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Exotic: from the Greek “exô” outside, and foreign “exôtikos”. From the 17th century onwards, Western society became passionate about travel, discovering colonial fruits and vegetables, tomatoes, corn, potatoes and chocolate. The 18th century brought the Thousand and One Nights, the Persian Letters and Bougainville’s voyages to France. Asian fabrics and motifs (Indians) were adored. Mme […]

Renouvaud is the search interface for the Vaud library network. In collaboration with other libraries in the canton, we are conducting a survey to find out how you use Renouvaud to discover physical and/or digital resources. The aim is to identify improvements and new functionalities. To take part, simply complete the completely anonymous online questionnaire, […]

The term traditional music refers to music rooted in a culture, passed down from generation to generation, usually orally, and evolving over time. Traditional music generally has a strong identity component. After the recordings of a few pioneers (ethnomusicologists Constantin Brailoiu, Alan Lomax, and closer to home Marcel Cellier) who travelled to more or less […]

At night, the moon shines placid and silent. This soothing image illuminates the human spirit and becomes a source of romantic inspiration, a mirror for lovers’ feelings and a source of contemplative charm for artists. The moon, the earth’s natural satellite, is at the center of some of the world’s greatest songwriters, including Frank Sinatra, […]

Whether romantic and gentle or eerie and dark, night has been a source of inspiration for musicians of all eras. Its music is composed to express feelings, and comes in infinite forms. The serene night is expressed in musical forms such as the Serenade, the Berceuse and, above all, the Nocturne. The first piece of […]

The oldest manuscript in the library is a parchment fragment dating from around 830.