The one hundred and tenth classical recording: #699 Joseph Canteloube - Chants d'Auvergne

Very early on, the list started with a number of folk songs before we saw it go into choral music. While the Chants d'Auvergne don't entirely go back to those days, still using an orchestra using traditional instruments, the feel of songs harkens back to it as time. It's hard to say how, but the folk origins of the songs come through in these songs. While the lyrics are in Occitan, not a language I understand, it feels they have been written to focus on the message of the song, rather than the repetition and skill of the singers as other, more conventional classical pieces have done. The sound of it matters, but you can tell that this originates from folk songs where not everyone would have such amazing skills.

The music supports that too. While certainly not out of place it is set up to evoke an atmosphere as well as to support the lyrics and while there are plenty of moments where it gets to shine, it also takes a step back during the sung parts. While still beautiful and stirring, it tries to focus more on the vocal performance and the effect that creates. Although it isn't (to misuse a genre) 'poppy' enough, it's easier to see the link from this to the music from 1930s movies and what I believe to have been popular at the time than other classical works do and, as we have seen with more modern works, it's a fusion like this that can produce the more interesting and forward driving results.