-century songs from France including those by Maurice Chevalier, Lucienne Boyer and Tino Rossi.
Furthermore, there are traces of gypsy music and Russian folklore in the timbre of Leclerc's deep voice and the quick right-thumb strumming of the guitar strings.
0コメント