Introduction
The historical background of Canada is particular due to the relationships between its two major parts, namely: English-speaking and French-speaking communities. In this respect, the conflicts over the problem of language spread on the most significant spheres of life are widely discussed at the moment. In fact, such a process has been developing since the postwar times. The dimensions of art and culture promote the most viable and important for the population of Canada’s interests. The point on music and its elaboration either in French or in English cannot but confront the blame from each side. This is why a fair and logical question arises in the flow of discussion, namely what features make Quebecois music distinctive from the music of English Canada? This point is underlined in the paper with glimpses at the historical and cultural growth of artistic thought in Canada and its reflection on the particular and significant events in the music in different periods of time. The ethnic identity of the nation can vary in preferences maintained in culture, notwithstanding the fact that such ethnicities exist on the territory of one country.
Discussion
The whole discussion on the theme of Quebecois music can be implied into the understanding of main details of it and close relation to French traditions and manner of execution and representation. Popular music in this very part of Canada seems to be developed in its own way. Here the personalities did not matter, but the spirit of it impressed the followers and connoisseurs of definite to Quebec music. The feeling of the “present pasts” of individual experiences and collective trajectories” is apparent for the development of Quebecois music culture (Grenier 12).
In fact, the way of music in Canada had no hardships for the expressive and original outlook for the listeners of various layers of society. Youth, as in any other country, played the most progressive role in the coordination of social motives and estimation about Quebecois type of music. The urge for having an identity within the versatile world of music was prescribed in the francophone implementation in it. Moreover, since the early twentieth century there appeared the hot discussion according to the “national music” and approaches to work it out in the current socio-demographic reality of Canada (Morey 65). This is why the division of Canadian celebrities into English-signing and French-singing began at that time. Among the people who belong to the Quebecois trend in music, there is an extent of their identity. As a result, such evaluation of particular sounding and presupposed genres can be outlined in the project called Je vous entends chanter:
Je vous entends chanter combines more than 550 objects, 655 songs, 300 artists, and more than thirty hours of audio and video recordings grouped into what project coordinators call zones, the limits of which are defined both visually and aurally (Grenier 13).
Such integrity of francophone music is intended to promote a specific shape of francophone performers. Popular, rock, rap, and country music developed in their own way in Quebecois Canada. Its peculiarities are imposed in a particular French dialect in this are, first of all. Then the whole national coloring with strict at some points rules and principles for the releases of music albums within the population represents an obstacle for many singers of modern time. Here emerges a contradiction as of the fact that many singers who originate from Quebec and promote their works in English in this very region of Canada face the blame of local governments.
The main distinction of Quebecois music in contrast to the rest of Canada includes the urge of Quebecers to find out their identity and to move according to the main features of it. Here the concept of “chansonnier tradition” plays a great role, because on each stage when the world of music reflected the changes of cultural motives and sounding of music, in particular, Quebecois singers and performers of music works tried to rewrite the Anglo-American style into the French language and with the definite and specific for Quebec peculiarity in singing songs. Quebecois music for a long time ignored innovations maintained and widely used by singers and musicians all over the world. The traditional genuine manner of execution was the highest priority for this part of Canadian cultural heritage. This peculiarity was the main ground for conflicts and restrictions which appeared from time to time in Quebec. Such stars as Felix LeClerc and Gilles Vigneault, who were highly politicized by the French instances in governmental regulatory mechanisms maintained in the local dimension, were successfully opposed by some other singers and performers one of whom was Robert Charlebois (Piroth 147). This producer made a successful attempt to combine the Anglo-American styles in music with a particular sounding and sense of the “chansonnier tradition”. As a result, the population living in the French domain of Canada was able to feel the difference.
Since the time of Charlebois’s successful commercial project the reality of the francophone music was not solely concerned with just rewriting of text and their translation from English to French, but the whole music culture, specifically in Montreal, drew to some extent of spread within the population: “Since the 1970s, drums convened and jams commenced every summer Sunday at Parc Mont-Royal. “Les Tam-tams a Montreal” spread and share a combination of African, Caribbean, Latin, and North American drum beats to hundreds of participants” (Mosuela 1). The media space of Quebecois music began increasing not so long ago. It still confronts the political confrontation of nationalists and conservators being out of vogue trends of music in the contemporary world. This obstacle still cannot be simply omitted. It is a process of peculiar Quebecois music in its urge for self-implementation and self-agitation within the field of total English “occupation”.
Conclusion
In fact, there is no difference in music played and performed by different musicians and singers around the world in the multicultural and multinational dimensions of today’s Canadian society and its particular structure with division into French and English constituents. The thing is that the higher layers of the Quebecois society provide a line of political and social control as of the isolation of cultural development in the region. Chanson and Quebecois culture seem to be united in the desire to make French-speaking and originating people in Canada separated from the whole of the country. One admits Quebecois chanson in terms of its close relation to identity and genuine nature which can be signified as a “plural yet consolidated musical space” (Grenier 14). This flow of music development in Quebec is still on its way toward reformation.
Works cited
Grenier, Line. “Governing ‘National’ Memories through Popular Music in Quebec,” Topia: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 6, 2001, pp. 11-19.
Piroth, Scott. “Popular Music and Identity in Quebec”. American Review of Canadian Studies, Vol. 38, 2008, pp. 145-151.
Morey, Carl. Music in Canada: a research and information guide. London: Routledge, 1997.
Mosuela, Christine. Music in Quebec (La musique au Quebec). Freshman Monroe Project, 2006. Hyperlink: Web.