During the 1970s, French record company Le Chant Du Monde published classical, folk and traditional music from around the world, especially from Communist countries where they had many contacts – I assume via the French Communist Party. The label also had two interesting single series: the “Chevance” series of the late 1970s was devoted to experimental songs by independent songwriters like Jacqueline Held or Steve Waring, playing with French free jazz musicians of the time (Jean-Louis Mechali, Maurice Merle, Jean Bolcato, Louis Sclavis). Published around 1985, the second series, titled “Sonoriage”, was a collection of educative 7-inch singles devoted to raising sound awareness among the teen audience. Conceived by French educator Anne Bustaret, who worked with sound and music with teenagers, Sonoriage had only 3 releases, each elaborating on musique concrète (Alain Savouret, Musiques en Bandes), bell resonances and environmental sounds (Alain Gagneux, Musiques sur la Place) or self-build instruments (Jean-François Gaël, Musiques de Table). Half of the experimental-progressive duo Sonorhc with Pierre Buffenoir in 1972, Jean-François Gaël worked as a backing guitarist for French singer Hélène Martin and, later in the 1980s till today, as film and cartoon music composer, and orchestra director.
♫ Gaël’s single for the Sonoriage series, titled Musiques de Table, or Kitchen Music, is played on kitchenware exclusively on the first side, and on Cristal Baschet on the flip. The disc comes with a booklet of games, exercices and suggestions for children to play music with everyday objects. Tracks #1 to 6 are a kind of joyous musique concrète for children played on forks, knives, wine glasses and other ustensils, with minimal sound treatment and tape manipulation. Track titles are a reference to Pierre Schaeffer’s own early musique concrète experiments, titled Études. Tracks #7 to 10 feature Michel Deneuve interpreting some of these tracks on Cristal Baschet.
01 Repas (:34)
02 Isolons (1:25)
03 Étude aux Verres (:35)
04 Étude Métallique (:39)
05 Musique de Table (1:05)
06 Étude aux Œufs (:51)
07 Profiteroles (:50)
08 Île Flottante (1:15)
09 Sucre Candi (1:17)
10 Religieuse (1:18)
Anne Bustaret, concept
Jean-François Gaël, musique concrète, composition
Michel Deneuve, Cristal Baschet
Total time 9:50
7-inch record released by Le Chant Du Monde, France, 1985
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I waited for a long time
… et voilà !