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[The
following is an article translated from the French, which appeared in
Le Journal de Lowell, June 1979, p.5.]
The Champagne family
“Love is
like a bowl of lettuce” may sound like words written by Lewis Carroll for his elusive
white rabbit that Alice pursued to Wonderland. But
this expression translated into French now takes on a new meaning for thousands of
Franco-Americans throughout New England as well as for the people of Québec. Its real translation is “L’amour
c’est comme la salade…”, the popular folk song composed in 1916 by Philias Champagne, member of the
renowned musical Champagne family,
of which Eusebe is the most famous. Today, in
1979, this music comes back to life and once more becomes popular. Yes, the first songs written and composed by the
brothers Champagne have been rediscovered, performed
and recorded.
When the first Canadians immigrated to the United
States, particularly to New England, they brought
with them a rich treasure of songs and ballads, a treasure that enriched our own national
heritage. With time, this original music
inspired our urban communities such as Lowell and Fall River in Massachusetts; Manchester, NH; Woonsocket, RI; Lewiston, ME; Winooski, VT; and Putnam, CN, creating a truly rich repertoire for our
Canadian ancestors living in an Anglophone environment.
These folk songs have preserved their eternal and precious themes.
Octave Champagne was born in 1859 in Saint-Etienne de Bolton in the county of Brome, Québec. His father immigrated to Lebanon, NH and that’s where
Eusebe was born in 1871. Around 1890, the
three Champagne brothers, Philias, Octave and Eusebe settled in Lowell, MA and with time,
their music was so well appreciated throughout New England they began publishing and
selling it, and the celebrated Eusebe, violin in hand, became the Strauss of New-England.
In 1977 Richard Santerre, PhD. of Lowell, historian of Franco-Americana, and well known for his
appearances on PBS television received some of this music from a friend who had come
across it in attics and cellars in the area. Richard
became fascinated with this music, most of which had been published in Lowell it seems at the
beginning of the 20th century. Having
gathered as much as he could, he discovered that these compositions and songs had been
written and composed by the Champagne brothers, mostly by Eusebe whose photo, with violin and curly
hair appeared on many covers.
After much research and much thought, it was decided that this music could still be
performed and appreciated. Albert Santerre,
Richard’s brother, had the ingenious idea of achieving this and did so with great
success. Being a lover of music and interested
in promoting the Franco-American cause, Albert brought these musical treasures to the
attention of Normand Ayotte, an accomplished singer with much knowledge of French folk
music. Normand was captivated by this find and
as a result, La Chorale Orion was founded. The
name was taken from the publishing house of the Champagne brothers, The Orion Music Company.
The first concert presented by La Chorale Orion was performed on May 3, 1978 at the
Little Theatre, Mahoney Hall on the South Campus of the University of Lowell. Shortly thereafter La Chorale Orion put out a
stereo record containing the following songs: Salut; O Canada; L’Amour c’est
comme la salade; Amour brisé; Le Distrait; S’aimer toujours; Le départ du Soldat;
Les Nouveaux mariés; Le Retameur; Soir; and Restons toujours braves, Canadiens-Francais.
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In a press release
prepared in July 1991, we read:
While committed
to its original purpose of preserving and promoting Franco-American culture through the
performance of its ethnic music, La Choral Orion displays a versatile repertoire in a wide
range of styles and in several languages. The
Chorale has earned a reputation for presenting exciting, professional entertainment in
over a decade of appearances which include such contrasting programs as opera, sacred
music, ethnic festivals, liturgies, patriotic, classical and pop.
The 15-year history of La Chorale Orion has been marked by regular Christmas and
Lenten concerts as well as invitations to the Lowell Choral Festival, television
performances and the city’s annual Franco-American Week celebrations. Their career has been highlighted by special
invitation appearances at the Park Plaza Hotel for the 175th anniversary
observance of the Archdiocese of Boston and the John F. Kennedy Library; the chorus
participated in operatic productions of “Faust”, “Carmen”,
“L’Enfant Prodigue” and “Amahl and the Night Visitors” with the
Lowell Opera Company and Merrimack Lyric Opera Company where they earned critical acclaim
as “…impressive in their professionalism.”
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Sadly, LA CHORALE ORION was
disbanded in the spring of 1996.
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To celebrate the 25th
anniversary of the founding of La Chorale Orion, former members gathered for a concert
during Lowell’s
2003 Franco-American Week. The event took place at 7:30
P.M. on June 24th, the feast day of
St-Jean-Baptiste, in St-Louis-de-France Church, West Sixth Street in Lowell, MA.
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