Fête de la Musique
| Fête de la Musique (Make Music Day) | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Genre | World music |
| Dates | June |
| Location(s) | France, International |
| Years active | 1981-present |
| Founded by | Joel Cohen |
| Website | |
| English | |
The Fête de la Musique, also known as Make Music Day[1][2] or World Music Day,[3] is an annual music celebration taking place on June 21, the first day of summer in cities around the world.
The concept of an all-day musical celebration on the days of the solstice, was originated by American musician Joel Cohen, who spent two seasons as a producer of musical radio programs for the French National Radio (France Musique).[4] The idea later was adapted as a national celebration each June 21 in France and made official by the French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang. The festival later became celebrated in 120 countries around the world.[5]
History
In October 1981, Maurice Fleuret became Director of Music and Dance at Minister of Culture Jack Lang’s request, and applied his reflections to the musical practice and its evolution: "the music everywhere and the concert nowhere". When he discovered, in a 1982 study on the cultural habits of the French, that five million people, one child out of two, played a musical instrument, he began to dream of a way to bring people out on the streets. It first took place in 1982 in Paris as the Fête de la Musique.
Ever since, the festival has become an international phenomenon, celebrated on the same day in more than 700 cities in 120 countries, including Germany, Italy, Greece, Russia, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, the United States, and Japan.[6]
Fête de la Musique's purpose is to promote music in two ways:
- Amateur and professional musicians are encouraged to perform in the streets, under the slogan "Faites de la musique" ("make music", a homophone of Fête de la Musique).
- Many free concerts are organized, making all genres of music accessible to the public. Two of the caveats to being sanctioned by the official Fête de la Musique organization in Paris are that all concerts must be free to the public, and all performers donate their time for free. This is true of most participating cities, now, as well.
Despite there being a large tolerance about the performance of music by the general public of amateurs in public areas after usual hours, the noise restrictions still apply, and can cause some establishments to be forbidden to open and broadcast music out of their doors without prior authorization. So the prefectures of police in France can still forbid them to install any audio hardware in the street.[7]
Gallery
See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fête de la musique. |
References
- ↑ "Free 'Make Music Day' festival coming in June". Associated Press. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ "Make Music Day". Make Music - June 21. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ "The World Music Day: How it came into being". India Today. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ "Joel Cohen: Music Director Emeritus". Boston Camerata. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ "LA FÊTE DE LA MUSIQUE : UNE FÊTE NATIONALE DEVENUE UN GRAND ÉVÉNEMENT MUSICAL MONDIAL". Le Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication: Fête de la Musique. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ "Around The World". Make Music - June 21. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ France (2013-01-24). "Paris, France. ''Marais: les gays privés de Fête de la Musique?'', Tetu.com, 21 june 2008)". Tetu.com. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
External links
- The French Culture Ministry's website on the Fête de la Musique (in French, international section also available in English)