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A Lovers Dance: Valse a Mary by Bernard Loffet, Lyrics by Mary Kay Aufrance
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In my lyrics to Valse a Mary, I sing the story of a country girl who invites the attentions of a boy to dance and more, "Come my lover now come dance, and we will dance our dance eternally." The desire for the dance becomes an promise of love that will continue forever, without ceasing. The girl's wish is for the joyous experience of dancing with the lover to be continuous and never stop. The hope that the love and the shared moments will remain constant and endure through time. It's a profound wish for the love and connection depicted in the dance to transcend the limitations of time and last forever.
Inspired From a World Away
Bernard Loffet, luthier and accordionist in Brittany, wrote and performed his the tune Valse a Mary for his wife Mary. When I heard his tune on his web site: diato.org, I was smitten by its charm! So, I was inspired to write lyrics, and then my husband and music partner Tom and I recorded this song to be included on our album Musical Dreams.
This collaboration (my lyrics and Bernard Loffet's tune) started when I was looking to buy an accordion, and found Bernard's site with his Valse a Mary clip playing on his home page. I remember thinking of lyrics for the tune while looking at my wildflower garden and all its colors glowing in the sun, as if spring and this tune compelled me to write the lyrics. What a beautiful memory. Then, I contacted him from the other side of the world, me in California and Bernard in Brittany. Then, after he agreed that I could use his melody, I sent Bernard a little in royalty that we negotiated via email.
So now, if I ever sell very many copies of my recording, I will have to send another check! It's a fun agreement, especially because later I learned that Bernard Loffet became a very popular accordion player and luthier in Europe!
I just love this song, and it was also a lovely experience recording it with Tom! Although our recording includes my piano accordion, not a diatonic accordion like Bernard built and plays, I tried my best to capture the sound and charm of his original recording. You will find that Bernard's tune is the most charming of any French Bretagne style button box accordion tunes, and it rang out from his web site for many years.
Credits:
- "Valse a Mary" composer Bernard Loffet
- Lyricist Mary Kay Aufrance
- Mary Kay Aufrance vocals and accordion
- Tom Aufrance, mandolin and guitar
