Ô quel beau jour [first line] (AU1998-1074-015)

Ô quel beau jour [first line] (AU1998-1074-015)

Excerpt from interview of Alberta Gagné (TC1998-1074-015) by Martha Pellerin. Part of a project (VFC1998-0007) on Franco-American song in New England funded by the Vermont Folklife Center and undertaken by Pellerin. Interview is one in a series of six conducted between 1995-01-09 and 1995-12-06 as an effort to document the French language song repertoire of Gagné.

“O quel beau jour “(“Oh what a beautiful day“) is a wedding day song, one of a many such songs of farewell and blessings which were sung by the bride to their parents. This particular song has a healthy dose of traditional attitudes about the role of a respectable French-Canadian bride, with promises of docile submission to her husband as well as her parents and in-laws. No documented sources for this song are known.

After singing this song, Alberta Gagné related that she had learned it from her sister Béatrice and that she (Alberta) sang it at her own wedding.

VFC1998-0007 Martha Pellerin Collection. TC1998-1074 interview with Alberta Gagné. Vermont Folklife Center Archive, Vermont Folklife Center, Middlebury, Vermont, United States of America.

Copyright (c) Vermont Folklife Center

Full Interview: vfc1998-0005_tc1998-1074

fra

vfc1998-0007_tc1998-1074-001b-005

vfc1998-0007_tc1998-1074-001b-005b

O quel beau jour (first line)

[unknown]

Ô quel beau jour

(BEGIN SINGING)

 

Ô quel beau jour, embellir l'allégresse,

Hélas pour moi, combien il y a d'attrait,

Je suis sa femme mais non pas sa maîtresse,

Fidélité je le jure à jamais.

Et vous, bon père, bénissez votre fille,

Ah, nous voilà pour toujours réunis,

            [Refrain] :

Toujours, toujours s'aimant avec tendresse

Oui, pour toujours nos vœux seront bénis. [repeat last two lines]

 

Ô quel beau jour que le ciel me destine,

En choisissant le plus aimable époux.

De deux mères aujourd'hui je suis la fille,

De les aimer je Ie jure à jamais.

Parents, amis, partagez notre ivresse

Ô nous voilà pour toujours réunis,

Refrain

 

Faut que je quitte mon bon et tendre père,

Faut je le quitte mais non pas pour toujours.

Et vous ô bonne et vertueuse mère,

Il ne faut pas en avoir du regret.

Toujours, toujours vous voirez votre fille,

Toujours docile et soumise à vos lois.

C'est pour embellir votre famille,

En choisissant le plus aimable époux. [repeat last two lines]

(END SINGING)

 

 

AG: I sang at my wedding.

 

MP: Come again?

 

AG: The song I just sang. I sang it at my wedding.

 

MP: Ah, oui?

 

AG: Yeah, I learned it before. Your aunt Bea there...Aubine? She knew that song and...and she was singing it. I said "I want to learn that."

 

(Laughter)

 

AG: So I sang it at my wedding. And after that I sang it at other weddings, but I didn't say me..you know. I said "Helas pour...pour...comment...combien il a d'attrait. Instead of saying for...for singing for myself,

 

AG: I sang for them, for the wedding. I sang it quite a few times.

 

AG: I don't know if you never heard it.

 

UV: I know my father—in-law sang a couple of songs ....

 

AG: I don't think he knew that one. No.

 

MP: (Unintelligible)

 

AG: Oh, yeah. He used to sing. He had a nice voice.

 

UV: He had a voice .... to sing... He could compare with those singers like

Mario Lanza and all them...He had a very good voice.

 

MP: .......

 

UV: He didn't need a microphone.

 

AG: oh, yeah.

 

UV: He had a strong voice. Me, now, I can't carry a tune in a wheelbarrow.

(Laughter)

 

UV: ....... his daughter sings. Rita sings.....There's nobody else I know...

There's only Roma who ...... music...

 

sound cassette (analog)