Born: 3 February 1923, Canada
Died: 28 May 2011
Country most active: Canada
Also known as: Alice Robitaille
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
One of the most unique aspects of Québécois music are the wordless vocalizations known as turlutte. Usually associated with the working classes, this form of popular song is decidedly in the style of the French chanson tradition that was popular in the middle ages and Renaissance. Troubadours and Trouvères (poet-composers) spread this style of song (chanson) throughout history and it has served as inspiration for later iterations such as the nouvelle chansons of the 1990s-2000s that denote songs with especially poetic or political elements. Turlutte is sometimes compared to Irish and Scottish lilting or Scandinavian trall. Some describe it as the vocalization of the sound of an instrument.
One of the first Québecoise singers to gain international recognition was Alys Robi (born Alice Robitaille) who rose to fame during WWII. She is also credited with bringing Latin American sounds to Canada after her time spent in Mexico.