Cajun Folk Songs

Cajuns are descendants of the Acadians, a group of early French colonists who began settling in Acadia (now Nova Scotia) around 1604. In 1755 they were driven out by the British, eventually resettling in South Louisiana. Cajun Folk Songs was composed by Frank Ticheli as a tribute to the people of the old Cajun folksong culture. “La Belle et le Capitaine” tells the story of a young girl who feigns death to avoid being seduced by a captain. “Belle” is about a man who goes to Texas only to receive word of his sweetheart’s illness. Finding her unconscious upon his return to Louisiana, he pawns his horse to try to save her, to no avail. (Source: Composer)