Academic literature on the topic 'Franco-German Choirs'

One of the consequences of any colonisation is the emergence in the colonies of a dominant consular class, one of whose characteristics is cultural snobbery. This snobbery is manifested mainly in cultural choices that ignore local music or include it in an ensemble of strategies to participate in an alleged metropolitan cultural universalism. In Brazil, Villa-Lobos, the Batutas orchestra or the dancer known as Duque, who all enchanted France during the belle époque and who still arouse interest all over the world, were only the tip of an iceberg of popular music. This paper aims to demonstrate how the music and writings of Debussy and Ravel can be helpful in establishing the construction of a true history of classical music in Brazil, beyond the historical Franco-German rivalry.

Based on a qualitative analysis of 127 sociolinguistic interviews with speakers of Alemannic from 22 villages and towns along the Franco-German border at the Upper Rhine in Baden (Germany), this contribution investigates the construction of trans-border identities. The paper explores how Badeners perceive the relationship with Alsace (France) with regard to three thematic fields: 1) regional ties with Alsace, 2) language choice in communication across the border, and 3) comprehension of the Alsatian dialect. Two factors are shown to play a major role for the construction of trans-border identities. First, identities vary between regions, which can be explained by historical differences, especially with respect to political circumstances. The closer the historical relationship between the respective region and Alsace, the stronger the trans-border identity. Second, there is an influence of the geographical distance to the border. The closer a village is located to the border (the Rhine), the stronger the (self- and other-)ascription of linguistic and regional ties to Alsace. Furthermore, analysis reveals a correlation between the perception of regional ties to Alsace and language choice in trans-border communication: Persons who construct a shared regional cohesiveness across the border tend to use the Alemannic dialect when interacting with Alsatians, whereas persons who do not perceive such a cohesiveness mainly use Standard German or French.

Abstract This paper traces the use of accrual accounting in a tradition where a uniform code-based accounting chart is imposed on all levels of government. Operating within a hybrid of Franco-German and Anglo-Saxon accounting heritage, local government in Cameroon experienced some hurdles in practicing accrual accounting for over a decade. It becomes therefore pertinent to examine the motivation towards the move to accrual accounting and the extent to which accrual data is used for financial reporting and decision-making. The study is hinged on a triangulation in qualitative research, with a case study, interviews and documentary analysis. New Public Management and the institutional theories are used as a framework to broaden the understanding of the practice of accrual as an accounting choice underpinning reforms in the Cameroon public sector. It was revealed in this study that the normative and coercive isomorphic pressures influenced the adoption and practice of accruals in councils. In order to appear legitimate and for fear of being sanctioned, council authorities had to produce some accrual-based financial reports at all cost, even though these reports were hardly used for management decisions making.

The Covid-19 pandemic was a catalyst for the growing systemic crisis of the EU and at the same time gave the Union an impetus towards its qualitatively new development in favor of deeper integration, expressed in a change in the financial and economic space of the EU. Realizing the risks of their internal destabilization, the EU core countries decided to sacrifice the surplus from their economic successes through the socialization of debts in order to save the most affected peripheral Member States to preserve both the integration union and the European idea itself. The purpose of this article is to explain the difficulty of making this decision and its compromise nature, as well as to clarify the likely consequences and suggest options for the further development of the situation. The authors first compare the pros and cons of debt socialization. Then the variables are compared: the Spanish proposal, the Franco-German initiative and the negotiating platform on the "next generation EU" by Ursula von der Leyen with the fundamental points of the European Council compromise decision. It also provides answers to questions about the volume, conditions, mechanism, and control over the expenditure of the financial assistance provided. The breakthrough steps taken by the Member States towards finding an optimal solution are analyzed. The result of the study is a balanced conclusion about the ambiguous nature of the decision adopted by the EU but having a historical significance and opening prospects for the further deepening of integration processes. This is facilitated by reaching an agreement on the need to bring the core of the EU closer to the periphery through the socialization of debts, as well as the importance of structural reforms that would ensure the construction of a harmonious economy of the future based on a new technological platform and formulated in a breakthrough plan called the next generation EU. Success is not guaranteed, as it depends on the behavior of all Member States, but it is real.

Abstract The author of this paper searches for insights concerning Eastern Europe as a region in the making in a global context. New systems of governance and new economic set-ups, which challenge current powers, are emerging uninterruptedly coined by various global dynamics. The evolving divergences, choices and dynamics of governments on a global scale generate new players, coalitions and ways of engagement into multifaceted actions, which are in urgent need of study. The discrepancies on the line lead to geopolitical struggle, security threats, and political turmoil and water and food shortages. The world is going through a multiple crisis of finance, investment/growth and ecosystem. These channels seem to be unrelated, but are interconnected with each other in various ways. They reflect large structural discrepancies between different regional unions and local alliances; between actors on local and national levels; between the developed world and nations that are less developed; between finance and the real economy; and between the earth's ecological units, on one side and economic systems and political decisions on the other side. Author argues that Eastern and Central Europe's situation in the globalising world today is somehow still an open end option position as it is not clear which eastern alliance will lead within the EU as alternative to a powerful Franco-German coalition.

Bernard Lallement, chef de choeur et diplomate français, passe toute sa carrière professionnelle au service du ministère des Affaires étrangères. Nommé en 1965 à Berlin dans le climat de la guerre froide et la dynamique du traité de l'Élysée signée deux années plus tôt, par Charles de Gaulle et Konrad Adenauer, il use de sa qualité de diplomate pour développer la coopération entre Allemands et Français autour du chant choral. En l'espace de quinze ans, il crée les quatre premières chorales franco-allemandes (CFAs) dans les villes où il exerce ses fonctions : Berlin, Munich, Paris et Bonn. En 1982, il fonde la Fédération des CFAs qui compte aujourd'hui dix chorales en Allemagne et sept en France. Sa ténacité fait de lui un des maillons incontournables de la société civile engagée dans les relations amicales et humaines. Convaincu, tout comme les signataires du traité, que la réconciliation et la coopération passent par la jeunesse, il occupe de 1979 à 1983 le poste de secrétaire général adjoint de l'Office Franco-Allemand pour la Jeunesse (OFAJ). La musique jalonne le parcours professionnel de Bernard Lallement, que compositions et direction accompagnent. Musique et Politique se croisent lors des concerts franco-allemands commémoratifs. Et depuis la signature du traité en 1963 jusqu'à sa plus récente actualisation à Aix-la Chapelle en 2019, le diplomate musicien oeuvre à la coopération, à l'approfondissement des relations et à l'intégration des peuples français, allemands et européens. Si l'OFAJ est une référence pour la jeunesse d'autres pays, le chant choral est devenu quant à lui, et grâce à Bernard Lallement, le vecteur d'une amitié franco-allemande durable dont les CFAs sont les ambassadrices
Bernard Lallement, French choir director and diplomat, spent his entire professional career in the service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was the first posted to Berlin in 1965 at the time of the Cold War. In the framework of the Élysée Treaty signed two years earlier by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer, he used his diplomatic skills to develop cooperation between the Germans and the French around choral singing. In fifteen years, he created the first four Franco-German choirs (CFAs) in the cities where he was in office : Berlin, Munich, Paris and Bonn. In 1982, he founded the Federation of CFAs, which includes today ten choirs in Germany and seven choirs in France. His tenacity has made him a key player in civil society engaged in cultural and human relations. Bernard Lallement has always been convinced, together with the signatories of the treaty that young people have a major to play in reconciliation and cooperation. He worked as Deputy Secretary General of the Franco-German Youth Office (OFAJ) from 1979 to 1983. Alongside his professional career, music has been an integral part of his life, both with his composing and direction of choirs. Music and Politics come together on the occasion of the Franco-German commemorative concerts. From the singing of the Treaty in 1963 until its most recent update in Aachen in 2019, the musician diplomat has promoted the cooperation and the deepening of integration between French, German and wider European citizens. OFAJ has become the reference for the youth of other countries. Thanks to Bernard Lallement, the choirshave become the best ambassadors from promoting lasting franco-german relationships