Saturday, June 21
The Spirit of “La Fête”
When, in October 1981, Maurice Fleuret became Director of Music and Dance at Jack Lang’s request, he applies his reflections to the musical practice and its evolution: “the music everywhere and the concert nowhere”. When he discovered, in a 1982 study on the cultural habits of the French, that five million people, one child out of two, played a musical instrument, he began to dream of a way to bring people out on the streets.
And thus, in a few weeks’ time, the Fête de la Musique was launched on June 21, 1982, the day of summer solstice, a pagan night which recalls the ancient tradition of Saint John’s feasts.
— Ministère de la culture et de la communication
Find a concert
- Que faire à Paris (Ville de Paris)
- L’Officiel des spectacles
- Le Parisien
Of special interest
Musée des lettres et manuscrits
The Museum of Letters and Manuscripts (MLM) is organizing a special one-off Fête de la musique guided tour which will highlight documents from their rich music collection.
Come discover the secrets behind handwritten scores by Lully, Bach, sheet music by Mozart, how Beethoven composed despite his deafness, orchestra drawings by Berlioz, love letters by Edith Piaf, Brel’s notebooks, and even saucy letters by Mick Jagger to one of his mistresses.
Saturday, June 21 • 3 pm • 9 €
The Fête de la musique around the world
Check out the international poster collection on the Fête de la musique’s Facebook page.
