Corps de musique sortie d'Eglise - France

In France, the sortie d'église was one of the great public moments of town life. When the doors opened after the service, the corps de musique was waiting, and the congregation spilled out into a procession that turned, almost at once, into dancing in the street.

These musical societies were the pride of their communes. Brass and drums, uniforms kept for feast days, players who worked all week and rehearsed in the evenings. On a wedding day, a patron saint's feast, or a village fête, the band led the crowd from the church porch out through the streets, and everyone followed.

This photograph catches that moment of release, the sacred giving way to the celebration, in a France where the whole town turned out for the music.

Printed on premium luster photo paper using museum-quality giclee printing for exceptional detail and lasting color.