Le Tourdion - French Renaissance Song

Arrangement & vocals by Farya Faraji. Many thanks to my good friends Christophe Chapleau and Tommy Laniel for participating in the video.

The history of this song is a bit complex: originally, the Tourdion was a French dance of the 1500's, with its associated music usually if not always in triple metre. The specific piece heard here was collected by Pierre Attaignant, a music publisher. This is an important detail: all over the internet, people will credit him as the author and musician of this melody, but he was simply a publisher, and he was the first to collect this piece whose original author is unknown. This original piece had no lyrics, and was simply a polyphonic instrumental piece. The lyrics heard here were added over four centuries later by César Goeffrey, a French musician, in the 1900's, who turned the piece into a vocal polyphonic performance.

Therefore, my arrangement, while historically accurate in its form, is a mixture of the original instrumental piece with the more recent vocal additions, which could have absolutely existed in the original era as they are now. However, one part that is not accurate is the nature of some of the melodic lines: the original versions use the cadential semitone subtonic of the harmonic minor during the ending of the melodic lines, as was most typical of Renaissance music. I based my singing on more recent written down renditions that substitute the harmonic minor subtonic during cadences for the whole tone subtonic of the natural minor, which is evidently anachronistic to the musical practices of the 1500's.

The rest of the arrangement follows the principles of 1500's French polyphony, one of my absolute favourite forms of music. Four different melodic lines are written in vertical structure to coincide with harmonic intervals that end up creating what is effectively a harmonic progression very similar to modern chord progressions in Western music. The instruments double the same melodic lines, and they consist of a fidule, a viola de gamba, a flute and a lute.

Lyrics in French:
Quand je bois du vin clairet,
Amis, tout tourne,
Aussi désormais
Je bois Anjou ou Arbois.
Chantons et buvons,
À ce flacon faisons la guerre,
Chantons et buvons,
Mes amis, buvons donc.

Buvons bien, buvons mes amis,
Trinquons, buvons, gaiement chantons.
En mangeant d’un gras jambon,
À ce flacon faisons la guerre.

Le bon vin nous a rendus gais,
Chantons, oublions nos peines, chantons.
En mangeant d’un gras jambon,
À ce flacon faisons la guerre.

English translation:
Everything is spinning, everything is spinning.

When I drink Clairet wine,
My friend, everything turns, turns, turns, turns...
Therefore now I drink Anjou or Arbois.

Let us drink my friends, let us drink well,
Let us empty our cups,
As we eat this fatty ham,
Let us wage war on this wine flask!

The good wine has made us gay,
Let us sing, let us drink,
As we eat this fatty ham,
Let us wage war on this wine flask!

[faryafaraji]

Arrangement & vocals by Farya Faraji. Many thanks to my good friends Christophe Chapleau and Tommy Laniel for participating in the video.

The history of this song is a bit complex: originally, the Tourdion was a French dance of the 1500's, with its associated music usually if not always in triple metre. The specific piece heard here was collected by Pierre Attaignant, a music publisher. This is an important detail: all over the internet, people will credit him as the author and musician of this melody, but he was simply a publisher, and he was the first to collect this piece whose original author is unknown. This original piece had no lyrics, and was simply a polyphonic instrumental piece. The lyrics heard here were added over four centuries later by César Goeffrey, a French musician, in the 1900's, who turned the piece into a vocal polyphonic performance.

Therefore, my arrangement, while historically accurate in its form, is a mixture of the original instrumental piece with the more recent vocal additions, which could have absolutely existed in the original era as they are now. However, one part that is not accurate is the nature of some of the melodic lines: the original versions use the cadential semitone subtonic of the harmonic minor during the ending of the melodic lines, as was most typical of Renaissance music. I based my singing on more recent written down renditions that substitute the harmonic minor subtonic during cadences for the whole tone subtonic of the natural minor, which is evidently anachronistic to the musical practices of the 1500's.

The rest of the arrangement follows the principles of 1500's French polyphony, one of my absolute favourite forms of music. Four different melodic lines are written in vertical structure to coincide with harmonic intervals that end up creating what is effectively a harmonic progression very similar to modern chord progressions in Western music. The instruments double the same melodic lines, and they consist of a fidule, a viola de gamba, a flute and a lute.

Lyrics in French:
Tout tout tout tourne…
Quand je bois du vin clairet,
Amis, tout tourne,
Aussi désormais
Je bois Anjou ou Arbois.
Chantons et buvons,
À ce flacon faisons la guerre,
Chantons et buvons,
Mes amis, buvons donc.

Buvons bien, buvons mes amis,
Trinquons, buvons, gaiement chantons.
En mangeant d’un gras jambon,
À ce flacon faisons la guerre.

Le bon vin nous a rendus gais,
Chantons, oublions nos peines, chantons.
En mangeant d’un gras jambon,
À ce flacon faisons la guerre.

English translation:
Everything is spinning, everything is spinning.

When I drink Clairet wine,
My friend, everything turns, turns, turns, turns...
Therefore now I drink Anjou or Arbois.

Let us drink my friends, let us drink well,
Let us empty our cups,
As we eat this fatty ham,
Let us wage war on this wine flask!

The good wine has made us gay,
Let us sing, let us drink,
As we eat this fatty ham,
Let us wage war on this wine flask!

[AlexTV-rwrt]

if your party doesn't look like this, don't even bother to invite me

[MrHazz]

An ancient Tamil chant on Monday, an American Folk song on Tuesday, and a French Renaissance melody on Friday.
Thus was the life of the bard Farya.

[chaosvolt]

"Let us wage war on this wine flask" is absolutely a mood.

[ansfelt]

My friends and I were all studying in history when we were in university. This song was known by all of us and multiple times we had been thrown out of the bar or restauran we had ended because we shouted that at the top of our lungs all the while being dread drunk and sometime passing out before we could shout the first chorus. Good memories, i'm glad i've found this new version. Next time I reunite with the pals, i'll make sure to bring ham and wine and indulge a little with them all !

[xano]

As a French, I thank you for this masterpiece

[Teutororo]

As French, I must congratulate you, mon bon Monsieur : you honor the spirit of our country, may it survive the times to come ❤

[k_s]

How can you have such a nice accent in so many different languages. That blows my mind.

[russergee]

I was not expecting French Renaissance-style Epic Meal Time in the middle of the video 😂

[igorvoloshin]

- Сенешаль, что нового слышно в моих землях?

- Милорд, люди в городке у замка говорят, что в таверне видели знаменитого барда. Возможно, Ваша Милость захочет пригласить его чтобы скрасить ужин?

- Прекрасная идея, пошли за ним кого-нибудь! Только смотри у меня, со всем уважением, знаменитые барды - они народ чувствительный!

[sbeno]

French nobles introduce the Safavid ambassador to the culture of the Renaissance (1601, colorized)

[alexanderfo]

This is probably the most fitting video imaginable to this song.

[mohammadmahdijalaeipour]

Seeing Farya, our Lord of music and memery destroy a whole pie was quite entertaining.

[mello]

Quand j'écoute Farya,
Amis, tout tourne,
Aussi désormais
Je chante et je chantonne.
Chantons et dansons,
À ce ménestrel faisons la fête,
Chantons et dansons,
Mes amis, honorons le donc!

[AthVIII]

My toddler is obsessed with your videos we listen to this song at least 15 times a day!

[fuferito]

The gorgeous images of this feast in the first few seconds gave the gout I've always craved to get.

[kortiv]

Hello, i'm french and i discover your channel with this song.
Thanks for keeping dying culture alive.

[TrevorBurton-yg]

This is one of those beautiful songs where I don’t know the language but I keep coming back to it. What a masterpiece. Currently learning Persian but I hope to move onto French someday

[Kaguyahime]

My favorite singer sings my favourite French renaissance song! What a

[onurerdogan]

Farya is doing full fledged music clips now lmao. It was a fun watch though, can clearly tell you've enjoyed making this Farya