Musics of yesteryear
The troubadour Aicart del Fossat lived in the middle of the 12th century. He was born in 1250 and, as his name suggests, came from Le Fossat. His life was short, as he died at the age of 18 during a battle for which he had written a sirventès that would prove fatal.
Gatien Marcailhou d'Aymeric was born on December 18, 1807 in Ax-les-Thermes. He was the son of Jean-Pierre Augustin Marcailhou, a customs collector and musician, and Rose Astrié du Castelet (we're staying local). Noted at an early age for his remarkable regal skills, which he learned under his father, he soon surpassed him. Although he was also a doctor, he began a career as a musician, writing 144 waltzes, quadrilles, polkas and mazurkas. Very famous in his day, he successfully "ascended" to Paris, where he was also the teacher of another illustrious Ariège native, Gabriel Fauré. He published numerous books on music, including L'Art de composer et d'exécuter la musique légère au piano. He was also George Sand's lover, to whom he dedicated his famous waltz Indiana. He died in Paris on December 25, 1855.
Gabriel Fauré se Pavane
The best-known musician and composer from the Ariège region is undoubtedly Gabriel Fauré. Thirteen barcarolles, thirteen nocturnes, six impromptus, around a hundred melodies, religious music including two masterpieces, the bass mass and requiem mass, and the famous Pavane (Op. 50 in F sharp minor in one movement for small symphony orchestra with choir ad libitum for music lovers) composed in 1857. This is just a small sample of the works by Gabriel Fauré, who was born in Pamiers on May 12, 1845, and died in Paris on November 4, 1924. The son of a sub-inspector of primary education, Gabriel Fauré was quickly noticed by M. de Saubiac, deputy of Ariège, for his astonishing musical talent. For nine years, he was a pupil of Niedermeyer, the famous 19th-century composer and pedagogue. First Inspector General, then Professor of Composition, he went on to become Director of the Conservatoire National. He trained artists as diverse as Maurice Ravel, Georges Enesco, Nadia Boulanger and Louis Aubert. Pamiers is home to the Gabriel Fauré Festival, which welcomes some of the world's greatest musicians. The house where he was born can be seen at no. 17 rue Gabriel-Péri.
Music of today
Who doesn't know Marie Laforêt (1939-2019), singer and actress whose magnificent eyes will forever be associated with the singer of "Viens sur la montagne" or "Mon amour, mon ami". She considered herself an Ariège native, as she was the granddaughter of Louis Doumenach, who ran a textile fraying business in Lavelanet. She adored her grandfather, and lived in Ariège for several years to escape a sordid affair she fell victim to.
Born in 1953, Christian Ton Ton Salut is a jazz drummer who lived in Pamiers from 1958 to 1977, where he began his career with Marc Feinder's orchestra in 1970. He has accompanied a host of great jazzmen and performed all over the world. He also teaches jazz history and rhythmic culture in Toulouse, and organizes Master Classes at the world-famous Marciac jazz festival.
The hand on the heart
The most famous tune in the hearts of Ariegeois people the world over is the Ariège anthem, composed by Abbé Maury-Sabas (1863-1923), a priest musician from the small village of Miglos, "Arièjo ô moun païs" (Ariège ô mon pays). He is buried in the Varilhes cemetery, where he ended his career. For the record, his famous (and locally famous) song was sung during the Certificat d'Etudes exam at the Varilhes school in 1932! Chauvins les Ariégeois?
Nowadays, a young and talented composer, Florent Adroit, has successfully attempted to create a new, slightly more modern and topical hymn in French, which perfectly describes what it means to be Ariégeois. We're hoping for an Occitan version. He also composed and wrote the Stade Toulousain supporters' anthem.
A jazzy department
In addition to these famous musicians, Ariège celebrates music through a variety of events and major festivals, which generally run from spring to summer (with the exception of "Musiques au pays de Gabriel-Fauré", which runs from spring to autumn). The festival starts in April with the "Swing à Mirepoix" festival, which for the past 25 years has been keeping jazz fans swinging and dancing, thanks to the many volunteers who devote their time and energy to the event. At the end of July, music lovers flock to Foix for the jazz festival, where they can listen to virtuosos and national and international stars. In Mazères, the Manouch' Muzik Festival or Gypsy Jazz Festival takes place every year. The spirit of Django Reinhardt floats over Ariège for 4 days in August, with an in and an off festival. Performers and luthiers come together for a moment of jazz without drums or trumpets.
Unique instruments
The Ariège department in particular, and Occitanie in general, possess a rich musical culture of their own, which goes far beyond the mere musical notes found on medieval scores. Some of the tools used in their interpretation are designed to be unique, so as to reproduce the sounds heard by their creators. Some musical instruments are typical, and fortunately a few groups and brass bands perpetuate their use and, above all, their manufacture. The most popular are the aboès, also known as the "Couserans oboe", the craba, bodega in Languedoc or boha in Gascony, which are bagpipes, the grailes, also from the oboe family, the 3-hole flute, the hurdy-gurdy, harps, the brau, a friction drum, and the diatonic accordion. Not to be missed among the many Occitan performers (even if they're not "from here") that can be heard on some Ariège stages, the all-female group "La mal coiffée", who sing a capella, Nadau, very committed to the emancipation of Occitan culture, Christian Salès and the group OC, with their soaring music set to medieval texts..
