Céline's French songs vs Québécoise songs?

[westwing]

There's a quote about Céline in Wikipedia: "According to Luc Plamondon, who has written several songs for her, there are three singers: the Québécoise, the French, and the English", referring to her different vocal singing styles.

 

My French isn't good enough to tell the difference in her French songs; are there any particular songs (recorded) where you can tell that she is singing more in her Québécoise dialect or using Québécoise dialect words, as compared to singing in traditional "European" French?

 

[Tyler1991]

I would imagine probably in her earlier albums (before Incognito and DMQS). I remember (don't remember who) that someone said they didn't like the way she rolled her r's (or something like that) in some of her songs.

[Matias]

I think is also how she pronunces some words...I believe that Incognito is pronunced different in Quebec that in France...

[Guest Reuben]

He might also be commenting on the way she sings, for example french is her native language, and I feel when she sings in french there is much more raw emotion she understands the meaning of the words and she can give it her all. When she sings in English its much more of a bigger style production, she gives it her all but she uses different techniques, in fact I think she sings with much more technique in english than in french. Maybe having to do with that she learned the language to sing it.

As for the Quebec part, I think there was a different feeling to D'elles, which had both french and canadian french writers, much more intimate. Closer to home.

 

I think the same is true for other non anglophone artists, say Shakira sounds different (sings with a different intensity, understanding of the words) on her Spanish albums (especially the early ones) compared to her English albums.

 

This is just my interpretation of his quote.

[Xpresso]

I don't think Plamondon is refering to the difference in the accents. I think he just means the voices...

[RomualdlovesCeline]

In her earlier recording, she sounded more like Edith Piaf, a well known French singer in songs like "D'amour or D'amitie" and in "Ce n'etait qu'un reve". However, Celine has never recorded a song in her dialect. The only time I heard Celine singing in her dialect was in this video:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiabGEp-PrI and this video too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffkYgYxjzIQ

Edited November 8, 2010 at 05:21 AM by RomualdlovesCeline

[Sofie]

Thanks for the info and videos!

[dorfus]

The actual quote from the article is this:

 

In her French repertoire, Dion adorns her vocal lines with more nuances and modulations, and the emotional intensity is "more tender and intimate."[192] According to Luc Plamondon, who has written several songs for her, there are three singers: the Québécoise, the French, and the English.

 

I think it's basically referring to who sings better between the three. Quebecois singers supposedly sing with more emotion than the French and the English/American.

 

Chris

[celine-rc]

Well, I'd say that the songs in the beginning were more Québécois along with Ne bouges pas from 1f&4t. For the french, it could be pretty much anyting. Qébécois now, can be anything. The industrie has really changed in the past decades. English, well all her english songs. I agree with Luc though about the three singers thing but I find it depends were she is. When she's in the U.S., she's American, when she's in France, she's more French but when she's in Québec, with Julie, on Le Banquier, Gala l'ADISQ, she's definetly 100% pure laine!

The Québécois has more voice than the French one and the emotion is different.

[RomualdlovesCeline]

Well, I'd say that the songs in the beginning were more Québécois along with Ne bouges pas from 1f&4t. For the french, it could be pretty much anyting. Qébécois now, can be anything. The industrie has really changed in the past decades. English, well all her english songs. I agree with Luc though about the three singers thing but I find it depends were she is. When she's in the U.S., she's American, when she's in France, she's more French but when she's in Québec, with Julie, on Le Banquier, Gala l'ADISQ, she's definetly 100% pure laine!

The Québécois has more voice than the French one and the emotion is different.

 

I think that Celine in particular is a special Quebecois because she's basically the most famous one in and outside Quebec. What makes her more special is the fact that she puts more energy in her songs than any other singers even compared to her contemporaries Mariah or Whitney. For example, the performance of ABM is performed with such energy and willingness of Celine to surpass herself that you can't actually see any other performance that can match Celine's performance when she was at the top of her game. The French register of Celine refers to her D'eux album where she toned down her voice and expressed herself in JJ-G's words.

[westwing]

Thanks for all the replies

 

How about on the dvd "Live in Québéc" when she is rehearsing "Dégénérations/Le reel du fossé" with Mes Aïeux, or when she is singing a cappella and rehearsing with her brothers and sisters: is that more in Québécoise dialect?

Edited November 8, 2010 at 08:03 PM by westwing

[guyddavies]

might be able to help a bit, i remember a celine book, might have been my story my dream, but dont think so, it was an unofficial one with celine in a white top on front, by a female author,

anyway they said they were worried when celine first took her records from quebec to paris, becuase they have different dialects, like the difference between english and scottish, they have a few different slang words, etc. and sometimes french dont understand quebecois, just like sometimesenglish have to pay close attention to what scottish people are saying.

Also I have relatives in canada and quebec people dont see themselves as french, or canadian, they see themselves as having their own language, culture which is understandable. I mean have you ever told a scot they talk english, it will probably be the last thing you ever say lmao so he is right when he says you have the three languages. thats why her early stuff sounds vocally different than her later stuff.

[Prima_Donna1]

That's crazy I thought she sang under her dialect all along. Thanks for the info!

[celine-rc]

Thanks for all the replies

 

How about on the dvd "Live in Québéc" when she is rehearsing "Dégénérations/Le reel du fossé" with Mes Aïeux, or when she is singing a cappella and rehearsing with her brothers and sisters: is that more in Québécoise dialect?

 

You can't get more Québecois than that. That's really classic and authentic Québec music.

 

Btw, I agree with you RomualdlovesCeline!

Edited November 8, 2010 at 11:39 PM by c'line-rc

[Xpresso]

Just a side note: the language in Quebec is not a dialect! It's French with a different accent, just like English in the U.S vs English in the UK. Most of it is the same but there are some words/expressions that are different and the accent is not the same. When Céline sings in French on her French albums, it's a very international French language, without the Quebec accent. Same with British singers... we can't hear the British accent in their songs.