Emmanuelle Parrenin is a French

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

singer, harpist and

hurdy-gurdy The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a hand-turned crank, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin (or nyckelharpa) bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar ...

player who was first active in the late 1960s and 1970s as part of "''le mouvement folk''".

Early life and education

Parrenin was born into a family steeped in

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

: her mother played the harp and her father the violin, and studied ballet as child. She attended a Catholic boarding school but was expelled. She expanded her musical horizons during her teenage years, and was influenced by meeting

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

and

The Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1963. The band started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton (1963–1965), Jeff Beck (1965–1966) and Jimmy Page (1966–1968), all of whom ...

, during a visit to England while a teenager. At age 19, she met the

player Christian Leroy Gour'han,Christian Leroy Gour'han
discogs , and

Alan Stivell Alan Stivell (; born Alan Cochevelou on 6 January 1944) is a Breton people, Breton and Celtic musician and singer, songwriter, recording artist, and master of the Celtic harp. From the early 1970s, he revived global interest in the Celtic (specif ...

at ''Le Bourbon'' folk club. The instrument itself made a deep impression on her and made her determined to learn how to perform with it.She and others travelled to remote regions of France and other Francophone countries including Canada to record folksongs. The recordings were donated to the

Musée de l'Homme The Musée de l'Homme (; literally "Museum of Mankind" or "Museum of Humanity") is an anthropology museum in Paris, France. It was established in 1937 by Paul Rivet for the 1937 ''Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moder ...

and the Musée National des Arts et Traditions Populaires.

Career

In 1974 Parrenin released an album with Phil Fromont called "''La Maurmariée''", developing a "reputation for stark and intelligent interpretations of traditional music." By the mid-1970s Parrenin had gained a reputation with traditional and folk music.With Fromont and Claude Lefebvre, Parrenin released a second, more progressive, album ''"Chateau Dans Les Nuages"'' in 1976, with included "Eastern elements and general strangeness". Her only solo album, ''"Maison Rose"'' was released in 1977. The title refers to the house she grew up in, and the musical influences she imbibed there. The album took "the revived instruments of ''le mouvement folk'' out into new territory". Apart from ''Plume Blanche, Plume Noire'' by

Jean-Claude Vannier Jean-Claude Vannier (born 1943) is a French musician, composer and arranger. Vannier has composed music, written lyrics, and produced albums for many singers. Vannier is regarded as an important musician in his native country; music critic Andy ...

, she wrote all the works and developed the album with engineer Bruno Menny. The album was re-released in 2001 and developed an international cult following. After the album's release, Parrenin moved away from folk music. She later explained "''It was a time when, firstly, it olk musicwas becoming very fashionable and there wasn't the same spirit as there had been at the beginning. There was a lot of what we call in France 'un esprit de chapelle'; it was very purist and I don't think I'm like that. I liked it when it felt alive, and when that went I was bored."'' She began writing music for

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of Concert dance, dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly stron ...

, including for Carolyn Carlson, and returned to dancing. She also taught herself to play the harp. By 1981 she had formed a group that included

Didier Malherbe Didier Malherbe (born 22 January 1943) is a French jazz, rock, and world music musician and poet. He is a member of the bands Gong and Hadouk. He plays the saxophone, flute, alto clarinet, ocarina, Laotian Khen, Bawu flute, Hulusi, and ma ...

of prog rockers

Gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

. They were a support act for

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

Le Zénith Le Zénith () is the name given to a series of indoor arenas in France. The first arena, the "Zénith Paris" is a rejuvenation of the Pavillon de Paris. In French culture, the word "zénith" has become synonymous with "theater". A zénith is a ...

arena in Paris in 1981 and did not appreciate the violence of the punk audience. In 1993, a fire damaged her hearing, and she was no longer able to perform. Told that she had lost her hearing permanently, she moved to the Alps, and as self-therapy she began playing and singing again. As her hearing improved she used the techniques she had learned with others including with people with

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

and

psychiatric disorders A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

. In March 2011 Parrenin released a new album, "Maison Cube". in collaboration with singer/songwriter Flóp and Jaumet. The title refers to the cube-shaped house where it was recorded. In 2019 and 2020 she collaborated with Detlef Weinreich, (who works as the producer Tolouse Low Trax) to produce the album ''Jours de Grève'' (Strike Days) inspired by recent French general strikes.

References

External links

Emmanuelle Parrenin Last.fm entry

Emmanuelle Parrenin on her new label website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrenin, Emmanuelle 1949 births Living people French women singers French folk singers French harpists Hurdy-gurdy players Place of birth missing (living people)