Charming, tender, in love. Funny, humble, generous. These are some of the many words that were spoken to pay tribute to Jean-Pierre Ferland during his national funeral on Saturday in Montreal.
A chance that we know, You’re beautiful, A little higher a little further… The songs punctuated the ceremony and their words took on a new meaning.
It’s set to the notes of an instrumental rendition of I’m coming back homea play written by Jean-Pierre Ferland in 1968, that the urn of the late musician entered the Mary Queen of the World Cathedral Basilica.
Love song for what has animated him all his life, the piece The music was performed by Florence K at the start of the ceremony. Music, my love of music. Do you still love me?
questions Jean-Pierre Ferland about this piece published in 1995 on the album don’t listen to that.
I don’t want to sleep tonight. I don’t want it to end, today’s beautiful day
sang Jean-Sébastien Lavoie later, demonstrating through the words of I don’t want to sleep tonightthe love that Jean-Pierre Ferland had for life.
It was the singer Mélissa Bédard who performed the classic A chance we have. She was joined by Jean-Pierre Ferland’s partner, Julie Anne Saumur, from the second verse. You will never be afraid, as long as I live. Even if I die
she sang for The love of his life
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Mélissa Bédard performed “Une chance qu’on s’a” with Julie Anne Saumur, widow of Jean-Pierre Ferland who ended her performance with tears in her eyes.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Christine Muschi
She burst into tears at the last note, then returned to her seat to thunderous applause.
Hello my boyfriend
It was the voice of Jean-Pierre Ferland which first sounded for the first two verses of If God existsthen Claude Dubois appeared, to perform a final duet with his friend. Hello my boyfriend
he whispered at the end of the piece.
The words sung by Ginette Reno, on video, at the end of the ceremony, took on their full meaning: A little higher, a little further. I can’t hold your hand anymore
. The piece written by Ferland in 1969 has been performed extensively by the singer over the years.
Throughout the ceremony, the organ of Jean-Michel Grondin, accompanied by the voices of the Petits chanters du Mont-Royal under the direction of Andrew Gray, added a gripping depth to the religious songs.
Jean-Pierre Ferland, a genius
We were lucky
launched his partner of the last 16 years, Julie Anne Saumur, in a heartfelt speech, highlighting the many moments of pleasure and humor shared with her lover.
Julie and Bruno Ferland, Jean-Pierre Ferland’s children, also spoke to celebrate their father’s life. In my eyes, my father was fireworks
expressed Julie Ferland, her throat tight with emotion.
She recounted, among other things, that her father had found an ox and a donkey to recreate the nativity during a family Christmas in the Caribbean, a memory demonstrating his keen sense of humor. She also confirmed that the singer’s unique smile was present until the very end of his life.
His brother Bruno added by evoking the many qualities of the man, clarifying his thoughts by naming the exceptional tenderness and vulnerability of his father in the last years.
The Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault listed the artist’s professional accomplishments and grandiose cultural contributions, calling him a genius of words and music
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Prime Minister François Legault was the first to speak during the national funeral of Jean-Pierre Ferland.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Christine Muschi
He mentioned his love for Quebec by speaking of the homesickness which marked him enough in 1968 for him to come home and write I’m coming back home.
He said that it was Clémence Desrochers who taught him to write. You did that well, Clémence
said the Prime Minister.
Images of Jean-Pierre Ferland’s funeral urn were also shown on a giant screen, and we could read the message that Clémence Desrochers had written on the yellow urn: I would like to leave sadness to better remember you, as I sometimes see you in my dreams my tender friend poet Jean-Pierre
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The artist Clémence Desrochers, who was part of the group Les Bozos with Jean-Pierre Ferland, left a touching testimony on the urn containing the singer’s ashes.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Louis-Philippe Ouimet
Another video showing Jean-Pierre Ferland on a bridge overlooking a river was broadcast. I’m not afraid of dying. I find that life is quite long. I was loved. I liked a lot
he said in the interview excerpt.
The niece of the singer-songwriter, Sylvie Ferland, read a text written by her father, Antoine, the brother of the deceased. He talks about a day when he was made fun of as a child for his love of raspberries. How did you manage to stay so charming?
questioned Antoine Ferland in his highly poetic text retracing pivotal moments in their lives.
The author of the biography Jean-Pierre Ferland : a little higher, a little further, Marc-François Bernier, for his part, spoke of the musician’s tender songs, which taught generations of men how to name love.
The voice of the one who will no longer sing concluded the ceremony, the poem Before I calm down resounding in the Cathedral Basilica as the procession left the premises:
We must jump the bridges
The walls and the high edges
You have to die your life
And not live your death
And during that time
Spring is thawing
The day makes its days
At night, his vigils
It’s to start again
That we learn to live
Whether it’s true or not
I believe it
