The most well-known musician from the Occitan region of Limousin is probably the piper Eric Montbel, a former member of such legendary bands as Lo Jai, Le Grand Rouge, and Ulysse; he plays the chabreta, or Limousin bagpipe. Along with he and other pipers, the region is known for Corrèze's distinct violin tradition as well as the hurdy gurdy. The fife is also popular France has long been considered a centre for European art and music. ... // Medieval Period Main article: Medieval music Some of the earliest manuscripts with polyphony are organum from 10th century French cities like Chartres and Tours. ... Of all the European countries, France has one of the longest and best-documented traditions of classical music. ... As Europe experienced a wave of roots revivals, France found its regional cultures reviving traditional music. ... This article is about hip hop music from the country of France, and does not cover the hip hop scenes in other French speaking countries like Senegalese, Belgian and Canadian hip hop. ... American rock and roll and twist began entering the French mainstream in the 1950s, when stars like Johnny Hallyday and Dalida arose, rivaling the popular yé-yé craze. ... A music festival is a festival that presents a number of musical performances usually tied together through a theme or genre. ... // Quick history The Printemps de Bourges is a music festival, started in 1977 by Jean Christophe Dechico (director of the Maison de la Culture at the time), Alain Meilland (actor and singer) and Daniel Colling (music booking agent). ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is formally recognized by a countrys government as their states official national song. ... La Marseillaise is the national anthem of France. ... Auvergne is a region in France. ... Aquitaine is a French region, consisting of the dèpartements of Dordogne, Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne and Pyrénées-Atlantiques. ... The Basque are an ethnic group living in parts of France and Spain, with the majority in the latter country. ... Brittany is on the northwest coast of France and is a region unique in that country in its Celtic cultural derivation. ... Burgundy became a major center for musical development during the Renaissance era. ... Outside of France, the island of Corsica is perhaps best known musically for its polyphonic choral tradition. ... Gascony is a region of France that has produced several well-known performers and composers of classical, folk and popular music. ... The former French colonies of Martinique and Guadeloupe are small islands in the Caribbean. ... Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the music of Tahiti was dominated by festivals called heiva. ... Occitan, or langue doc is a Romance language characterized by its richness, variability, and by the intelligibility of its dialects. ... Capital Limoges Area 16,942 km² Regional President Jean-Paul Denanot Population  - 2004 estimate  - 1999 census  - Density 710,939 42/km² Arrondissements 8 Cantons 106 Communes 747 Départements Corrèze Creuse Haute-Vienne Limousin is a former province of France and now a region of France, around the city... A bagpipe performer in Amsterdam. ... Corrèze is a département in the center of France, named after the Corrèze River. ... Jump to: navigation, search The violin is a stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart. ... Drawing of a hurdy gurdy A hurdy gurdy (alternately, hurdy-gurdy) is a stringed musical instrument. ... Fife from the American Civil War A fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. ...

List of performers

• Guy Bertrand
• François Breugnot, violin
• Jean Pierre Champeval, violin
• Valentin Clastrier, hurdy gurdy
• Olivier Durif, violin
• Françoise Etay, violin
• Pierre Imbert
• Pascal Lefeuvre, bagpipes
• Christian Oller
• Dominique Regef, hurdy gurdy
• Trio Violon, violin
• Jean-François Vrod, violin