Félix Leclerc was born on August 2 and Jean-Sébastien Bach on March 21. […] They are two pioneers, two precursors, two monuments. So when the anniversary of one or the other comes around, I naturally have the reflex to write about them, a question of paying tribute to them, of course, but above all a question of immersing myself in their legacy. And on August 2, 2024, it is Félix’s turn, as it is at the “Tour de l’île”, if I may allow myself this association with regard to his magnificent song.
So 110 years ago, Félix was born in La Tuque. On June 24, 2002, I was visiting Île d’Orléans for the inauguration of Espace Félix-Leclerc, and I transcribed a poem of mine in a book of comments that was wide open to the first visitors to the place. Here are a few excerpts: “Straight as a radiant tree / This giant had a warm soul / Full of rivers and winds / A brotherly and traveling soul […] His hands imprinted with happiness / Described under the path of the heart / The space of a country and the dream of the living / Rooted to the earth like a true peasant / Bare arms and forehead in the light / He cultivated the love of a nascent people / In the gardens of his island so proud […] Félix Leclerc is still alive and well / He sang the essential, the essential remaining / His little joys can only blossom.”
In fact, I wrote this humble poem on the evening of August 8, 1988, following the announcement of his death during the day. I was very young at the time, and I had the impression that a large piece of Quebec had just drifted away on the St. Lawrence. And so it was Félix who was leaving us.
I often listen to Bach’s violin sonatas and then listen to songs by Félix. For me, they were two great composers, two great virtuosos of their musical instrument. Some will tell me that you can’t compare Bach to Félix. But I say yes, because they are two great classics, after all. Félix was rocked in his childhood by the classical music that his older sister played on the piano in the family home. Moreover, Gregory Charles has already said in an interview that The tour of the islandit was like hearing Rimbaud’s verses set to Debussy’s music. Very nice comparison. But for me, Félix’s songs are nothing other than Félix’s words and music that make me think of Bach’s tunes. I see great similarities there. Félix Leclerc and Bach, two monuments of authenticity.