ZdZ: Clémence Oppin

Data
27/04/2025 _ 18:00 h

The music from Nivernais, the Achille Millien’s legacy with Clémence Oppin from the Nivernais region.

Sunday 27th of April. Online

First of the online masterclasses for the Zona da Zanfona Digital series in 2025 with an experienced player and teacher now living in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes area. This masterclass is specially orientated to players who want to broaden their knowledge of traditional vielle a roue style from Central France to get to know all the nuances and “swing” of this regional style located between Berry, Bourbonnais and Morvan.

About the masterclass

This will be a lecture/workshop about the collector and floklorist Achille Millien (1838 – 1927) and his musical legacy. As soon as 1877, Millien began the systematic collection of folk tales, legends and folk songs of the Nivernais region. This considerable work, the results of which are still largely unpublished, makes Achille Millien an exemplary reference in the world of contemporary ethnology.

We will follow his travels in the Nivernais: listen to (a little part) the songs he writes, deep into the scores transcribed by his friend Jean-Grégoire Pénavaire, and see how to transpose his legacy on the hurdy-gurdy and the regional style of Nivernais.

Nivernais is a literary and cultural area located in the centre of France, between Berry, Bourbonnais and Morvan. The playing of the hurdy-gurdy varies slightly depending on the region. For example, hurdy-gurdies in Berry and Bourbonnais are tuned to D, while in Morvan they are tuned to G. Berry is renowned for its two-beat bourrées, while Morvan has three-beat bourrées (which are not the same as those in Auvergne! The “swing” is different there.

The Nivernais region is a cultural crossroads. Its cultural roots are primarily literary, notably thanks to the collections of Achille Millien and Jean-Grégoire Pénavaire.

We will share the experience of the collector’s heirs : to listen a song, to play it on hurdy-gurdy and use that music to recreate a new tune for dancing : what tone, what variation / ornamentation on the melody and the coup de poignet, what rhythmic signature we can choose, etc…

All abilities of player are welcome, we will put ourselves in Pénavaire’s shoes : listen to the music and play it to transcribe what we can at that moment!

About Clémence Oppin

A hurdy-gurdy player since 2001, Clémence Oppin developed a passion for the traditional music of the Central France area at a very young age. After studying at the conservatory, where she gained her first stage experience, she continued her studies at the Sorbonne University. In 2013, she graduated as a music teacher for middle school. Since 2017, she has been teaching hurdy-gurdy and obtained her State Diploma in 2019.

She plays, most of the time, folk dance music and, most of it, with her hurdy-gurdy. She is now located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region since 15 years ago. Her style is also inspired by different traditional cultures from the centre of France.

As a musician and as teacher, she shares her passion for music with the public and students.

Details: