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| Case of Elgar's cowbell concerto sets rural France against townies | Case of Elgar's cowbell concerto sets rural France against townies |
| (7 days later) | |
| His name is redolent of the rolling Malvern hills, but 63-year-old Edward Elgar, founder of an academic publishers, is drawn to the beauty of the Cévennes range in the south of France. Elgar, who lives for some of the year in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, sought la bonne vie more than a decade ago, when he and his wife, Sandy, bought a house in the area. | His name is redolent of the rolling Malvern hills, but 63-year-old Edward Elgar, founder of an academic publishers, is drawn to the beauty of the Cévennes range in the south of France. Elgar, who lives for some of the year in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, sought la bonne vie more than a decade ago, when he and his wife, Sandy, bought a house in the area. |
| Near the village of Tornac, which boasts a 12th-century church and chateau, Elgar's 10-bedroom house, a converted silk mill, enjoys sweeping vistas of the hills. The locals, not renowned for welcoming outsiders, get on well with him. Indeed, Elgar endeared himself to a farmer, Claude Mesjeans, when he allowed him to use land around his house for beef cattle to graze between April and August. Local huntsmen also enjoy hunting boar on the land. | Near the village of Tornac, which boasts a 12th-century church and chateau, Elgar's 10-bedroom house, a converted silk mill, enjoys sweeping vistas of the hills. The locals, not renowned for welcoming outsiders, get on well with him. Indeed, Elgar endeared himself to a farmer, Claude Mesjeans, when he allowed him to use land around his house for beef cattle to graze between April and August. Local huntsmen also enjoy hunting boar on the land. |
| But now there is trouble in this paradis terrestre. Elgar is immersed in a bizarre battle after an arriviste, Yves Meignan, took great exception to the cowbell-wearing herd and launched a legal action, claiming that they were causing him "exhaustion and anxiety". | But now there is trouble in this paradis terrestre. Elgar is immersed in a bizarre battle after an arriviste, Yves Meignan, took great exception to the cowbell-wearing herd and launched a legal action, claiming that they were causing him "exhaustion and anxiety". |
| Elgar and Mesjeans have been summonsed to appear before the Tribunal de Grande Instance d'Alès which, if it sides with Meignan and finds that the cowbells – or cloches – are a breach of the plaintiff's privacy, has the power to impose a fine up to €5,000. | Elgar and Mesjeans have been summonsed to appear before the Tribunal de Grande Instance d'Alès which, if it sides with Meignan and finds that the cowbells – or cloches – are a breach of the plaintiff's privacy, has the power to impose a fine up to €5,000. |
| The row has escalated into a cause célèbre, a battle between town and country. More than 1,600 people have signed an online petition backing the Englishman and the farmer. Mayors from across the region have waded in on Elgar's side. | The row has escalated into a cause célèbre, a battle between town and country. More than 1,600 people have signed an online petition backing the Englishman and the farmer. Mayors from across the region have waded in on Elgar's side. |
| Typical comments on internet forums suggest that Meignan is not cut out for the country and should return to une grande ville. One post adopts a lyrical tone, explaining that the writer likes to live with the sound of cowbells and church bells, the bellows of sheep and the song of birds rather than the noise of towns. Many of Meignan's critics simply say: "Vivent les paysans!" ["Long live the peasantry!"] while a few engage in an existential debate about the threat of "neocolonialist urbanisation". Almost all express shock that the French legal system is being burdened because someone has been "inconvenienced". | Typical comments on internet forums suggest that Meignan is not cut out for the country and should return to une grande ville. One post adopts a lyrical tone, explaining that the writer likes to live with the sound of cowbells and church bells, the bellows of sheep and the song of birds rather than the noise of towns. Many of Meignan's critics simply say: "Vivent les paysans!" ["Long live the peasantry!"] while a few engage in an existential debate about the threat of "neocolonialist urbanisation". Almost all express shock that the French legal system is being burdened because someone has been "inconvenienced". |
| "The first time I heard anything about it was when I received a letter from his lawyer," Elgar explained. "I feel sorry for this silly man. His lawyers have exploited him by encouraging him to go to court over a trivial matter. He's become a laughing stock." | "The first time I heard anything about it was when I received a letter from his lawyer," Elgar explained. "I feel sorry for this silly man. His lawyers have exploited him by encouraging him to go to court over a trivial matter. He's become a laughing stock." |
| In his two-page defence, Mesjeans explains that his cows have never been accused of disturbing anyone before. He claims it is not only a tradition for the local cows to wear bells; it is also essential. The bells allow him to differentiate between cows, Mesjeans notes, explaining that the cloches make different noises – "dong dong" and "ding ding" – allowing him to tell his animals apart. | In his two-page defence, Mesjeans explains that his cows have never been accused of disturbing anyone before. He claims it is not only a tradition for the local cows to wear bells; it is also essential. The bells allow him to differentiate between cows, Mesjeans notes, explaining that the cloches make different noises – "dong dong" and "ding ding" – allowing him to tell his animals apart. |
| For good measure, Mesjeans adds that the countryside is not – and never has been – a quiet place, that it is full of insects and smells. | For good measure, Mesjeans adds that the countryside is not – and never has been – a quiet place, that it is full of insects and smells. |
| The row invites comparisons with Clochemerle, the 1934 satire by Gabriel Chevallier that tells how the construction of a urinal in a village square in Beaujolais divides the population.Elgar has his own take on the row: "It's more Clochemerde than Clochemerle." | The row invites comparisons with Clochemerle, the 1934 satire by Gabriel Chevallier that tells how the construction of a urinal in a village square in Beaujolais divides the population.Elgar has his own take on the row: "It's more Clochemerde than Clochemerle." |
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