Fête de la Musique

:"This article refers to a music festival which began in France but which is now international in various cities. There is a (local) Lebanese music festival also called Fête de la Musique."The Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, is a music festival taking place on, which is usually the summer solstice.

The Fête de la Musique began in France and has since spread to over a hundred cities: in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Israel (in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv), China, India, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Colombia, Venezuela,in the United Kingdom in Edinburgh,London,New York City,and recently Iraqi kurdistan in sulaymaniyah city. Massachusetts held its first festival in 2008 with the [http://www.makemusiccambridge.com Make Music Cambridge] event, transforming plazas, patios and alleys around Harvard Square into platforms for hundreds of amateur and professional musicians.

The idea was first broached in 1976 by American musician Joel Cohen, then employed by the national French radio station France Musique. Cohen proposed an all-night music celebration at the moment of the summer solstice. The idea was taken up by French Music and Dance director Maurice Fleuret for Minister of Culture Jack Lang in 1981 and first took place in 1982.

Its purpose is to promote music in two ways:
* Amateur and professional musicians are encouraged to perform in the streets. The slogan "Faites" "de la musique" ("Make" music), a homophone of "Fête de la Musique", is used to promote this goal.
* Many free concerts are organized, making all genres of music accessible to the public. One of the caveats to being sanctioned by the official Fête de la Musique organization in Paris that all concerts must be free to the public.

Despite there is a large tolerance about the performance of music by the general public of amateurs in public areas after usual hours, the noise restrictions still apply, and can cause some establishments to be forbidden to open and broadcast music out of their doors without prior authorization. So the prefectures of police in France can still forbid them to install any audio hardware in the street. [ [http://www.tetu.com/rubrique/infos/infos_detail.php?id_news=13140 Paris, France. "Marais: les gays privés de Fête de la Musique?", Tetu.com, 21 june 2008).] ]

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?hSection=ACEMU&pagename=Zone-English-ArtCulture/ACESection World Music Day (Tune In)]
* [http://fetedelamusique.culture.fr/ The French Culture Ministry's website on the "Fête de la Musique"] (in French, international section also available in English)
* [http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=49&id=7574 Morocco Times article: Morocco celebrates World Music Day]
* [http://sacwiki.org/fete Fête de la Musique in Sacramento California]
* [http://www.laurelsummersolsticemusicfestival.org/ Fête de la Musique in Oakland, California]
* [http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/mags/society/articles.php?articleid=23680&date=26/6/2005 World Music Day in Nairobi]
* [http://www.musicuganda.com/events/musicday.htm World Music Day in Uganda]
* [http://www.fetedelamusique.de/ Fête de la Musique in Germany]
* [http://www.fetedelamusique.lu/ Fête de la Musique in Luxembourg]
* [http://www.fetedelamusique.nl/ Fête de la Musique in the Netherlands]
* [http://www.pinoybanda.com/2007/06/23/fete-de-la-musique-on-pinoy-banda/ Fête de la Musique on Pinoybanda.com]
* [http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/you/barkadascene/view_article.php?article_id=71547 Fête de la Musique 2007 in Manila, Philippines]
* [http://collect.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bandprofile.listAllShows&friendid=161760332&n=Crimson+Blue Fête de la Musique 2008 in Albion, Michigan]