We asked Jérôme Minière, songwriter and musician behind A Picnic in the Sun and A Feast Beneath the Moon, to take us inside the recording studio and share what it’s like to write music for children. Minière has released over a dozen albums, including Le vrai le faux (winner of Le Prix Rapsat-Lelièvre) and Petit cosmonaute (winner of a Felix Award). He has also written music for several theatrical productions, including La fête de Boris, which played at the Festival d’Avignon. Learn more about his latest work in our interview below.
What was it like to work on the songs for A Picnic in the Sun and A Feast Beneath the Moon with Christiane Duchesne?
It was really nice. Very creative and intuitive. We've been working on this project for a very long time, since we first worked on the French version together, then on the English, so I'd say it's all been “slow cooking.”
As a musician and songwriter, you write and record your own music. How is writing music for children different?
Actually, it's not much different, I'm still trying to make good music. I felt quite free for two main reasons. For one, I didn't have to worry about writing the lyrics, there was a great sense of lightness for me in writing the music around Christiane's words. I think it was more pop than what I do in my own songs, it came very naturally.
Moreover, the format is short: they're short songs and nursery rhymes, almost like haikus at times. And also, I didn't feel any pressure to be in one mode or another, or to have a specific sound, as so often happens when composing for adults. It was nice to simply follow my pleasures and my instincts.
I think I enjoyed working on all the songs and all the different versions in French and English. Crafting songs and stories with a team is wonderful! And meeting different collaborators, like in a film production. Because, yes, these songs are films for the ears that we made together! We had all kinds of fun challenges with each song, each version, and each performer. Overall, I prefer the atmosphere of the songs on A Feast Beneath the Moon, probably because it's more nocturnal, which I particularly like.
What song did you have the most fun working on?
What are you working on right now? Anything you’d like to share (new album, project, etc.)?
I'm working on the soundtrack for a film set in Cuba, so it makes me travel! Otherwise, I've just released a remix of my song “Détour”, which appears on my most recent album “La mélodie, le fleuve et la nuit” (released in September 2022). I also have an ambient music project with my friend Guido del Fabbro that we hope to record by the end of the year. After that, I'll be working on the music for a play in Paris. In short, I'm pretty busy!
A Feast Beneath the Moon
Once upon a time there were four friends who always had oodles and oodles of fun together. After their last adventure full of surprises, a sudden torrential rainfall forces Bertie and gang to take shelter atop Blue Mountain. When they emerge, they encounter an extraordinary girl named Alice, who can grow big or small at the snap of her fingers.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay informed about our new releases and events and for a chance to win our subscriber giveaway. To order books for your library or bookstore, please contact Hornblower Books/University of Toronto Press (Canada, United States) and MMS/BookSource (United Kingdom). For additional information, email info@thesecretmountain.com.
Search
Behind A Feast Beneath the Moon’s Songs with Jérôme Minière
We asked Jérôme Minière, songwriter and musician behind A Picnic in the Sun and A Feast Beneath the Moon, to take us inside the recording studio and share what it’s like to write music for children. Minière has released over a dozen albums, including Le vrai le faux (winner of Le Prix Rapsat-Lelièvre) and Petit cosmonaute (winner of a Felix Award). He has also written music for several theatrical productions, including La fête de Boris, which played at the Festival d’Avignon. Learn more about his latest work in our interview below.
What was it like to work on the songs for A Picnic in the Sun and A Feast Beneath the Moon with Christiane Duchesne?
It was really nice. Very creative and intuitive. We've been working on this project for a very long time, since we first worked on the French version together, then on the English, so I'd say it's all been “slow cooking.”
As a musician and songwriter, you write and record your own music. How is writing music for children different?
Actually, it's not much different, I'm still trying to make good music. I felt quite free for two main reasons. For one, I didn't have to worry about writing the lyrics, there was a great sense of lightness for me in writing the music around Christiane's words. I think it was more pop than what I do in my own songs, it came very naturally.
Moreover, the format is short: they're short songs and nursery rhymes, almost like haikus at times. And also, I didn't feel any pressure to be in one mode or another, or to have a specific sound, as so often happens when composing for adults. It was nice to simply follow my pleasures and my instincts.
I think I enjoyed working on all the songs and all the different versions in French and English. Crafting songs and stories with a team is wonderful! And meeting different collaborators, like in a film production. Because, yes, these songs are films for the ears that we made together! We had all kinds of fun challenges with each song, each version, and each performer. Overall, I prefer the atmosphere of the songs on A Feast Beneath the Moon, probably because it's more nocturnal, which I particularly like.
What are you working on right now? Anything you’d like to share (new album, project, etc.)?
I'm working on the soundtrack for a film set in Cuba, so it makes me travel! Otherwise, I've just released a remix of my song “Détour”, which appears on my most recent album “La mélodie, le fleuve et la nuit” (released in September 2022). I also have an ambient music project with my friend Guido del Fabbro that we hope to record by the end of the year. After that, I'll be working on the music for a play in Paris. In short, I'm pretty busy!
Once upon a time there were four friends who always had oodles and oodles of fun together. After their last adventure full of surprises, a sudden torrential rainfall forces Bertie and gang to take shelter atop Blue Mountain. When they emerge, they encounter an extraordinary girl named Alice, who can grow big or small at the snap of her fingers.
Available September 1, 2023. Find it on Bookshop | Shop Local (Canada) | Barnes & Noble | Indigo | Amazon | Edelweiss | Goodreads.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay informed about our new releases and events and for a chance to win our subscriber giveaway. To order books for your library or bookstore, please contact Hornblower Books/University of Toronto Press (Canada, United States) and MMS/BookSource (United Kingdom). For additional information, email info@thesecretmountain.com.