Christmas is choir time. But this one is a little special. Not the Little Singers at the Wooden Cross type. At Jester sprites, in Henri-Fréville in the south of Rennes, the atmosphere is more like the directional cross, the one that adorns video game controllers. Here, no “Oh Happy Day” or “See your path”: the warm-up starts with the first notes of Super Mario music. [Retrouvez cet article dans le dernier numéro du Mensuel de Rennes]
Gathered in the Video Game House, rue Yves-Berger, the dozen choristers give voice under the gaze of a mosaic of floppy disks to the glory of a little alien from Space Invaders.
Hades
Isabelle, with her hair in a mane and a striped sweater, launches the first notes of “Good Riddance” on her synth. The choir director and participating musician knows that this lament taken from the action game Hadès can be complex: “Be careful, among the guys, some sing very low, an octave below! Listen to those who sing high to get the pitch of the note! Violas, go ahead… Breathe to hold on as much as possible…”
The voices are raised and give the small subdivision house the air of a chapel. Julien Evrard, a young father who came with his partner, adjusts the noise-cancelling headphones of his 10-month-old baby who is sleeping in his stroller. “I did music theory as a kid, but it’s absolutely not an obligation to sing here, it’s all levels,” he says. Me, I do it by ear…” The last note finally lands. Isabelle jumps with joy. “Well done!” I'm starting to get chills now! »
Next concert
The choir progresses quickly. You have to master the pieces well for the next concert, scheduled for the evening of January 11 at Élabo, as part of the Pixel's not dead event. Jester Sprites also performs during the Howling West festival, at Saint-Cyr Park, with touching scenes such as these residents of the neighboring retirement home who religiously listen to a polyphony in praise of Pokemon.
“The choice of music is made in a “semi-totalitarian” way,” smiles Isabelle. My backing singers offer songs. I'm looking to see if there are already arrangements available for choir. It's more convenient, but it rarely is, so I often take care of it myself. Except that many are hard to arrange, which already makes for a good sorting. »
For style
Some members of Jester sprites sing in other choirs at the same time. A few had never practiced and were attracted by the style of the repertoire. “I started a more classical choir,” agrees Jérémy, a 37-year-old computer scientist. I heard about Jester sprites through word of mouth. I play a lot. In our music, what I prefer is that of Fire Emblem, which has a very intoxicating collective force. We've had great feedback from the public, especially those who aren't too familiar with video games and are discovering something they weren't expecting. »
The global video games market is expected to have generated $187.7 billion in 2024, according to the specialist site Newzoo. For several decades, the sector has increased its music-related budgets, readily hiring the services of well-known orchestras and artists. The emphasis on storytelling has given rise to soundtracks as iconic as those of films, and which have become essentials of popular culture. Which doesn't stop Jester sprites from offering minimalist compositions, like a chant taken from the 1995 game Discworld and as repetitive as it is heady.
The pleasure of singing
Amélie, she came “for the pleasure of singing”. But also “because I have a disability which prevents me from physical activity. The doctors recommended choir practice because it works the body and breathing a lot. I said to myself: “Why not?” » The young woman is also a big gamer – currently, she travels through the world of Disney Dreamlight Valley, on Switch. “In everything we've worked on so far, my favorite song is Hymn of the Fayth, which comes from Final Fantasy X. It's a game that rocked me throughout my adolescence, which fact that I am very motivated by singing something that I love, that I know and that I have spent many hours on. »
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