Malicorne (Band)
Malicorne is a French folk or folk-rock band that was active in the 1970s.
Band History
Gabriel Yacoub was playing with at the beginning of the 1970s, the circle of the Breton musician Alan Stivells. However, he sang better songs from the French heritage as such in Breton or other Gaelic languages, so he separated from Alan Stivell. 1973 appeared the album Pierre de Grenoble, on the Gabriel and his wife Marie Yacoub participated. Along with Hughes de Courson and Laurent Vercambre they founded in 1974 Malicorne year.
The group Malicorne had considerable influence on the French folk music of the 1970s, together with more traditional groups such as La Bamboche and the so-called Celtic music Alan Stivells. Malicorne characterized by the simultaneous use of traditional and electro- acoustic instruments. Her arrangements were written in the style of folk -rock. Your texts are taken from folk songs or were even written. Étienne Roda -Gil, a successful song writer, wrote the lyrics to balançoires en feu, the penultimate album of the group. The group existed until the early 1980s. Over time, the members began solo careers.
The song
The work with the voice is one of the features of this innovative group singing and a cappella Lamentations made it their specialty: especially with works such as La Blanche Biche, Le Prince d'Orange or Marions les roses. The arrangements are complex. You can find all their a cappella works on the album Vox compiled and published in 1996.
The Music
From the electric guitar over Mandoloncello to Krummhorn and violin, the group combined traditional instruments with electric. The melodies are usually made of folklore and are often initiated or terminated with traditional works.
The group also worked on new sounds and sound effects ( which radiated a distinctive atmosphere ); this went on until the construction of new instruments, such as the orgue à voix, which can be heard in the play La Blanche Biche. They also used less known instruments like the dulcimer, the spinet, the hurdy-gurdy, the nyckelharpa, viola d' amore and the glockenspiel.
The musical influences of the group are mainly from the traditional French music, in part, from Québec, the medieval music, the so-called Celtic music, but also out of the rock or jazz.
Topics
Most of the works Malicornes refer to gritty issues such as disappointment in love, war, poverty or terrible events, sanglante about how in L' auberge. Magic and curses occur very often influential through their albums: The songs in Le Bestiaire are an example. Also you will also lighter songs and tunes, such as the comic pieces Couché tard, levé matin and cresson La fille au.
Others
- The Breton guitarist Dan Ar Braz made his debut on the album Pierre de Grenoble ( 1973).
- Gabriel Yacoub worked on numerous albums of Breton musicians.
- The record covers of the albums were always richly illustrated and often contained a booklet with the lyrics of the songs, explanations about each track as well as drawings and pictures.
- Some albums have a theme or a guide: traditional festivals on Almanac (1976 ), the wandering years at L' Extraordinaire Tour de France d' Adélard Rousseau ( 1978) and the mythology of the animals on Le Bestiaire (1979).
- The album Les Cathédrales de l'Industrie (1986 ) was planned as a second solo album Gabriel Yacoub, but the record company decided to pursue commercial reasons different.
- The album Almanac (1976 ) remains the best selling of the group to this day.
- On her first compilation Quintessence (1977 ) appeared an unreleased title: Martin, a tragicomic song.
- The title Prince d' Orange on Pierre de Grenoble ( 1973) is her first work with which Gabriel and Marie Yacoub were heard on the radio.