Jean-François Dutertre
Encyclopedia
Jean-François Dutertre is a French singer-songwriter and player of the hurdy-gurdy, épinette des Vosges
, and traditional French music. He also plays the bodhran
and the bouzouki
.
He has been a member of the band Mélusine
and a house collaborator on the disk Le Chant du Monde. He is a great proponent of modal music and has conducted numerous workshops. He is an advocate of the professionalisation of traditional musicians and singers and defends their rights in the CIMT http://www.irma.asso.fr/spip.php?rubrique34|CIMT (Centre d’information des musiques traditionnelles et du monde).
Born in 1948 to Norma parents, he studied literature and also taught. He worked as a phonothécaire at the department of ethnomusicology at the musée de l'homme
, and became enammored of traditional music, particularly French. He became involved in the Folk Revival of the 1960s, and joined the first French folk-club, Le Bourdon ("the drone"), and traveled to collect music in Quebec and Ireland in 1969 and 1970, as well as in Vosges
from 1970-1972.
From 1975 to 1983, he was the executive producer and director of the collection of the label Chant du Monde, where he also worked to develop the Anthologie de la musique traditionnelle française. He played in the folk group Melusine from 1975-1990.
In 2002, he produced a disc of fifteen songs, coming from those collected in Normandie along with his old colleagues Jean-loup Baly and Yvon Guilcher, as well as other musicians such as Jean Blanchard.
Currently, he devoted himself primarily to his work in musical institutions.
(Jean-François Dutertre)
Epinette des Vosges
The épinette des Vosges is a traditional plucked-string instrument of the zither family, whose use was confined to two areas in the Vosges mountains of France approximately 50 km apart: around Val-d'Ajol and around Gérardmer.-Origins:...
, and traditional French music. He also plays the bodhran
Bodhrán
The bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
and the bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
.
He has been a member of the band Mélusine
Melusine
Melusine is a figure of European legends and folklore, a feminine spirit of fresh waters in sacred springs and rivers.She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish from the waist down...
and a house collaborator on the disk Le Chant du Monde. He is a great proponent of modal music and has conducted numerous workshops. He is an advocate of the professionalisation of traditional musicians and singers and defends their rights in the CIMT http://www.irma.asso.fr/spip.php?rubrique34|CIMT (Centre d’information des musiques traditionnelles et du monde).
Born in 1948 to Norma parents, he studied literature and also taught. He worked as a phonothécaire at the department of ethnomusicology at the musée de l'homme
Musée de l'Homme
The Musée de l'Homme was created in 1937 by Paul Rivet for the 1937 Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne. It is the descendant of the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro, founded in 1878...
, and became enammored of traditional music, particularly French. He became involved in the Folk Revival of the 1960s, and joined the first French folk-club, Le Bourdon ("the drone"), and traveled to collect music in Quebec and Ireland in 1969 and 1970, as well as in Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
from 1970-1972.
From 1975 to 1983, he was the executive producer and director of the collection of the label Chant du Monde, where he also worked to develop the Anthologie de la musique traditionnelle française. He played in the folk group Melusine from 1975-1990.
In 2002, he produced a disc of fifteen songs, coming from those collected in Normandie along with his old colleagues Jean-loup Baly and Yvon Guilcher, as well as other musicians such as Jean Blanchard.
Currently, he devoted himself primarily to his work in musical institutions.
Discography
- 1974 L'épinette des Vosges, airs traditionnels et compositions, Le chant du Monde LDX 74536.
- 1978 La rondes des milloraines, compositions pour épinette de Vosges et vielle, Le Chant du Monde LDX 74664.
- 1980 Si l'amour prenait racine, chansons traditionnelles, Polydor 2393275.
- 1997 Ballades françaises, Buda MusiqueBuda MusiqueBuda Musique is a French Record label specializng in world music, who are especially known for their Ethiopiques series of albums.They have released over 400 albums in their 18 year history....
, MP7250. - 1999 Ballades françaises, volume 2, Buda Musique, MP7253.
- 2002 Chansons traditionnelles de Normandie, Buda Musique/Universal.
Participating discography
- See the discography of Mélusine (music)
- Musique populaire d'expression française, du folk-club Le Bourdon, expression spontanée n° 7, auto-production, 1972. J-F Dutertre y chante et joue de la cuiller.
- 1975 Le roi renaud / Ballades françaises, le Chant du Monde LDX 74568.
- Le galant noyé le Chant du Monde LDX 74576.
- Chants à répondre et à danser Le Chant du Monde LDX 74515.
- Pré-Folk / La préhistoire du Folk Pathé-marconi-EMI.
- 1994 ANTHOLOGIE DE LA CHANSON FRANCAISE / DES TROUVERES A LA PLEIADE EPM.
- 1997 L'épinette des Vosges, avec Jean Ribouillault et Christophe Toussaint, Radio-France Ocora.
- 2002 Le Jardin des mystères Eric Montbel - Ulysse/Nocturne.
- 2008 Par un lundi m'y prit envie..., La Loure
Quotes
« La chanson traditionnelle francophone est aussi une forme de poésie. Et comme toute poésie, elle porte l’empreinte du milieu et de la période où elle a été élaborée. Cette empreinte se manifeste dans les formules, les tournures et le vocabulaire. Aurait-on l’idée de reprocher à François Villon d’écrire dans la langue d’un étudiant parisien du XVe siècle ? Au-delà de la forme, la thématique est éternelle, les émois et les tourments demeurent identiques. Et puis, il y a la musique. Connaît-on, dans la chanson française, de plus parfaite adéquation entre langue et mélodie que celle que nous propose la chanson traditionnelle ? »(Jean-François Dutertre)