It has always been a traditional attitude among French-Canadian folk singers that "le bonheur vient en chantant" (happiness comes with singing). The fraternal cultural organization La Societe Richelieu expresses this social philosophy in a similar way: "chanter, c'est fraterniser" (to sing is to be together in brotherhood).

French-Canadian folk song represents an oral heritage which originally played a crucial role in the everyday life of the rural Quebecois. Social life in Quebec before World War II centered around the activities of the parish, family and neighbors. Communally shared musical gatherings, known as veiltees, were nearly universal, for public concerts and other entertainments were rare in a small village, if they occurred at all. The veiltee served both as a reunion for old friends and relatives, and as an opportunity for young people to survey and actively court potential mates. Held in the large kitchen of some farm house, the veillee included dancing, clogging, playing of fiddles, accordions and spoons, singing, eating and drinking. Some families had pianos, and an evening of family singing at home was a common and popular pastime for many of today's older French New Englanders who were raised in the villages and countryside of Quebec.