23592: FromLeGraceBensonFW: Subject: Fwd: The story of Choucoune Stolen Legacy: The ordeal of Choucoune (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Legrace Benson <legrace@twcny.rr.com>

Froward from LeGrace: Many of you on this list know this story, but it is
one that bears repeating.  Note that you can get copies of the song upon
request.

----Original Message Follows----
From: Michi431@aol.com



CHOUCOUNE

Subject: : The story of Choucoune   Stolen Legacy: The ordeal of
Choucoune

Louis J. Auguste, MD

For the past 500 years, Haiti has been part of the world's history.
As a member of the society of nations, Haiti and Haitians have made
numerous, worthy, but rarely heralded, contributions.

Need we mention the bravery of the future heroes of our Independence,
who fought in Savannah under the banner of the French Army to help
defeat the English Colonial forces and help free the United States of
America?

Need we mention the foundation of the city of Chicago by
Jean-Baptiste Point du Sable, a Haitian born fur trader?

Need we mention the assistance provided to Simon Bolivar by Petion in
the form of safe haven when his life was threatened, monetary
support, tactical advice and even the provision of manpower to
bolster his army?

Need we mention the generous contribution of all the Haitian teachers
who responded to the call of our ancestors' land in the days that
followed the massive movement of African decolonization in the 1970s,
when all these newly created nations were "dropped"� by their former
colonizers, "up a creek with one paddle"?

The list goes on and on. However, the greatest contribution of all is
an intellectual one.

Indeed, Haiti is one of the most vibrant and productive nation within
the francophone community, when it comes to literary creation.
Haitian writers, such as Dany Laferriere, are often called upon to
represent Canada at the International Book Fairs in Paris. Novelists
such as Jacques Roumain have been translated in more than 20
languages and read all over the world.

When it comes to music, the Haitian influence has also been enormous.
Throughout the history of the new world, it is undeniable that
Haitian rhythms and compositions have impacted on both Latin and
Caribbean music, particularly Cuban, Guadeloupean and Dominican, but
this contribution has seldom been acknowledged.

The astute student of our music will remember that among others, Guy
Durosier and Raoul Guillaume's song, "Ma Brune"�, has been translated
into Spanish as "Morena"� and interpreted by many South American
artists.

Certainly, it gives us a sense of pride to see how some of our
musical creations are appreciated abroad.

However, it is painful when one of our most celebrated meringue is
usurped, I would even say hijacked, without giving credit to its
original composer.

As a child growing up in Haiti, I remember being rocked to sleep by
my mother to the beautiful tune of Choucoune.

This slow meringue, perhaps more than any other, has been interpreted
by most Haitian choirs, orchestras, bands or ensemble.  never thought
that any single Haitian would doubt that this song is ours, belongs
to us and to none other.

However, this tune has become better known with the lyrics of "Yellow
Bird" than those of "Choucoune".If you ask a Jamaican, he will have
no hesitation in answering that it is a Jamaican song.

Young Haitian Americans surveyed recently were not sure whether it
was a Jamaican song translated in Creole or a Haitian song translated
in English. Even the German-Haitian artist Cornelia Schutt, also
known as Ti Corn, in her CD "Caribbean Ballads" (1991-Gema), sings
Yellow Bird and lists it as "traditional".

My frustration growing, I went on the internet to look for the name
of the composer of "Choucoune". Both AskJeeves.com and Google had no
match for the question. I contacted numerous music stores in an
attempt to procure a copy of the scores of the Choucoune. No luck. I
went on e-Bay, hoping to be able to buy perhaps an old sheet music,
with the scores of "Choucoune". There again, no luck.

I decided therefore to search "Yellow Bird".

On the first try on AskJeeves.com, there it was: Yellow Bird's music
was composed in the 1960s by Norman Luboff and the lyrics written by
Alan and Marilyn Keith Bergman.

It had become clear to me that we were facing a case of "stolen
legacy", to use an expression rendered popular by James Richardson,
who described how the glorious Egyptian tradition was falsely
attributed to the Greeks by the eurocentric scolars.  Did this happen
because we Haitians fail to study our own history and to teach it to
our children?

What is the true story of "Choucoune"?

Believe it or not, Choucoune was a real person. Her real name was
Marie Noel Belizaire. She was born in the Village of
La-Plaine-du-Nord in the year 1853.

Although her parents are not commonly known, it is reported that
Ms.Belizaire had two sisters. Unlike her sisters, she was strikingly
beautiful and she was given the nickname of Choucoune. She was
dark-skinned, but her long hair was straight, defining the type
"marabou", commonly used in the Haitian vernacular.

Before she could  finish her elementary classes, she fell in love
with a young man, named Pierre Theodore. The two became involved in a
common-law marriage. To support her family, she started a small
business, detailing various articles of daily necessity.

Soon however, Choucoune realized that the young man was unfaithful.

She left the village and moved to Cap-Haitien, the capital of the
Northern Province of Haiti.
She resided at 14, Simon Street (Rue Simon) in the neighborhood of
Petite-Guinee.  She established a small restaurant near the Chapel of
St-Joseph, located on 19th Street (Rue 19).

One of her customers may have been one Oswald Durand, famous poet in
those days in Cap-Haitien.  He was 13 years older than Choucoune.
Nevertheless a romantic relationship was quick to start between the
two. They seemed to have enjoyed quite a few blissful moments. Those
moments unfortunately were short, because Oswald Durand was a known
womanizer and often described himself as "the gardener that waters
all the flowers".

Choucoune was looking for a more stable relationship and moved on.

Shortly thereafter, Oswald Durand was thrown in jail for having
criticized some of the political leaders in Cap-Haitien.  While
sitting in his cell, a bird alit on his window and Durand composed
one of the most beautiful Haitian poems, written in Creole. Its title
was: Choucoune and the year was 1883.

In it, the poet talks of Choucoune's beauty, of their happy moments
and of the pain of their separation, when Choucoune preferred a young
French man over him. Choucoune never returned to Durand, despite the
fact that he truly immortalized her. She kept looking for the perfect
love that never came. She fell on hard times in the later part of her
life and returned to her
native village.

She became insane and had to beg for survival.

My mother who as a child, used to go to the celebration of  Saint
James in La-Plaine-du-Nord told me that people would point to the
fallen beauty, whispering : "�Here is Choucoune! Look at Choucoune!"
Choucoune died in 1924.

Durand's poem was considered the best poem written in creole and 10
years later, it attracted a young musician by the name of Michel
Mauleart Monton.

Mauleart was born in New Orleans, Louisiana of a Haitian father and
an American mother.  His father's name was Milien Monton and he was a
tailor.  For unknown reasons, he was raised in Haiti by his older
sister, Odila Monton, who owned a store on Rue du Magazin de l'Etat,
in Port-au-Prince.  He took music lessons from Mr. Toureau Lechaud
and learned how to play the piano.

Under the spell of the rich tropical nature, the surreal and magical
world of Haitian religion and the classical European musical
tradition, Mauleart combined these influences to compose numerous
pieces that were celebrated in his days but that are not commonly
known nowadays. They included: La polka des tailleurs (The tailors
polka), L'amour et l'argent(Love and Money),
P'tit Pierre(Little Peter),  Les P'tits suye pye du jeudi (The
Thursdays' dance parties) and many
others.

However, he is most famous for putting in music Oswald Durand's poem,
Choucoune. It was first performed in public in Port-au-Prince on May
14, 1893.

Choucoune was an instant success both in Haiti and abroad.

Later on, it was prominently featured during the festivities that
marked the celebration of the Bicentennial of Port-au-Prince, in
1949.

At that time, Haiti was the main tourist attraction of the
Caribbean.The noted visitors of the island included celebrities like
Marian Anderson, Harry Belafonte, Elizabeth Taylor and many others.

Who first fell in love with the slow meringue of Choucoune? We will
never know. Let's just say that in the 1950s, a composer named Norman
Luboff heard the song and adapted the melody to new lyrics written by
two songwriters, Alan and Marilyn Keith Bergman.

The lyrics were also inspired from Durand's song and Ti Zwezo (little
bird in creole) became Yellow Bird.

The song appeared on the Norman Luboff Choir's Calypso Holiday LP
album in 1957, described on the cover as a "serenade of a lonesome
lover to an equally lonesome bird."

The new version of the song gained quickly in popularity and became
an easy listening favorite across the United States. Many artists
recorded it on a dozen of singles and as the main title on
albums by the Mills Brothers, Roger Williams and Lawrence Welk.
Today, the song is performed by every steel band and is a favorite
request of tourists on cruises or vacationing in the Caribbean
islands, without knowing that it all started in 1883, in a Haitian
jail.

Next time, you hear Yellow Bird, think of Choucoune and Oswald and
tell  every one proudly that they are singing a Haitian song.

For those of our readers who sing or play a musical instrument, we
are happy to provide the score and the lyrics of Choucoune with
credit given to lyricist, composer and arranger.


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