1879-1951. "Le vieux chalet" unquestionably belongs to the major works of Fribourg's choral heritage. The songs by the canton's native songwriter incarnate part of Fribourg's history and culture.
Born in Sâles, in Gruyère, Joseph Bovet demonstrated his singing abilities at an early age. His vocation to priesthood was accompanied throughout his life by his passion for music and song. He composed many popular and patriotic songs as well as sacred music.
The "composer from the mountain pastures" dedicated his passion to his native region, as his many creations in the Fribourg dialect demonstrate. It was him who spoke about this with the greatest eloquence:
"My region that I served in my own way, with all my heart, by celebrating it with my songs. My region, which I shall continue to sing about until I breathe my last breath. For, these people, I truly loved and love deeply. My aim in writing songs for them was to give them joy and help them in their daily work, to make their eyes light up without the generous flame of hope, courage and optimism going out. That is what I wanted. I put all my efforts and all my faith into them. I put rigorous sincerity into them. Have I succeeded in my task? It is still too early to say. In any case, I did not write my songs simply as a composer but also as a priest, and they were my parish and my apostolate."
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