Oh dear.

[montagnarde1793]

I should really be working. I have two articles to read by tomorrow and then two essays and three exams for next week. But I cannot concentrate. Every time I start to work on one thing, I just keep thinking about all the other things I have to do. It doesn't help that my weekend is entirely full and our reading period here at Oberlin is a single day (Monday, in this case). >.>;

Still, I wanted to post just to say that one of my essays in on music during the Revolution, which makes me exceedingly happy, despite everything I have to do. It's going to be base on the last part of my presentation on 18th century French music, concerning which: I was rather surprised and gratified to see that not only did the prof like my presentation, about five or six of my fellow students (out of a class of fourteen) came up to be afterwords and congratulated me, the typical comment going something like this, "You did a great job; your presentation was really interesting and the music you played was beautiful." I think the music can probably take more credit for that than me, but still, it's nice to see I'm not the only one who finds this stuff interesting.

And speaking of music, you, maelicia, will certainly not be surprised - though, I predict, rather disturbed - to learn that in "La Pernette," an ancestor to "Ne pleure pas, Jeannette," apparently,

Selon les régions et les époques , le héros changea, les gens de l'ouest en firent par exemple un chouan
("The hero (which is to say Pierre) changed according to region and era; the people of the west, for example, made him into a Chouan").

*headdesk*

...And now back to Bernier's letter to Colbert. >.>;

Comments

[maelicia.livejournal.com]

Lololol... >.> I knew of La Pernette (though I don't know if it's an "ancestor"; I thought it was rather another version, as there are plenty of versions of this type of songs, comptines, all the time, as with À la claire fontaine) but I didn't know the Chouans had used it. Although, it's to be expected they would "reclaim" the songs, since all the songs of the revolutionary era were sang on the tune of traditional comptines and the like, except with changed lyrics.

Still, lol. Although I don't think the morons who made the play are aware. It doesn't seem like they studied enough for that.

[estellacat.livejournal.com]

I think at the very least this tune is older than that awful, insipid one they have now. And it would make sense with the names too: who's called Pernette anymore? But I guess it's the kind of thing it's impossible to know for sure.

since all the songs of the revolutionary era were sang on the tune of traditional comptines and the like, except with changed lyrics.
While this is mostly true, if you want to quibble about it, some of them were original compositions and others were also sung to the tunes of arias from popular operas of the 1770s and 80s...

No, I really don't think they did. Their use of the song fits in well with their lack of the sense of changing historical mentalities. I would be willing to bet they just took that song because they remembered it from their childhood and said to themselves, "this really applies to Robespierre and Saint-Just" and decided to use it. >.>;

[nirejseki.livejournal.com]

Now I understand what you mean by sympathizing. ^^ Good luck with your essays and exams!

Be happy that you have the class/finals split - we normally do, but this year one of my teachers decided that he wasn't satisfied with only getting a certain amount of classes in during the semester and added in 3 extra classes - during finals week...-_-; So I share your pain thoroughly.

And that is an awesome subject. Will you post the presentation/essay/recordings of the music here so we can hear? : D?

[estellacat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I think I'm going to need it. >.>

That's unfortunate. D: I hope everything goes well despite the extra classes. (Are they even allowed to do that...? O.o)

Thanks! If I can figure out a way of doing so, I'd be happy to post them. (Though I'd probably have to translate... Not that that's usually a problem for me. XD)

[trf-chan.livejournal.com]

Ahhhhhh, good luck with your essays and exams! The essay on music during the Revolution sounds fantastic, and like nirejseki, I'd be interested in seeing the essay/recordings/etc. if you can figure out a way of getting it all up (and have the time!).

[estellacat.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I got one of the essays done this evening, at any rate. Now I just have... everything else. >.>;
If I can figure out how to post it, I will definitely have time to do a translation of my original presentation. It's much less likely for the essay itself. I'll have to see though... If people still really want to see the presentation and I can't figure out how to post it, I could maybe send it by email.