Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
Belgium
Singer-songwriter Stromae walks us through his personal creative process and the many choices he has to make to create his beautiful songs, such as the one you will hear in the background called "Papaoutai" (Dad, Where Are You?). Knowing what goes into the complex process of making music only deepens our appreciation of his work.
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
Canada, France
Corneille reflects on his fifteen-year career as a hip hop variety singer. Born in Germany but raised in Rwanda and now residing in Canada, Corneille absorbed various musical influences, which resulted in an eclectic and interesting mix of genres that he will explain in this video. You will also hear short music clips, one of which is from his latest album Entre nord et sud [Between North and South].
Difficulty:
Intermediate
France
In this video, Alessandro goes to the Saint-Ouen flea market, where he talks to a merchant who sells a wide variety of treasures and who believes that everything can be a work of art. Make sure to stop by the next time you're in Paris!
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
France
Alessandro goes to the flea market to interview the owners of a charming vintage boutique specializing in clothes and accessories from the 1880s to the 1980s. The owners even dress the part in their gorgeous costumes.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
France
In this video, pedestrians are asked to sing a song with the word vie (life) in it. Most of them come up with Edith Piaf's iconic "La Vie en Rose," but the other choices range from melodies by French singer-songwriters to Disney tunes. How many songs do you know with the word "life" in them?
Difficulty:
Intermediate
France
The Musée des Abattoirs (Slaughterhouse Museum) in Toulouse devoted an entire exhibition to dub music, a subgenre of reggae. The exhibition featured a selection of Jamaican-style sound systems and culminated in a big dub concert.
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
France
Discover a unique instrument called the ondes Martenot, a precursor to the synthesizer named after its inventor, Maurice Martenot. This electronic piano-like instrument, once a musical sensation in the 1930's, quickly fell into disuse, but is experiencing a revival thanks to Christine Ott, a talented pianist who adopted this unusual instrument and has worked alongside such musical greats as Radiohead and Yann Tiersen.
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
France
The Marseille-based rap group IAM is back after a six-year hiatus with their new album, Arts Martiens (Martian Arts), which is already topping the charts in France. Check out a preview of their song "Notre Dame veille" (Our Lady Watches) in this video.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Yacine Boularès, from the band Afro Groove Collective, talks about the different kinds of saxophones and gives a demonstration of each one. If you'd like to expand your saxophone knowledge even further, check out these Yabla videos from jazz musician Alex Terrier!
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
France
The teenage violist Valentin Tournet plays an excerpt from Marin Marais' "Folies d'Espagne" (Follies of Spain) in this interview. He talks about the folia, an early music theme from Spain, as well as the passion for music he developed at a very young age.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Overwhelmed by the amount of text messages and other technological annoyances in his life, singer-songwriter Benjamin Perrot uses this acoustic session on Le Mans TV as an opportunity to "disconnect." Don't let your phone distract you while watching this video!
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
The young singer-songwriter Benjamin Perrot has some loud neighbors, and his walls made of cardboard aren't exactly soundproof. You'll see in the video why he wonders if his neighbors are actually "rabbits"....
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
France
Claudine Thibout Pivert, a prolific poet, musician, and artist, talks about her latest books and the source of her inspiration, her childhood spent in the beautiful Anjou region of France.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
France
Rémy de Bores, an author and publisher, is a very busy man. In this video, he explains the intricacies of his profession and discusses his own books.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
France
Suzy Le Blanc is a poet, novelist, and short story writer who sets much of her work in the French region of Lorraine. In this video, she talks to us about some of her books and her passion for storytelling.
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