Music in Haute-Garonne: this 130-year-old harmony retraces its history in an exceptional exhibition

It is an entire part of the musical heritage of the town of Caraman that it is currently possible to discover on the walls of the village media library. On the occasion of his 130^e birthdayl’Harmony Sainte-Cécileone of the oldest musical groups in Lauragais, has chosen to exhume several pieces and documents taken from its archives in order to tell its story as part of a very beautiful exhibition to be discovered until the beginning of June.

“We tried to bring out all the somewhat historical documents that we had. Some had been found in cupboards and drawers on the occasion of the centenary of the Harmony. There, the idea was to be able to exhibit them in a place like the media library where we will reach a wider audience than the musicians or the people who come to our concerts. We said to ourselves that it would be great if the inhabitants of the town could discover a big part of the history of our musical training,” explains Guillaume Vitracthe president of the Harmonie Sainte-Cécile.

A 130 year old diploma

Rare pieces are thus visible at the heart of this exhibition such as this painting with different medals and diplomas obtained over the decades by the Harmony during musical competitions organized in the four corners of the region, all around a piece of flag on which the town’s coat of arms appears. “And then there is this diploma which dates from September 27, 1896. It is the oldest that has been found and it is from this document that we date the founding of our Harmony. But it is therefore a safe bet that the orchestra has existed for a little longer in reality. The conductor of the time was called Paul Pujol and he held this role until 1929,” underlines Guillaume Vitrac.

The president of the Harmonie Sainte Cécile de Caraman then draws our attention to a diploma obtained in 1926 during a competition in Paris. “I don’t know how they managed to travel so far at that time. And they even won several first prizes that day. It’s a hell of a performance. Or maybe there weren’t many of them participating,” he laughs, before pointing the finger this time the most recent diploma obtained in 1997 in Béziers.

A hundred photos to discover

At the heart of this exhibition, we also find a hundred photos which retrace the highlights of musical training. Carefully selected by a group of volunteers made up of Gérard and Michèle Messonnier, Philippe and Françoise Mouligné, Danielle and Jean-Claude Vitrac, Geneviève Rousse et Patricia Zatkowskithese photos allow us to travel through the ages.

The opportunity to discover that Caramanese musicians have sometimes performed in prestigious venues in the Toulouse area such as the Grain Hall, the Saint-Pierre-des-Cuisines auditorium or Odyssud à Blagnac. “There are also photos of more local events like the Champetriades that we have organized for almost 15 years or the concert given for the inauguration of the cultural center. I remember that we had rehearsed the day before in the presence of the mayor Marie-Denise Xerri who absolutely wanted to be there to listen to the first notes of music resound in this room. She was very moved that evening,” remembers Guillaume Vitrac, scanning the different photos.

This exhibition will remain visible until 5 June before being moved to the cultural center on the occasion of the two exceptional concerts (see box below) that the Harmonie Sainte-Cécile de Caraman will give during the first weekend of June to properly celebrate its 130^e birthday.

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