Galant, tu perds ton temps

Galant, tu perds ton temps is a group of five female singers and one male percussionist playing a women’s repertoire of traditional a cappella songs. The women’s repertoire was very little known before this group started singing it.

Their performance at the 2003 Mémoire et Racines Festival was crowned by a “Best Newcomer” award that validated the relevance of the project.
Galant is unlike all the other trad/folk groups for several reasons. First, it includes mostly women – a rare feature. Also, there are no melodic instruments in the group, as the music focuses on the voices, either in unison or in harmony. These voices are accompanied only by Québécois foot-tapping, a drum, or even a suitcase. The songs have survived the ages via the oral tradition, and their lyrics take center stage. Finally, the repertoire essentially consists of women’s songs the group is reclaiming through its interpretations, since these songs are usually performed by men.

Galant received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts in 2004 to record their first album. The sessions took place at “Studio du rang quatre” with André Marchand (of Les Charbonniers de l’Enfer) at the desk. This album was and still is highly regarded by traditional music and song fans. It has sold nearly 2,500 copies to this day.

After extensive research and thinking, Galant concluded that one particular style of song stood out: the “complainte,” or lament. Generally speaking, a “complainte” is a song with a tragic narrative, as it tells the characters’ misfortunes.

The other songs performed by Galant are usually more lively, and range from call-and-response songs to romantic 6/8 songs. The topics they address can be humorous, ironic, or even worth writing a tale or a novel about! The group also has a special interest in a unique form of song, the “turlutte,” or Québécois traditional scat singing.

The project here undertaken by Galant is ambitious. The goal is to have two major traditional song styles facing each other. Two albums in one, two states of mind, two entirely different worlds that marvelously complement one another. And surprisingly, the topics developed in these songs remain current.

Musically, the group’s arrangements are there to support the songs. In unison or in harmony, the voices take the listener into a highly original universe that has little to do with the folklore clichés often seen in the media.

Please find enclosed complete documentation about the group, including member bios.

Also included is a promotional album, so you can have a taste of what will be on the new album.

In conclusion, Galant, tu perds ton temps sincerely hopes that you will be able to hear the authenticity in the music, for this grand project focuses on the poetry, energy, and identity of our culture, so rich and beautiful.

galanttuperdstontemps.ca / myspace.com/galanttuperdstontemps