What is a Choucoune?

Answer 1

Well, darling, a Choucoune is a Haitian song composed by Michel Mauleart Monton with lyrics by Oswald Durand. It's also known as "Yellow Bird" in English, made popular by the Mills Brothers in the 1950s. So, next time you want to impress someone with your knowledge of Caribbean music, just drop the word "Choucoune" and watch them be amazed.

Answer 2

"Choucoune" (Haitian Creole: Choukoun) is a 19th century Haitian song composed by Michel Mauleart Monton with lyrics from a poem by Oswald Durand. It was rewritten with English lyrics in the 20th century as "Yellow Bird." One of Oswald Durand's most famous works is the 1883 "Choucoune," a lyrical poem praising the beauty of a Haitian woman of that nickname. Michel Mauleart Monton, an American-born pianist with a Haitian father and an American mother, composed music for the poem in 1893 appropriating some French and Caribbean fragments to create his tune. The song became a popular slow méringue (mereng) song in Haiti and is sometimes called "Ti Zwazo" or "Ti Zwezo" (French: Petits Oiseaux; Little Birds) after a line in the chorus.