0 World music day June 21

world music day

The World Music Day has its origins in France. American musician Joel Cohen (no relations with Leonard Cohen) of the Boston Camerata fame proposed an all-night music celebration to mark the beginning of the summer solstice in 1976 while he was on a scholarship to study music in Paris. The first Fete de la Musique took place in Paris in 1982 as French music and dance director Maurice Fleuret pursued Cohen's ideas.

Eversince 1982, June 21 has been celebrated across many countries as World Music Day. Typically, the World Music Day features amateur and professional musicians performing on the streets, in squares, in public places. The slogan Faites de la musique (Make music), a homophone of Fete de la Musique, is used to promote this goal.

Larger bands typically throw a free gig and invite cross-genre musicians to share the stage with them. The official Fête de la Musique organisation in Paris give sanction to events on two basic conditions - one that all concerts must be free to the public and two, all performers donate their time for free.