Victor Courte Shares His Poetic World

by Ilania Abileah

Poets and visual artists inspire each other, and music has inspired many painters. Poets paint with words. Painters say it in colour, shape and movement usually wordlessly. Admittedly, I usually seek the melody in music rather than the words. However, recently, I was given a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the poetic songs of Victor Courte and appreciate the words.

Victor started singing after a motorbike accident. He was not able to go to work. He sat at home listening to the Radio. Then, he heard Leonard Cohen and decided he also wants to write and sing songs. So he bought a guitar and learned how to play.

Victor accepted my invitation to come the Mille Isles Community Hall, where I have organized weekly painting sessions. He sang, while I took quick sketches of him with his guitar and tried to capture the words of his songs. Victor readily shares his music. In his song "Reflections", he sings about growing up as a half French, half English Canadian. He sings about the need for love, and about children of the world and their problems. He sings poetry accompanied by the sound of a guitar. His style is not exactly Folk music, nor Country. Victor does not care; he rather likes not being classified. He just wants people to listen to his songs, and sings only his own songs. His voice is warm and honestly masculine, and he projects it well, hardly a need for a microphone.

What impressed me most about Victor's music is that it made me listen to the words. Words of hope: "when everything will be alright"...of deliberation "I passed myself around...nobody even noticed"..."I just can't seem to give up the fight and say it's over!" He sang of yearning to be loved: “I used to think that love will never find me”…and of finding love: "Your love is like the rain pouring down... You make it easy to be me!”

This was a beautiful experience. I was inspired and am really grateful to Victor for sharing his poetic world. Victor has performed in Brownsburg a while back, and may perform again in the Laurentians this year. He is also planning to record his songs. Watch out for his next performance in the pages of this paper.