Today we’re highlighting a beautiful modern rendition of “La Complainte de Louisbourg”, or “Louisbourg’s Lament”, performed by the award-winning Québecois folk group Le Vent du Nord.

The lyrics chosen for this rendition come directly from Anselme Chiasson’s “Chansons d’Acadie”. Canadian folklorist Helen Creighton first recorded this ballad in Saint-Joseph-du-Moine, Cape Breton Island in June 1944 and it is believed that this song originated with an eye-witness to the 1745 siege of Louisbourg.

Hailing from Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu, Québec, Le Vent du Nord has championed the music of “l’Amerique française” for nearly twenty years and have travelled the globe to bring these kinds of long lost traditional tunes to the rest of the world.

For more information on the origins of this song, listen to our podcast that dives into the history of this nearly three-hundred year old lament.