#Michele Mercure

[ruinedholograms]

(1978-1989)

Hiroshi Yoshimura - Green

Gary Numan - The Pleasure Principle

Fumio Miyashita - Wave (Sounds of the Universe)

Laurie Spiegel - The Expanding Universe

Angel Olson - Aisles

Howard Shore - Videodrome

Brian Eno - Ambient 4 (On Land)

Brian Eno - Apollo (Atmospheres & Soundtracks)

Vangelis - Blade Runner

The New American Orchestra - Blade Runner (Orchestral Adaptations)

The Reds | Michael Rubini - Manhunter

John Williams - The Return Of The Jedi

Michele Mercure - Pictures of Echoes

Tryanglz | Brad Fiedel - The Terminator

Ryuichi Sakamoto - Left Handed Dream

David Byrne & Brian Eno - My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts

Giorgio Mororder - Scarface 

Piper - Gentle Breeze

V/A - Pacific Breeze

Steve Hiett - Down On The Road By The Beach

John Williams - Superman: The Movie

Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine

Piper - Summer Breeze

Pixies - Surfer Rosa

[musicwithoutborders]

Michele Mercure, Ghosts Before Breakfast I Beside Herself, 1983.1990

[spilladabalia]

Michele Mercure - No More Law in Gotham City

[tearssonly]

no necesito, me urge !! 1 cassette si no es con todo el álbum, que sea con esta canción q es como el soundtrack de mi vida cuando estoy en crisis de sobrepensamiento y fatalismo

[the-girl-who-didnt-smile]

[THEORY] Maman Brigitte originates in Brigitte Mackandal

Rather than Saint Brigitte or the Celtic goddess Brigid, a likelier candidate for the origin of Maman Brigitte is the wife of the famous Haitian maroon leader François Mackandal, who was named Brigitte Mackandal.

Below is all the information I could find about Brigitte Mackandal.

John D. Garrigus mentions Brigitte Mackandal in A Secret among the Blacks (2023).

He describes her as the wife of François Mackandal, and a “ritual leader in her own right”:

“In Soufrière, a man known as Makandal was creating spiritually powerful objects—bundles of natural and man-made materials—that his followers called makandals, and teaching those followers how to work with them…Makandal created a deeply bonded community in Soufrière based on Congo ritual practice. He served newly arrived Central Africans from many different ethnic groups as well as island-born people. Many of his followers lived on the growing number of coffee plantations in the region, but others came from farther away: Cap Français or Port Margot and Le Borgne parishes to the west.” (p. 76)

“Nearly all Black people in Saint-Domingue carried charms, packets that took different forms and were sometimes called gry. But Congo-inspired makandals were not charms; they were considered to be alive. Makandal’s community believed the bundles moved, spoke, revealed the future, and worked on behalf of those who fed and praised them…” (p. 76)

“...Brigitte, described as Makandal’s wife and a ritual leader in her own right, claimed that a makandal bundle “consulted by its servant” could reveal the location of “an escaped slave, who had stolen something that was missing, the poisoner, and other [things]...” (p. 78)

Brigitte Mackandal is described alongside several of François Mackandal’s enslaved followers, who were later arrested and interrogated:

“Makandal’s community-building probably began with people enslaved on Soufrière’s coffee estates at the upper reaches of the Limbé River valley. By 1757, it extended to Cap Français in the east and Port Margot and Le Borgne in the west. A woman named Marianne may have been the leader of the Cap Français branch of the community. Enslaved by a wigmaker, Marianne performed rituals in the wigmaker’s kitchen with two enslaved men named Michel and Jolicoeur. Jolicoeur could read and write French. Brigitte carried packets to Marianne in Cap Français once a week. A follower named Leveillé was enslaved to a rug maker and then a saddlemaker, which suggests he also lived in Cap Français. Jean à Tessereau, another close associate, eventually broke with Makandal and took his family into the hills behind Cap. This suggests that he was enslaved near the city. Far to the west of Cap Français, a follower named Geneviève was enslaved in Port Margot.…” (p. 79)

“Makandal was held in the Cap Français jail for weeks awaiting interrogation. He was prosecuted in a judicial investigation that started on Tuesday, January 17, and lasted just four days…Makandal never admitted to making or using poisons. He did name some of his followers, though, and the court sent constables to arrest them. Makandal, Brigitte, Leveillé, Mercure, Jolicoeur, and Geneviève were arrested and interrogated.” (p. 88)

Garrigus then describes how she and other followers of Mackandal worshiped Charlot, who the colonists referred to as “Diable” (devil):

“...Makandal’s follower Mercure claimed that he served Charlot, an entity that Courtin took to be the devil. It seems that venerating Charlot was a way Mercure, Brigitte, and probably Makandal himself appropriated French stories of the devil and claimed this power as their own…” (p. 92)

Garrigus also describes how she was burned to death along with Mackandal and others:

“In 1776, Hilliard d’Auberteuil advised readers that they could go to the council’s archive and consult the trial records for “Macanda, Pompée, Angélique, Brigitte, Laurent, & others burned after them.”” (p.202)

SOURCE: Garrigus, John D.. A Secret Among the Blacks: Slave Resistance Before the Haitian Revolution. United States, Harvard University Press, 2023. https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674272828 

Garrigus refers to the following primary sources:

Sébastien Jacques Courtin’s (1758) “Mémoire Sommaire Sur Les Prétendus Pratiques Magiques et Empoisonnements…” 

Charles Fournier de la Chapelle (1758) “Mémoire pour servir à l’information des procés contre les négres devins, sorciers et empoisonneurs”

Michel-René Hilliard d’Auberteuil, “Considérations sur l’état présent de la colonie française de Saint-Domingue” (Paris: Grangé, 1776), 1:137.

Here are all the excerpts I could locate in each of these texts:

1. COURTIN’S (1758) “MEMOIRE SOMMAIRE…”

“...Mercure et Brigite femme de françois qui sont convenus de savoir faire des macandals qui remuent sur la tête ont indiqué les memes operations ont dit que les paroles magiques etaient bondieu conné qui ça moi faire, bon dieu baie yeuse ça qui yeuse demandé vous…”

TRANSLATION:

“Mercure and Brigitte, wife of François, who agreed to know how to make macandals that work on the head, indicated the same operations, and said that the magic words were “Good God knows what I do, Good God opens the eyes of those who ask for eyes”... ”

“...Cependant Brigite a dit que l'usage du ___ fait perdre la vertu au Macandal, mais que pour la luy rendre, il faut se frotter les mains avec du fran bazin et le laver avec dans L'eau Benite….”

TRANSLATION:

“...However, Brigitte said that the use of ___ makes the Macandal lose its virtue, but that to restore it, one must rub one's hands with fran bazin and wash it in Holy Water….”

“...Brigite qui a paru parler sans detour dans les derniers jours de sa vie a dit que le Macandal consulté par son serviteur luy parloir d'une façon claire et nette dans les oreilles suivant son expression qu'il disait ou etait un negre maron quel était le voleur d'une chose dont on etait en peine, l'empoisonneur et le reste…”

TRANSLATION:

“...Brigitte who seemed to speak frankly in the last days of her life said that the Macandal, when consulted by its servant, could clearly speak into her ears where an escaped slave was, who had stolen something that was missing, who was the poisoner, and other things…”

“...Les interrogatoires de Mercure et de Brigite nous ont devoilé sans equivoque tout le mistere du culte reflechi que Les sorciers rendent au Diable…”

TRANSLATION:

“The interrogations of Mercure and Brigitte have revealed to us without equivocation all the mysteries of the worship The sorceries render to the Devil…”

“…Brigite deja condamnée, parlait sans déguisement. Mercure ne l'etait point encore et il colorait toutes ses profanations du vernis de simplicité qui semblait en exclure tout soupçon d'impiété reflechie…”

TRANSLATION:

“…Brigitte, already condemned, did not disguise her words. Mercury had not yet reached that point and he colored all his profanations with the varnish of simplicity, which seemed to exclude any suspicion of impiety…”

“...Brigite amenée pour être confrontée à Mercure et interrogée sur cette priere du matin dit quelle etait vraie mais que c’était par derisiones pour se moquer des prieres de L'eglise qu’on les recitait devant Charlot qu'on baisait ensuite la terre comme pour l'adoration de la croix qu'en se levant on disait il n'y a rien degrand passé bon dieu qui est en haut du ciel et Charlot et apres eux c'est François Macandal que les petits macandals s'appelaient enfants a bon dieu pour dire qu'ils étaient Les petits ou les enfants de Charlot leur bon dieu…”

TRANSLATION:

“...Brigitte, brought to be confronted by Mercure and questioned about this morning prayer, said that it was true but that it was in derision to mock the prayers of the Church, that they were recited in front of Charlot, that they then kissed the earth as for the adoration of the cross, that when getting up they said there is nothing great before Good God, who is at the top of heaven, and Charlot, and after them it is François Macandal, that the Little Macandals called themselves Children of Good God, to say that they were The Little ones or the children of Charlot, their Good God…”

“...La Negresse Marianne qui recevait des poisons que Macandal luy envoyait par Brigite sa femme communiait tous les huit jours…”

TRANSLATION: 

“...The Negress Marianne who received poisons that Macandal sent her through Brigitte, his wife, took communion every eight days…”

SOURCE: Sébastien Jacques Courtin. “Mémoire Sommaire Sur Les Prétendus Pratiques Magiques et Empoisonnements Prouvés Au Procès Instruit et Jugé Au Cap Contre Plusieurs Nègres et Négresses Dont Le Chef Nommé François Macandal a Été Condamné Au Feu et Exécuté Le Vingt Janvier Mille Sept Cents Cinquante Huit,’ 1758, ANOM F/3/88,” January 20, 1758. Archives Nationales d’Outre Mer. Retrieved from: https://ecda.northeastern.edu/key-text-memoire-sommaire-sur-les-pretendus-pratiques-magiques-et-empoisonnements/ 

2. FOURNIER DE LA CHAPPELLE’S (1758) “MEMOIRE…”

Brigite Mackandal is also mentioned in Charles Fournier de la Chapelle’s one-page memo (1758) “Mémoire pour servir à l’information des procés contre les négres devins, sorciers et empoisonneurs”:

“Me nous a servi (Brigitte) a decouvrir enfin dans la Confrontation avec Mercure le culte suivi qui servent au Diable, sous le nom de Charlot…”

TRANSLATION:

“She (Brigitte) helped us to finally discover in the Confrontation with Mercure the cult followed by those who serve the Devil, under the name of Charlot…”

She is mentioned again later in the document, but I struggled to transcribe this section:

SOURCE: Charles Fournier de la Chapelle, “Mémoire pour servir à l’information des procés contre les négres devins, sorciers et empoisonneurs” (1758). Retrieved from: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10112297j/f6.item 

3. HILLIARD D’AUBERTEUIL’S (1776) “CONSIDERATIONS…”

Finally, Brigitte Mackandal is briefly mentioned in Hilliard d'Auberteuil’s (1776) “Considérations sur l'état présent de la colonie française de Saint-Domingue”, which describes how she was burned to death along with François Mackandal:

“On peut voir au Greffe du Conseil du Cap, les procédures criminelles contre Macanda, Pompée, Angélique, Brigite, Laurent, & autres brûlés depuis;”

TRANSLATION: 

“One can view at the Registry of the Council of Cap, the criminal proceedings against Macanda, Pompée, Angélique, Brigite, Laurent, and others burned since;”

SOURCE: d'Auberteuil, Michel-René Hilliard. Considérations sur l'état présent de la colonie française de Saint-Domingue: Ouvrage politique et législatif; présenté au ministre de la marine. Vol. 1. A Paris, chez Grangé, imprimeur-libraire, rue de la Parcheminerie; & au Cabinet-Littéraire, Pont Notre-Dame, 1776. p. 137. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/considrationss00hill/page/136/mode/2up 

* * * 

In Rituals, Runaways, and the Haitian Revolution (2022) Crystal Nicole Eddins comments on Brigite Mackandal like so:

“Women like Brigitte Mackandal and Marie Catherine Kingué demonstrated the “radical implications of black women’s spiritual politics” by embracing acts of “woman-centered preservation,” such as poison, healing, and midwifery, that fundamentally opposed racial capitalist exploitation of black women’s bodies.” (p. 144)

She also posits: 

“Mackandal’s wife, Brigitte, may have transitioned into the world of the lwa as Maman Brigitte, who has authority over cemeteries.” (p. 122)

SOURCE: Eddins, Crystal Nicole. Rituals, Runaways, and the Haitian Revolution: Collective Action in the African Diaspora. United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009256148 Retrieved from: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/rituals-runaways-and-the-haitian-revolution/2FCBF92A767FD8DE3615602F589C326E#overview 

Even if there is no connection between Maman Brigitte and Brigitte Mackandal, these documents demonstrate that there existed Haitian women from this time period with the name “Brigitte”. These women may have been named after Saint Brigitte because there were a number of slave owners of Irish descent, such as Antoine Walsh, and possibly the Celtic province of France (Brittany).

If true, this would explain why Maman Brigitte is identified with Saint Brigitte. In Haitian Vodou, Catholic Saints can come to be identified with important ancestral spirits, like so:

“KB: Tell me everyone who "walks with Dantò," everyone who you have here on your altar with Dantò.”

“ML: You have St. Rose of Lima; she is a Petwo. You have St. Philomène. She is Petwo. She is a lwa too, Manbo Philomise. You see St. Andrew? You see Sacred Heart–who walks with Simbi? And then you have St. Jude. He is a Legba Petwo, too.”

“Spirits who have been important to one of the ancestors occupy a dual role in Vodou, one in which they are treated as both spirits and ancestors. So when Mama Lola serves St. Philomène, she also honors the spirit of her mother, Philomise, a well-known healer in Port-au-Prince. It is because of this that the altars can be seen as repositories of family history, or, more literally, as repositories of the family itself.”

SOURCE: Lola, Mama & Brown, Karen McCarthy. "The Altar Room: A Dialogue." In Cosentino, Donald. Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou. United States, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, 1995. p. 229-230. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sacredartsofhait0000unse/page/228/mode/2up? 

This would explain why Maman Brigitte is not a white woman, but an old Black woman; she is an important ancestral spirit of a Haitian woman who lived several hundred years ago.

Long story short, it is most likely that the important ancestral lwa Maman Brigitte originates in a Haitian woman who was named “Brigitte” – possibly, Brigitte Mackandal.

For other historical documents pertaining to François Mackandal, see: https://classiques-garnier.com/makandal-en-metamorphoses-heroismes-et-identites-dans-la-litterature-caribeenne-annexe-c.html?displaymode=full 

[lesser-known-composers]

Michel de La Barre (c.1674-c.1744) - "qu'un coeur est prévenu.."

Camille Poul, soprano

ensemble Le Mercure Galant, Serge Saitta

[spideronthesun]

writing ask 10 and 11

—from @wintherlywords

Thank you!!

10. which patterns keep popping up in your projects/characters?

They are all family oriented.

They care about what they do affecting another member.

What matters most is not always our blood relatives, but the family we create for ourselves, and who we choose to be a part of our lives.

11. give three songs or images that fit [TALES OF LIGHTNING OAK AND THUNDER]

This question reminds me that I need to remake my playlist for WIP. I have not updated it in over a year now.

Tantric - Breakdown

Michele Mercure - Time Piece

The Cranberries- Dreams

[found-objects-1]

Letter 2

May 20th, 1949 Saint-Michel-Mont-Mercure, France

Suzanne, I am so happy to write to you, you can’t imagine! This Saturday, Jean-Baptiste asked Dad for my hand. You know how much Dad likes him since they started working together at the factory. He has always said Jean is a hard-working, serious young man. Such joy – he accepted right away! Jean is so kind and caring. I am overjoyed at the thought of marrying him. Of course, you will be my maid of honor, and I am also planning to ask Jeanne. Since she started preparing for the Ecole Normale Primaire exam earlier this year, we have grown much closer. I haven’t heard much from Mathilde lately, unfortunately. She started seeing a young man from the city, staying with his uncle for some « rest ». He is wealthy, and I think he might be turning her head a little. Michel, the baker’s son, told me he had heard that this man already has a fiancee. I don’t know much more, but I find it a strange story. As for the exam, I am feeling a bit nervous as it approaches. It’s in a few weeks, mid-June. I have worked so hard this year to succeed, but geography is still tricky for me. Do you remember the little song we learned in primary school to memorize the regions of France? I still need to recite it to recall them! Mom has been going to church very often, I truly hope her prayers will be answered. After the exams, I will start preparing for the wedding. Can you believe it? There’s so much to organize: I need to speak to the priest, decide who the guests will be and choose the music to be played… Thankfully, you will be there to help me! Jean promised to take me to the market to choose the fabrics for the dress. I was thinking of embroidering some flowers on my veil, or maybe lace would be more elegant. What do you think? I should ask Michel’s mother for advice – she made costumes for the Christmas play last year, and they were stunning. This lady has such a gift. I am sorry I haven’t written sooner, but I have been so happy that my thoughts are all over the place. And you, how is your Jules? Has he been back since his last leave in April? I hope everything is going well for you, and that Claire and Hélène are well. I miss those little ones so much! I hope Hélène doesn’t have too many allergies with spring, I think of her often. I am sending you all my love, dear sister. I can’t wait to see you and tell you all about it. Madeleine Rondeau, soon to be Valois *A normal school was responsible for training primary school teachers in France. *Old french: a lover, a husband

[eggi1972]

Klappentext: Als der 46-jährige Protagonist von SEROTONIN, dem neuen Roman des Goncourt-Preisträgers Michel Houellebecq, Bilanz zieht, beschließt er, sich aus seinem Leben zu verabschieden – eine Entscheidung, an der auch das revolutionäre neue Antidepressivum Captorix nichts zu ändern vermag, dass ihn in erster Linie seine Libido kostet. Alles löst er auf: Beziehung, Arbeitsverhältnis, Wohnung. Wann hat diese Gegenwart begonnen? In der Erinnerung an die Frauen seines Lebens und im Zusammentreffen mit einem alten Studienfreund, der als Landwirt in einem globalisierten Frankreich ums Überleben kämpft, erkennt er, wann und wo er sich selbst und andere verraten hat. Noch nie hat Michel Houellebecq so ernsthaft und voller Emotion über die Liebe geschrieben. Zugleich schildert er in SEROTONIN den Kampf und den drohenden Untergang eines klassischen Wirtschaftszweigs in unserer Zeit der Weltmärkte und der gesichtslosen EU-Bürokratie. Rezension: Ich wollte ja schon immer mal einen Roman von Michel Houellebecq lesen, warum also nicht seinen neuen - „Serotonin“. Am Anfang habe ich mir sehr schwergetan, da es bei dem Protagonisten immer häufiger um Sex ging, und zwar nicht nur um „normalen“ Sex, sondern es wird teilweise auch verbotener Sex erwähnt. Man merkt sehr schnell, dass der Protagonist beziehungsunfähig ist. Er verstößt häufig die Frauen oder haut, wie bei der Japanerin, einfach ab und lässt sie in seiner Wohnung einfach sitzen. Er bezahlt die Miete noch 3 Monate lang und kündigt die Wohnung. Lieber zieht er in ein Mercure Hotel, statt sie aus der Wohnung zu schmeißen und die Beziehung zu beenden. Interessant ist auch die Schilderung der Funktionsweise der Landwirtschaftsabkommen der EU, wobei der Weg den der Autor als Lösung anbietet, sehr fragwürdig ist, aber irgendwie auch schlüssig, wenn man gewisse Dinge in Frankreich einfach mal beobachtet. Wie ich jetzt darauf komme? Der Protagonist arbeitet in diesem Bereich. Es ist alles in allem ein teilweise sehr anstrengender Roman, wo man manchmal rufen möchte, nun entscheide dich endlich für eine Sache – egal was, aber tu was! Aufgrund der Tatsache, dass er psychisch stark angeschlagen ist, kann das ganze auch wirklich so sein, dass unser Protagonist tatsächlich so reagiert wie er reagiert. Der Autor wechselt dem Wesen seiner Hauptfigur entsprechend auch abrupt zwischen den Themen. Dieser lässt sich von seinem Arzt auch ein recht heftiges neues Antidepressivum verschreiben. Dessen Wirkung beschreibt er ziemlich gut. Hier wird dann auch der Titel schlüssig. Das sogenannte „Glückshormon“ Serotonin spielt in der Behandlung von Depressionen eine Rolle. Je mehr man sich auf den Roman einlässt desto erschreckender wird er, da man des Öfteren an die ab Abartigkeiten der Menschen herangeführt wird - von Selbstmord, über falsches Reagieren der Polizei, bis hin zu sehr ausgefallenen Sexualpraktiken, um nur einiges zu nennen. Manchmal schien es mir, dass der depressive Protagonist die Welt besser und klarer sieht als Ottonormalmensch, da er manche Dinge sieht, die man so nicht gleich sieht. Auch was der Untergang der klassischen Wirtschaftszweige betrifft, es ist ja nicht nur die Landwirtschaft in dem Buch erwähnt, sondern noch so einige andere Zweige, die sich immer mehr verändern, hat er eine sehr interessante Haltung. Es ist alles sehr realistisch, was der Autor beschreibt und gerade deswegen machte es mir doch sehr viel Angst. Man sollte bei dem Buch immer wieder über das was der Autor beschreibt nachdenken. Das einzige was mich immer wieder gestört hat, war das Sexuelle zwischendurch, kaum ein Kapitel, wo nicht irgendwelche Andeutungen gemacht werden. Klar, es gehört zum Leben, aber irgendwann ist es auch mal gut. Es läuft sich tot. Aber ansonsten zeigt es viele Punkte auf, die man in Frankreich und der EU im Allgemeinen beobachten kann, wo es aber keine einfachen Lösungen gibt. Es regt zum denken an. Titel: SerotoninAutor: Houellebecq, MichelISBN: 9783832165482Verlag: Dumont VerlagPreis: 12,00 €Erscheinungsdatum: 7. Januar 2019 Bei unseren Partnern bestellen: Bei Yourbook.shop bestellen. Bei Genialokal.de bestellen. Bei Hugendubel.de bestellen. Bei Thalia.de bestellen. Die Buchhandlung Freiheitsplatz.de unterstützen! Die Büchergilde FFM unterstützen! Read the full article

[puffinseagull]

Church of Saint Michel Mont-Mercure (Vendée)

[witheredfig]

[ruinedholograms]

[claire-olives]

RAINBO-Michelle-Mercure from claire olivès on Vimeo.

[sub--limation]

« Indéfiniment, le bleu s'évade. Ce n'est pas, à vrai dire, une couleur. Plutôt une tonalité, un climat, une résonance spéciale de l'air. Un empilement de clarté, une teinte qui naît du vide ajouté au vide, aussi changeante et transparente dans la tête de l'homme que dans les cieux. »

Jean-Michel Maulpoix, / "Une histoire de bleu", Ed. Mercure de France, 1992

[nurhanarman]

I am much looking forward to conducting this world premiere with @orchestreclassiquedemontreal and Barbara Assiginaak. The concert will also feature violinist @marcdjokicviolin playing the Quebec premiere of Robert Rival Violin Concerto and soprano @sharonazrielisoprano in the infectious music of Michel Legrand. Please join me on April 11 at Salle Pierre Mercure! #worldpremiere #CanadianMusic#canadiancomposers #indigenousmusic #violoniste #Violinist #violin #montreal #Quebec #Canada #orchestre #chefdorchestre #compositrice #composer #NurhanArman #femalecomposer #flutist #flute #pipigwan #musiqueclassique (at Salle Pierre-Mercure) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpyl7jVgK5c/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=