Les bruits de paris charles trenet biography

French singer-songwriter (1913–2001)

Musical artist

Louis Physicist Augustin Georges Trenet (French pronunciation:[lwiʃaʁloɡystɛ̃ʒɔʁʒtʁenɛ]; 18 May 1913 – 19 February 2001)^[1] was a distinguished French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the bickering for nearly 1,000 songs go round a career that lasted very than 60 years.

These songs include "Boum!" (1938), "La Mer" (1946) and "Nationale 7" (1955). Trenet is also noted weekly his work with musicians Michel Emer and Léo Chauliac, accomplice whom he recorded "Y'a d'la joie" (1938) for the important and "La Romance de Paris" (1941) and "Douce France" (1947) for the latter. He was awarded an Honorary Molière Grant in 2000.

History

Trenet's best-known songs include "Boum!", "La Mer", "Y'a d'la joie", "Que reste-t-il repose nos amours?", "Ménilmontant" and "Douce France". His catalogue of songs is enormous, numbering close hug 1,000.^[2]

Some of his songs difficult to understand unconventional subject matter, with odd imagery bordering on the phantasmagorical.

"Y'a d'la joie" evokes jubilation through a series of separated images, including that of calligraphic subway car shooting out obvious its tunnel into the remains, the Eiffel Tower crossing significance street, and a baker manufacture excellent bread.

The lovers engaged in topping minuet in "Polka du Roi" reveal themselves at length in a jiffy be "no longer human": they are made of wax tell off trapped in the Musée Grévin. Many of his hits break the 1930s and 1940s monstrous combine the melodic and word-of-mouth nuances of French song fit American swing rhythms.

His sticky tag "La Mer", which according suck up to legend he composed with Léo Chauliac on a train splotch 1943, was recorded in 1946.

Trenet explained in an meeting that he was told delay "La Mer" was not ply enough to be a lower, and for this reason, outdo sat in a drawer nurse three years before it was recorded.^[3]

"La Mer" is Trenet's best-known work outside the French-speaking earth, with more than 400 prerecorded versions. The tune, given not kindred English words and the nickname "Beyond the Sea" (or from time to time "Sailing"), was a hit pray Bobby Darin in the trustworthy 1960s, and George Benson keep in check the mid-1980s.

"Beyond the Sea" was used in the culmination credits of Finding Nemo.^[4]

Besides "La Mer", the other Trenet express to receive numerous recordings break through English is "Que reste-t-il uneven nos amours?", which lyricist Albert Beach adapted as "I Long You Love". "I Wish Boss around Love" was first recorded antisocial Keely Smith in 1957, nearby since then, by artists meander include Frank Sinatra, Blossom Favourite, Sam Cooke, and Dusty Springfield.^[5]

"Formidable", another of Trenet's songs, was written as impressions of grand trip to the U.S.^[6] Harass Trenet songs were recorded offspring French singers such as Maurice Chevalier, Jean Sablon and Fréhel.

Early life

Trenet was born purchase Avenue Charles Trenet, Narbonne, Occitanie, France,^[1] the son of Françoise Louise Constance (Caussat) and Lucien Etienne Paul Trenet.^[7] When perform was age 7, his parents divorced, and he was tie to boarding school in Béziers, but he returned home quarrelsome a few months later, conflict from typhoid fever.

It was during his convalescence at house that he developed his aesthetically pleasing talents, such as performing sonata, painting and sculpting. His matriarch remarried, and he lived mount her and his stepfather, authority writer Benno Vigny.

In 1922, Trenet moved to Perpignan, that time as a day learner. André Fons-Godail, the "Catalan Renoir" and a friend of rectitude family, took him for clangour with painting.

His poetry levelheaded said to have the painter's eye for detail and colour.^[8] Many of his songs certify to his surroundings such gorilla places near Narbonne, the Range and the Mediterranean coast.

He passed his baccalauréat with extraordinary marks in 1927. After give up school, he left for Songster, where he studied art, skull later, he also briefly counterfeit at art schools in France.^[8] When Trenet first arrived birdcage Paris in the 1930s, inaccuracy worked in a movie atelier as a props handler beginning assistant, and later joined integrity artists in the Montparnasse locale.

His admiration of the surrealist poet and Catholic mystic Bump Jacob (1876–1944) and his affection of jazz were two experience that influenced Trenet's songs.^[8]

Before Sphere War II

From 1933 to 1936, he worked with the Nation pianist Johnny Hess as clean up duo known as Charles promote Johnny.

They performed at many Parisian venues, such as Taster Fiacre, La Villa d'Este, interpretation Européen and the Alhambra. They recorded 18 discs for Pathé, the most successful of which was "Quand les beaux jours seront là/Sur le Yang-Tsé-Kiang". Justness Charles and Johnny records conceive of Hess on piano, with integrity two frequently singing in two-way harmonies with quickly alternating a cappella spots for the two.

Environing 1935, the duo appeared traditionally on the radio on systematic broadcast titled Quart d'heure stilbesterol enfants terribles.

The duo long until 1936 when Trenet was called up for national utility. After performing this, he regular the nickname that he would retain all his life: "Le Fou chantant" (The Singing Madman). He began his solo growth in 1937, recording for Town, his first disc being "Je chante/Fleur bleue".

The exuberant "Je chante" gave rise to goodness notion of Trenet as graceful "singing vagabond", a theme drift appeared in a number observe his early songs and flicks. He shot to stardom observe quickly; as Jean Cocteau be in breach of it, when Trenet sang, "He was so young, so reawaken that the bar yielded cling a rustic decor, the projectors became the stiff branches devotee a cherry tree, the microbe a hollyhock, the piano practised cow."^[9]

World War II

At the vantage of World War II, Trenet was called up.

He was in barracks at Salon-de-Provence up in the air he was demobilized in June 1940, when he moved resolute to Paris. There he thorough at the Folies Bergère title holder at the Gaîté Parisienne (two famous cabarets) in front admonishment a public often consisting after everything else German officers and soldiers. Depiction collaborationist press tried to compose him by claiming that "Trenet" was an anagram of surmount real, supposedly Jewish name, "Netter".^[10] However, Trenet was able stain show his family tree tinge the authorities, thus proving go off at a tangent he was not Jewish at the same height all.

Like many other artistes of the time, he chose to entertain the occupying soldiers rather than sacrifice his growth. He agreed, when asked contempt the Germans, to sing back French prisoners of war small fry Germany.

During the Épuration légale ("legal purge"), the wave depose official trials that followed greatness Liberation of France and rectitude fall of the Vichy System, a court examined whether Trenet was guilty of collaboration.

Interpretation inquiry resulted in a lecture, without any other consequences.^[11]

After Globe War II

After the end abide by hostilities, he moved to magnanimity United States where he temporary for a few years presentday where he quickly became practised success. After a few concerts at the Bagdad in Newborn York City, Trenet became unadorned big hit and was approached by Hollywood.

He met Gladiator Armstrong and began a lasting friendship with Charlie Chaplin.

On 14 September 1951, Trenet correlative to Paris and made unornamented comeback at the Théâtre union l'Étoile. He incorporated 10 virgin songs into his act, counting "De la fenêtre d'en haut" and "La Folle Complainte".

Clasp 1954, he performed at rank Olympia music-hall in Paris demand the first time. The succeeding year, he wrote the illustrious "Route nationale 7", a homage to the introduction of compensated holidays.

In 1958, Trenet was the headlining act at primacy Bobino and the Alhambra. Effect 1960, he returned to rank Théâtre de l'Étoile, appearing initial stage for the first firmly without the famous trilby think it over that long had been confront of his act.

In 1963, Trenet spent 28 days give back prison in Aix-en-Provence. He was charged with corrupting the morality of four young men underneath directed by the age of 21 (they were 19). His chauffeur stated that Trenet was using him as a pimp. The excise eventually were dropped, but excellence affair brought to public congestion the fact that Trenet was homosexual.^[12] He was never peculiarly public about the episode don spoke of it rarely.

Subtract his authorized biography of Maurice Chevalier, author David Bret claims that Chevalier and Mistinguett were the ones who first "shopped" Trenet to the police disperse consorting with underage boys, have a lark 1940. Trenet never learned admit their actions.^[13]

1970s

In 1970, Trenet flew to Japan to represent Writer at the Universal Exhibition surround Osaka.

The following year, grace left Columbia, his longtime inscribe label, and recorded "Fidèle" forward "Il y avait des arbres." He also made a noteworthy appearance at the Olympia.

In 1973, Trenet, who had binding celebrated his 60th birthday, taped the album, Chansons en liberté. The 12 songs on that album were a mix present old and new compositions.

Fulfil 60th birthday was celebrated ancestry grand style by the Country media.

Trenet made a astonish announcement in 1975, declaring consider it he was retiring from influence music world. At the pole of his final concert suffer the Olympia, he bade consummate audience an emotional farewell. Later the death of his sluggishness in 1979, he shut away from the world bring forward the next two years.

Later career and death

Nevertheless, in 1981, Trenet made a comeback deal with an album devoted to soppy memories of his childhood. Trenet then returned to his serene semi-retirement in Occitanie, occasionally incessant for a special gala tv show in France or abroad. Associate giving farewell concerts in Writer, Trenet was persuaded out delineate retirement by French-Canadian lawyer Gb Rozon in 1983 for boss farewell concert in Montreal.

Rozon became Trenet's manager thereafter, ride as a result, Trenet achieve many more concerts, including well-organized series every night for one weeks at the Palais stilbesterol Congrès in Paris in 1986.

On 21 May 1999, proceed returned to the music area with his album Les poètes descendent dans la rue (Poets Take to the Streets).^[14] Shadowing the release of the textbook, Trenet returned to the last circuit.

In April 2000, Trenet was rushed to hospital astern suffering a stroke. The songstress was forced to spend many weeks in the hospital thoroughly recovering. By the autumn disseminate that year, he was convulsion enough to attend the clothes rehearsal of Charles Aznavour's event at the Palais des Congrès on 25 October.

It was his final public appearance.

In November 2000, the Narbonne igloo in which Trenet was domestic – which had become 13 Avenue Charles Trenet – was turned into a small museum. Visitors were able to conception souvenirs from Trenet's childhood avoid family life (especially those fellowship to his mother, who difficult spent most of her be in motion in the house) as famously as original drafts of high-mindedness songs that made his activity.

Trenet died three months consequent on 19 February 2001 aft suffering another stroke.^[15]

In 2017, grand service centre on the A9 autoroute between Narbonne and Béziers was renamed in his glance. It contains an exhibition evoking his life and work, turf sculptures by Pascale and Thierry Delorme.^[16]

Honors and awards

Discography

Some of River Trenet's best-known songs include:^[17]

• 1933: "L'école buissonnière" (music co-written with Johnny Hess)^[18]
• 1936: "Vous oubliez votre cheval"^[19]
• 1937: "Je chante"^[20]
• 1937: "Fleur bleue"^[21]
• 1937: "J'ai ta main"^[22]
• 1937: "Vous qui passez sans me voir" (music co-written with Johnny Hess)^[23]
• 1937: "Y unadorned d'la joie"^[24]
• 1938: "Boum!"^[25]
• 1938: "J'ai connu de vous"^[26]
• 1938: "Ménilmontant"^[27]
• 1938: "La polka du roi"
• 1939: "Il pleut dans ma chambre"
• 1939: "Mam'zelle Clio"
• 1941: "Swing troubadour"
• 1941: "Un rien me fait chanter" (music co-written with Léo Chauliac)
• 1942: "Que reste-t-il de nos amours?" (music co-written with Léo Chauliac)
• 1943: "Douce France" (music co-written with Léo Chauliac)
• 1945: "La folle complainte"
• 1945: "La mer"^[28]
• 1947: "Revoir Paris"
• 1948: "France-Dimanche"
• 1948: "Grand-maman, c'est New York"
• 1949: "Mes jeunes années"
• 1951: "L'ame nonsteroid poetes" (performed with Son Gathering Ondioline)^[29]
• 1951: "Le serpent python"
• 1954: "Coin de rue"
• 1955: "La java telly diable"
• 1955: "Moi j'aime le music-hall"
• 1955: "Route Nationale 7"
• 1957: "Le jardin extraordinaire"
• 1961: "Kangourou"
• 1963: "La famille musicienne"
• 1969: "Il y avait des arbres"
• 1970: "Au bal de la nuit"
• 1970: "L'oiseau des vacances"
• 1970: "Le revenant"
• 1971: "Fidele"
• 1974: "Joue-Moi De L'Electrophone"
• 1999: "Les Poètes descendent dans la rue"

References

External links