CULTURE. Around a hundred people gathered at the Cœur de Ville space on Thursday January 16 to attend the conference organized by the University of Popular Culture (UCP) on “Paris: a historical walk in songs”.
This was given by Bernard Herold, honorary lecturer, born in Paris, and retired teacher-researcher at the University of Reims. “If love is undeniably the first theme developed in French song, Paris is certainly the second,” launched Bernard Herold, adding that “more than 3,000 songs, from the best to the most mediocre, illustrate the capital.”
Historical walk
Century after century, from François Villon to the latest rap groups, including the Paris Commune and the Nazi occupation. Neighborhood by neighborhood, from Ménilmontant to Montmartre, via the banks of the Seine, Saint-Germain des Pres and the Bastille. And from the Parisian Titi to the metro puncher, including the gigolo and the peripatetic woman. The speaker first proposed a historical walk. Followed secondly by a geographical walk, “in a city which, century after century, fascinates by its ability to overcome challenges and attract talent”.
24 song samples
Bernard Herold played 24 extracts of songs, displaying the lyrics on the screen, ranging from “Song of the barricades of Paris” in 1642, to Notre-Dame de Paris with “Le temps des cathedrals” while passing from district to district with “Ménilmontant” (1938), “Sur les grands boulevards” (1942), “À Saint-Lazare”, a song by Barbara referring to the prison which was located near the train station the East, and “Auteuil-Neuilly-Passy”. It was an opportunity for the public, for almost two hours, to pleasantly travel through Paris in song.
-The next UCP conference will take place on Thursday January 23 at 2:30 p.m. at the Palace, and will be given by Evelyne Vergnou on “Have leisure always existed? “.
From our correspondent Adrien Jeanson
