Cypress Choral Music

Composer: La Bolduc
Arranger: Erica Phare-Bergh
Format: Choral Octavo
Voicing: SSA with piano accompaniment

Remove stockings from the mantel when the fireplace is in use!
Often considered to be Quebec's first singer-songwriter, Mary Travers (known as "La Bolduc") hit the peak of her career in the 1930s. She popularized the well-known turlutte (French Canadian mouth music) that is now synonymous with Quebecois folk song. She wrote mainly political and satirical songs, but also a number of New Year's songs, although this particular one is a Christmas song. Le bas de Noel, depicts the antics of a family as they meet to celebrate Christmas together. La Bolduc's tongue-in-cheek tone is found even here in her non-political song.

This piece was premiered in 2007 as a commission by the CBC and was directed by Zimfira Poloz at the CBC-McGill Youth Gala Concert in Montreal. It is the second arrangement of three songs by La Bolduc, originally entitled, La Bolduc en fete. It now forms part of Dr. Laurier Fagnan's series, La serie enchantee.
Duration: 3:20