litow@uwmeecs.UUCP (Dr. B. Litow) (11/20/86)
What is the current status of Occitanian in France? Is it spoken at all? Is there any program to prevent its extinction?
anderson@uwmacc.UUCP (Jess Anderson) (11/21/86)
In article <447@uwmeecs.UUCP>, litow@uwmeecs.UUCP (Dr. B. Litow) writes: > What is the current status of Occitanian in France? Is it spoken at all? > Is there any program to prevent its extinction? First, let me confess to being non-expert about matters Occitanian, for in this regard what I know about Languedoc comes from music, of all places. However, it *does* bear on the poster's question. There is an EMI recording called "L'Agonie du Languedoc" that features music from the time of the Albigentian Crusade by early 13th-century troubadours, gloriously performed by the Early Music Quartet (Studio der fruehen Musik), now sadly disbanded after making the most *wonderful* series of records. One side of this record is given over to realizations of the texts not by the scholar/performers of EMQ, but rather by Claude Marti, who (according to the liner notes) is a contemporary chanteur. The descendents of the massacre at Bezier are still alive, still speaking the language, and still trying to free their traditions from the hegemony of France, 777 years after the fact and 196 years after the French wiped them from all officials maps. The vibrancy of Mr. Marti's singing is *very* powerful. The record is not easy to get in the States, but I think the entire series "Reflexe: Stationen europaeischer Musik" is still in print in Europe. *Any* record in this series is well worth owning. -- ==ARPA:====================anderson@unix.macc.wisc.edu===Jess Anderson====== | UUCP: {harvard,seismo,topaz, 1210 W. Dayton | | akgua,allegra,ihnp4,usbvax}!uwvax!uwmacc!anderson Madison, WI 53706 | ==BITNET:============================anderson@wiscmacc===608/263-6988=======