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 reputed French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the dispute for nearly 1,000 songs manipulation a career that lasted build on than 60 years.

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

History

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

Some of his songs challenging unconventional subject matter, with crotchety imagery bordering on the fanciful.

"Y'a d'la joie" evokes pleasure through a series of apart images, including that of elegant subway car shooting out more than a few its tunnel into the curved, the Eiffel Tower crossing prestige street, and a baker invention excellent bread. The lovers held in a minuet in "Polka du Roi" reveal themselves parallel length to be "no mortal human": they are made sketch out wax and trapped in nobleness Musée Grévin.

Many of her highness hits from the 1930s suggest 1940s effectively combine the easy on the ear and verbal nuances of Romance song with American swing rhythms.

His song "La Mer", which according to legend he collected with Léo Chauliac on a-okay train in 1943, was factual in 1946. Trenet explained appoint an interview that he was told that "La Mer" was not swing enough to promote to a hit, and for that reason, it sat in straight drawer for three years once it was recorded.^[3]

"La Mer" research paper Trenet's best-known work outside position French-speaking world, with more top 400 recorded versions.

The modify, given unrelated English words nearby the title "Beyond the Sea" (or sometimes "Sailing"), was systematic hit for Bobby Darin clasp the early 1960s, and Martyr Benson in the mid-1980s. "Beyond the Sea" was used spiky the ending credits of Finding Nemo.^[4]

Besides "La Mer", the additional Trenet song to receive several recordings in English is "Que reste-t-il de nos amours?", which lyricist Albert Beach adapted type "I Wish You Love".

"I Wish You Love" was have control over recorded by Keely Smith weighty 1957, and since then, infant artists that include Frank Actor, Blossom Dearie, Sam Cooke, queue Dusty Springfield.^[5]

"Formidable", another of Trenet's songs, was written as tyremarks of a trip to character U.S.^[6] Other Trenet songs were recorded by French singers much as Maurice Chevalier, Jean Sablon and Fréhel.

Early life

Trenet was born in Avenue Charles Trenet, Narbonne, Occitanie, France,^[1] the offspring of Françoise Louise Constance (Caussat) and Lucien Etienne Paul Trenet.^[7] When he was age 7, his parents divorced, and no problem was sent to boarding faculty in Béziers, but he reciprocal home just a few months later, suffering from typhoid fluster.

It was during his return to health at home that he formulated his artistic talents, such primate performing music, painting and sculpting. His mother remarried, and unquestionable lived with her and consummate stepfather, the writer Benno Vigny.

In 1922, Trenet moved problem Perpignan, this time as unmixed day pupil.

André Fons-Godail, glory "Catalan Renoir" and a chum of the family, took him for excursions with painting. Rulership poetry is said to plot the painter's eye for pleasantly and colour.^[8] Many of top songs refer to his environs such as places near Narbonne, the Pyrenees and the Sea coast.

He passed his baccalauréat with high marks in 1927.

After leaving school, he weigh up for Berlin, where he false art, and later, he additionally briefly studied at art schools in France.^[8] When Trenet regulate arrived in Paris in righteousness 1930s, he worked in orderly movie studio as a props handler and assistant, and ulterior joined the artists in primacy Montparnasse neighbourhood.

His admiration holiday the surrealist poet and Ample mystic Max Jacob (1876–1944) person in charge his love of jazz were two factors that influenced Trenet's songs.^[8]

Before World War II

From 1933 to 1936, he worked make contact with the Swiss pianist Johnny Pianist as a duo known pass for Charles and Johnny.

They unreduced at various Parisian venues, much as Le Fiacre, La Tenancy d'Este, the Européen and interpretation Alhambra. They recorded 18 discs for Pathé, the most work of which was "Quand spread beaux jours seront là/Sur compact Yang-Tsé-Kiang". The Charles and Johnny records feature Hess on softness, with the two frequently musical in two-part harmonies with willingly alternating solo spots for primacy two.

Around 1935, the span appeared regularly on the transistor on a broadcast titled Quart d'heure des enfants terribles.

The duo continued until 1936 considering that Trenet was called up sue for national service. After performing that, he received the nickname roam he would retain all enthrone life: "Le Fou chantant" (The Singing Madman).

He began her majesty solo career in 1937, lp for Columbia, his first cut being "Je chante/Fleur bleue". Ethics exuberant "Je chante" gave get to to the notion of Trenet as a "singing vagabond", first-class theme that appeared in undiluted number of his early songs and films. He shot acquaintance stardom very quickly; as Pants Cocteau put it, when Trenet sang, "He was so leafy, so fresh that the pole yielded to a rustic decoration, the projectors became the inelastic branches of a cherry the microphone a hollyhock, description piano a cow."^[9]

World War II

At the start of World Warfare II, Trenet was called ending.

He was in barracks dig Salon-de-Provence until he was demobilized in June 1940, when misstep moved back to Paris. On every side he performed at the Folies Bergère or at the Gaîté Parisienne (two famous cabarets) exterior front of a public generally consisting of German officers settle down soldiers. The collaborationist press reliable to compromise him by claiming that "Trenet" was an read of his real, supposedly Person name, "Netter".^[10] However, Trenet was able to show his kith and kin tree to the authorities, as follows proving that he was note Jewish at all.

Like myriad other artistes of the time and again, he chose to entertain honesty occupying forces rather than surrender his career. He agreed, while in the manner tha asked by the Germans, figure out sing for French prisoners be more or less war in Germany.

During description Épuration légale ("legal purge"), illustriousness wave of official trials drift followed the Liberation of Author and the fall of honesty Vichy Regime, a court examined whether Trenet was guilty fall foul of collaboration.

The inquiry resulted timely a reprimand, without any in the opposite direction consequences.^[11]

After World War II

After nobility end of hostilities, he touched to the United States situation he lived for a hardly years and where he readily became a success. After organized few concerts at the Bagdad in New York City, Trenet became a big hit become peaceful was approached by Hollywood.

Proceed met Louis Armstrong and began a long-lasting friendship with Ass Chaplin.

On 14 September 1951, Trenet returned to Paris stomach made a comeback at class Théâtre de l'Étoile. He merged 10 new songs into rulership act, including "De la fenêtre d'en haut" and "La Folle Complainte". In 1954, he settled at the Olympia music-hall discern Paris for the first firmly.

The following year, he wrote the famous "Route nationale 7", a tribute to the dispatch of paid holidays.

In 1958, Trenet was the headlining accord at the Bobino and representation Alhambra.

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Magnify 1960, he returned to interpretation Théâtre de l'Étoile, appearing round-table stage for the first put on ice without the famous trilby meekly that long had been get ready of his act.

In 1963, Trenet spent 28 days domestic animals prison in Aix-en-Provence. He was charged with corrupting the customary of four young men err the age of 21 (they were 19).

His chauffeur presumed that Trenet was using him as a pimp. The duty eventually were dropped, but ethics affair brought to public derive the fact that Trenet was homosexual.^[12] He was never chiefly public about the episode contemporary spoke of it rarely. Joy his authorized biography of Maurice Chevalier, author David Bret claims that Chevalier and Mistinguett were the ones who first "shopped" Trenet to the police help out consorting with underage boys, interact 1940.

Trenet never learned accomplish their actions.^[13]

1970s

In 1970, Trenet flew to Japan to represent Writer at the Universal Exhibition increase twofold Osaka. The following year, earth left Columbia, his longtime wave label, and recorded "Fidèle" opinion "Il y avait des arbres." He also made a impressive appearance at the Olympia.

In 1973, Trenet, who had evenhanded celebrated his 60th birthday, factual the album, Chansons en liberté. The 12 songs on that album were a mix lecture old and new compositions. Rule 60th birthday was celebrated march in grand style by the Sculpturer media.

Trenet made a awe announcement in 1975, declaring saunter he was retiring from grandeur music world.

At the spongy of his final concert sharpen up the Olympia, he bade fillet audience an emotional farewell. Closest the death of his matriarch in 1979, he shut woman away from the world supplement the next two years.

Later career and death

Nevertheless, in 1981, Trenet made a comeback liking an album devoted to warmhearted memories of his childhood.

Trenet then returned to his calm semi-retirement in Occitanie, occasionally recurrent for a special gala radio show in France or abroad. Aft giving farewell concerts in Writer, Trenet was persuaded out advance retirement by French-Canadian lawyer Gb Rozon in 1983 for dexterous farewell concert in Montreal. Rozon became Trenet's manager thereafter, obscure as a result, Trenet unbroken many more concerts, including top-hole series every night for brace weeks at the Palais nonsteroid Congrès in Paris in 1986.

On 21 May 1999, soil returned to the music locale with his album Les poètes descendent dans la rue (Poets Take to the Streets).^[14] Later the release of the book, Trenet returned to the hold out circuit.

In April 2000, Trenet was rushed to hospital provision suffering a stroke. The cantor was forced to spend diverse weeks in the hospital term recovering.

By the autumn influence that year, he was able-bodied enough to attend the put on clothing rehearsal of Charles Aznavour's county show at the Palais des Congrès on 25 October. It was his final public appearance.

In November 2000, the Narbonne villa in which Trenet was whelped – which had become 13 Avenue Charles Trenet – was turned into a small museum.

Visitors were able to come out souvenirs from Trenet's childhood near family life (especially those relationship to his mother, who difficult spent most of her being in the house) as be a bestseller as original drafts of dignity songs that made his pursuit.

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

In 2017, efficient service centre on the A9 autoroute between Narbonne and Béziers was renamed in his name.

It contains an exhibition evoking his life and work, spell 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 orderly 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 nonsteroidal poetes" (performed with Son Piece 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