In ancient Rome, a gens (/ˈɡɛns/ or /ˈdʒɛnz/), plural gentes, referred to a family, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a stirps (plural stirpes). The gens was an important social structure at Rome and throughout Italy during the period of the Roman Republic. Much of an individual's social standing depended on the gens to which he belonged. Certain gentes were considered patrician, others plebeian, while some had both patrician and plebeian branches. The importance of membership in a gens declined considerably in imperial times.^[1][2]

[edit] Origin of the gens

The word gens is sometimes translated as "race" or "nation," meaning a people descended from a common ancestor (rather than sharing a common physical trait). It can also be translated as "clan" or "tribe", although the word tribus has a separate and distinct meaning in Roman culture. A gens could be as small as a single family, or could include hundreds of individuals. According to tradition, in 479 BC the Fabii alone were able to field a militia consisting of three hundred and six men of fighting age. The concept of the gens was not uniquely Roman, but was shared with communities throughout Italy, including those who spoke Italic languages such as Latin, Oscan, and Umbrian, as well as the Etruscans. All of these peoples were eventually absorbed into the sphere of Roman culture.^[3][4][5][6]

The oldest gentes claimed to have originated before the foundation of Rome (traditionally 753 BC), and claimed descent from mythological personages as far back as the time of the Trojan War (traditionally ended 1184 BC^{[citation needed]}). However, the establishment of the gens cannot long predate the adoption of hereditary surnames. The nomen gentilicium, or gentile name, was its distinguishing feature, for a Roman citizen's nomen indicated his membership in a gens.^{[7][8][9][10]}

The nomen could be derived from any number of things, including, but not limited to, the name of an ancestor; a person's occupation; physical appearance, behavior, or characteristics; or town of origin. Because some of these things were fairly common, it was possible for unrelated families to bear the same nomen, and over time to become confused.

Persons could be adopted into a gens and acquire its nomen. A libertus, or freedman usually assumed the nomen (and sometimes also the praenomen) of the person who had manumitted him, and a naturalized citizen usually took the name of the patron who granted his citizenship. This meant that a gens could acquire new members and even new branches, either by design or by accident.^[11][12][13]

Stirpes[link]

Different branches, or stirpes of a gens were frequently distinguished by their cognomina, surnames following the nomen, which could be either personal or hereditary. Some particularly large stirpes themselves became divided into multiple branches, distinguished by additional cognomina.^[14][15]

Praenomina[link]

Most gentes regularly employed a limited number of personal names, or praenomina, the selection of which helped to distinguish members of one gens from another. Sometimes different branches of a gens would vary in their names of choice. The most conservative gentes would sometimes limit themselves to three or four praenomina, while others made regular use of six or seven.^[16][17]

There were two main reasons for this limited selection: first, it was traditional to pass down family names from one generation to the next; such names were always preferred. Second, most patrician families limited themselves to a small number of names as a way of distinguishing themselves from the plebeians, who often employed a wider variety of names, including some that were seldom used by the patricians. It may be noted, however, that several of the oldest and most noble patrician houses frequently used rare and unusual praenomina.^[18][19]

Certain families also deliberately avoided particular praenomina. In at least some cases, this was because of traditions concerning disgraced or dishonored members of the gens bearing a particular name. For example, the Junii carefully avoided the praenomina Titus and Tiberius after two members with these names were executed for treason. A similar instance supposedly led the assembly of gens Manlia to forbid its members from bearing the praenomen Marcus, although this prohibition does not seem to have been strictly observed.^[20][21][22]

[edit] Social function of the gens

In theory, each gens functioned as a state within a state, governed by its own elders and assemblies, following its own customs, and carrying out its own religious rites. Certain cults were traditionally associated with specific gentes. The gentile assemblies had the responsibility of adoption and guardianship for their members. If a member of a gens died intestate and without immediate family, his property was distributed to the rest of the gens.^[23][24]

The decisions of a gens were theoretically binding on all of its members. However, no public enactment is recorded as having been passed by the assembly of a gens. As a group, the gentes had considerable influence on the development of Roman law and religious practices, but comparatively little influence on the political and constitutional history of Rome.^{[dubious – discuss][25][26]}

[edit] Patrician and plebeian gentes

Certain gentes were considered patrician, and others plebeian. According to tradition, the patricians were descended from the "city fathers", or patres; that is, the heads of family at the time of its foundation by Romulus, the first King of Rome. Other noble families which came to Rome during the time of the kings were also admitted to the patriciate, including several who emigrated from Alba Longa after that city was destroyed by Tullus Hostilius. The last known instance of a gens being admitted to the patriciate prior to the 1st century BC was when the Claudii were added to the ranks of the patricians after coming to Rome in 504 B.C., five years after the establishment of the Republic.^[27][28][29]

Numerous sources describe two classes amongst the patrician gentes, known as the gentes maiores, or major gentes, and the gentes minores, or minor gentes. No definite information has survived concerning which families were numbered amongst the gentes maiores, or even how many there were. However, they almost certainly included the Aemilii, Claudii, Cornelii, Fabii, Manlii, and Valerii. Nor is it certain whether this distinction was of any practical importance, although it has been suggested that the princeps senatus, or speaker of the Senate, was usually chosen from their number.^[30]

For the first several decades of the Republic, it is not entirely certain which gentes were considered patrician and which plebeian. However, a series of laws promulgated in 451 and 450 B.C. as the Twelve Tables attempted to codify a rigid distinction between the classes, formally excluding the plebeians from holding any of the major magistracies from that time until the passage of the Lex Licinia Sextia in 367 B.C. The law forbidding the intermarriage of patricians and plebeians was repealed after only a few years, by the Lex Canuleia in 445 B.C.^[31][32]

Despite the formal reconciliation of the orders in 367, the patrician houses, which as time passed represented a smaller and smaller percentage of the Roman populace, continued to hold onto as much power as possible, resulting in frequent conflict between the orders over the next two centuries. Certain patrician families regularly opposed the sharing of power with the plebeians, while others favored it, and some were divided.^[33][34][35]

Many gentes included both patrician and plebeian branches. These may have arisen through adoption or manumission, or when two unrelated families bearing the same nomen became confused. It may also be that individual members of a gens voluntarily left or were expelled from the patriciate, along with their descendants. In some cases, gentes that must originally have been patrician, or which were so regarded during the early Republic, were later known only by their plebeian descendants.^[36]

By the first century B.C., the practical distinction between the patricians and the plebeians was minimal. Nonetheless, with the rise of imperial authority, several plebeian gentes were raised to the patriciate, replacing older patrician families that had faded into obscurity, and were no longer represented in the Roman senate. Although both the concept of the gens and of the patriciate survived well into imperial times, both gradually lost most of their significance. In the final centuries of the Western Empire, Patricius was used primarily as an individual title, rather than a class to which an entire family belonged.^[37][38]

See also[link]

• List of Roman gentes
• List of Roman nomina

References[link]

External links[link]

The Wiktionary entry for gens

Keny Arkana performing in 2007 in Rennes

Keny Arkana (born 1982 in Boulogne-Billancourt, France) is a French rap artist. She is active in the alter-globalization movement with "La Rage Du Peuple", a music collective created in 2004 in the neighborhood of Noailles in Marseilles.

Biography[link]

Raised in Marseilles of Argentine heritage, Arkana began rapping in 1996, with her first texts at the age of 12. She formed the collectives Mars Patrie and later Etat-Major, gaining performance experience in the Marseilles underground scene, culminating in the 2003 release of Etat Major's first mixtape.

After several solo appearances on various projects, Arkana released her first EP Le missile est lancé (The rocket is launched) in 2004. Her first album Entre ciment et belle étoile (Between concrete and stars)^[1] was released in October 2006. Her first single, La rage, released in 2006, pointedly references the 2005 civil unrest in France.

Keny Arkana also launched a series of local social fora through the association Appel aux sans voix (Call to the voiceless).^[2]

"L'Esquisse 2" is her latest album, released in May 2011.

Etat-Major Discography[link]

• 2003 : Volume 1 (EP)

Solo discography[link]

• 2004 : Le missile est lancé (EP)
• 2005 : L'Esquisse
• 2006 : La rage (EP)
• 2006 : Entre ciment et belle étoile (October 16)
• 2008 : Désobéissance (EP) (April 7)
• 2011 : L'Esquisse 2 (May 23)
• 2012 : Tout Tourne Autour Du Soleil (2012)

Notes[link]

Links[link]

• Official site of Keny Arkana
• La Rage du Peuple
• La Rage (sound file)

Jacques Brel
Jacques Brel (1955)
Background information
Birth name	Jacques Romain Georges Brel
Born	(1929-04-08)8 April 1929 Schaarbeek, Belgium
Died	9 October 1978(1978-10-09) (aged 49) Bobigny, France
Genres	Chanson
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, Actor
Years active	1953–1978
Labels	Philips Records Barclay Records Barclay/Universal
Website	www.jacquesbrel.be

Jacques Brel (French pronunciation: [ʒak bʁɛl]; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson.^[1] Although he recorded most of his songs in French, he became a major influence on English-speaking songwriters and performers such as David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and Rod McKuen. English translations of his songs were recorded by many top performers in the United States, including Ray Charles, Judy Collins, John Denver, the Kingston Trio, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Scott Walker, and Andy Williams.^[2] In French-speaking countries, Brel was also a successful actor, appearing in ten films. He also directed two films, one of which, Le Far West, was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973.^[3] Jacques Brel has sold over 25 million records worldwide, and is the third best-selling Belgian recording artist of all time.

Early life[link]

Jacques Romain Georges Brel was born on 8 April 1929 in Schaarbeek, Brussels, Belgium to Romain Brel and Elisabeth Lambertine Brel. Although his family spoke French, they were of Flemish descent, with some of the family originating from Zandvoorde, near Ypres. His father worked in an import-export firm, and later became co-director of a company that manufactured cardboard. Jacques and his older brother Pierre grew up in an austere environment, attending a Catholic primary school run by the Saint-Viateur Brothers. They were also members of the local Cub Scouts troop. The family lived at 138 Avenue du Diamant in Schaerbeek, one of the 19 Brussels communes. Jacques was close to his mother, fascinated by her generosity and sense of humor, which he inherited.^[4]

In 1941, his parents enrolled Jacques at the Saint-Louis College, at rue du Marais, near the Botanical Garden of Brussels. Although he did poorly in many subjects, he showed a talent for writing. He helped set up the Saint-Louis College Drama Club, and took on his first stage roles with great enthusiasm. He wrote short stories, poems, and essays.^[5] In 1944, at the age of 15, Jacques began playing the guitar.^[2] The following year, he formed his own theatre group with friends and began writing plays.^[6]

Brel was never a good student, failing many of his exams. In August 1947, at the age of 18, Jacques went to work at his father's cardboard factory. To offset the boredom of his daily office routine, he joined a local Catholic youth organization, La Franche Cordée, which was dedicated to philanthropic work. In 1948, Brel also enrolled for part-time military service. By 1949, Brel became president of La Franche Cordée, and produced a number of benefit plays for the organization, including Saint Exupéry's Le Petit Prince.^[6]

While working at La Franche Cordée, Brel met his future wife, Thérèse Michielsen, known to her friends as Miche. On 1 June 1950, Jacques and Miche were married at Laeken, a Brussels commune. On 6 December 1951, Miche gave birth to their first daughter, Chantal.^[6][4]

In 1952, Brel began writing songs and performing them at family gatherings and in Brussels' cabaret circuit. His family and friends were not supportive of Brel's stark lyrics and violent, emotional performances. That year he performed on a local radio station for the first time.^[7]

Music career[link]

1953–1959[link]

In January 1953, Brel performed at the cabaret La Rose Noire in Brussels. In February he signed a contract with Philips Records and recorded his first 78 rpm record, "La foire" (The Fair), which was released in March.^[8] The talent scout and artistic director at the record company, Jacques Canetti, invited Brel to move to Paris. Despite his family's objections and the added pressure of raising a second daughter, France, born on 12 July,^[4] Brel left Brussels for Paris in the fall of 1953.^[7]

In Paris, Brel worked hard to get his career off the ground. He stayed at the Hotel Stevens and gave guitar lessons to artist-dancer Francesco Frediani to pay his rent. He found work on the cabaret circuit at venues such as L'Ecluse, L'Echelle de Jacob, and in Jacques Canetti's cabaret Les Trois Baudets.^[7]

In 1954, Brel competed in the music contest Grand Prix de la Chanson in Knokke-le-Zoute, finishing a disappointing 27th out of 28 participants. One positive result of the experience was that the French star Juliette Gréco requested to sing one of Brel's songs, "Ça va le diable" (There goes the devil), at her upcoming concert at the prestigious Olympia music-hall.^[6] She went on to record the song that spring.^[5] In July 1954, Brel made his first appearance at the prestigious Olympia Theatre in Paris. Later that summer, Brel embarked on his first French tour, appearing on the bill with French singers Dario Moreno, Philippe Clay, and Catherine Sauvage.^[7] By the end of the year, Philips released his debut album, a nine-song, 10-inch LP called Jacques Brel et ses Chansons (Jacques Brel and his songs).^[8]

In February 1955, Brel met Georges Pasquier (known as Jojo) who would become the singer's closest friend, manager, and personal chauffeur. He began singing with a number of Christian associations, which later led to his being called, "Abbé Brel".^[7] In March, Brel's wife and children joined him in France and the family settled in the Paris suburb of Montreuil-sous-Bois at the rue du Moulin à Vent. In June, Brel toured France again with Canetti's show Les Filles de Papa, which included Françoise Dorin, Perrette Souplex, and Suzanne Gabriello.^[5]

In March 1956, Brel performed in North Africa, Amsterdam, Lausanne, and throughout Belgium.^[4] In July, while visiting Grenoble, Brel met François Rauber, a classical pianist who would become his accompanist on future recordings. Rauber played a major role in providing Brel with the formal musical training he was lacking, and was responsible for Brel's musical arrangements.^[6] In September, Brel recorded "Quand on n'a que l'amour" (When you only have love), which would prove to be his commercial breakthrough. The song was released in November on a Philips 7-inch EP Quand on n'a que l'amour. The song reached number three on the French music charts.^[2]

In February 1957, Brel performed at the Alhambra Theatre with Maurice Chevalier, Michel Legrand, and ballet dancer Zizi Jeanmaire. In April, Brel released his second studio album, Quand on n'a que l'amour, which contained the popular title song.^[6][4] The album was recorded at the Théâtre de l'Apollo in Paris, with André Popp and Michel Legrand conducting.^[9] In June, Brel won the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque from the Académie Charles Cros. In September, he appeared on the bill in the Discorama programmme Au Palace d'Avignon with Raymond Devos, Pierre-Jean Vaillard, and Les Trois Ménestrels. And in November, Brel met pianist Gérard Jouannest, another talented pianist, who would accompany the singer on his many concert tours. Brel and Jouannest would also collaborate on many of Brel's future classic songs, such as "Madeleine", "La chanson des vieux amants" (Song of the old lovers), and "Les vieux" (The old ones).^[4]

In February 1958, Brel's wife Miche and their two children returned to live in Belgium, while Brel rented a room near Place de Clichy in Paris—a place to stay on those rare occasions when he was not touring. In March and April, Brel recorded his third album, Au Printemps (In the spring), which would be released later that year. In May, while touring Canada for the first time, Brel met Félix Leclerc. On August 23, Brel's third daughter, Isabelle, was born back in Belgium. In November, Brel gave a recital at the Halles d'Arlon in Belgian Luxembourg with Stéphane Steeman. And in December, Brel appeared at the Olympia in Paris as the supporting act to Philippe Clay. The pianist Gérard Jouannest and François Rauber joined Brel on stage for this performance.^[4] Brel's incredibly emotional performance brought the house down.^[6]

In January 1959, Brel signed a new recording contract with Philips Records. He continued to tour extensively throughout the year. On 22 February, Brel performed at the Bolivie Gala in the Solvay Casino in Couillet. In March, he starred at the Trois Baudets with Serge Gainsbourg. In September, Brel recorded his fourth album, La Valse à Mille Temps (The waltz a thousand times as fast), with François Rauber and his orchestra. On 14 October, he appears at the Eden in Mouscron with Raymond Devos. On 20 November, he sang with Charles Aznavour at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels.^[5] At the close of the decade, Brel had gained an impressive and enthusiastic following across France. He was so popular that he was invited to headline the end-of-year concert at the renowned Bobino Cabaret in Paris. The concert was an enormous success. During these appearances, Brel stopped accompanying himself on the guitar in order to concentrate entirely on his increasingly theatrical vocal performances.^[7]

1960–1967[link]

In January 1960, Brel's new impressario, Charles Marouani, organised a series of international concert tours for the singer that would take him from the French provinces to the then Soviet Union, the Middle East, Canada, and the United States. From 19-24 March, he appeared at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. On 19 October, he performed at the Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo. The year's concert tours brought him international recognition and popularity.^[7][5] His appearances initiated the first United States release of a Jacques Brel recording, American Début, released on Columbia Records. It was a compilation of previously-released Philips tracks.^[8]

In January 1961, Brel made a triumphant return to the Bobino Theatre. By now, accordionist Jean Corti had joined Brel's touring group. Between 22 February and 12 April, he recorded his fifth album for Philips simply titled, No. 5, which introduced the future Brel classics "Marieke" and "Le moribond" (The dying man).^[6] In March, Brel toured Canada again. In Montreal, he met French actress and singer Clairette Oddera at her club on the rue Saint-Jacques. They would become good friends. While in Montreal, Brel appears with Raymond Devos at La Comédie Canadienne.^[4] In May, Brel performed at the Kurhaus of Scheveningen in The Hague in the Netherlands. From 12-29 October, Brel returned to the Olympia Theatre in Paris with star billing, after Marlene Dietrich cancelled at the last minute. Many critics point to these inspired performances as the turning point in Brel's career. The audiences responded with rapturous applause, and the critics proclaimed him as the new star of French chanson.^[6]

In March 1962, Brel left Philips Records and signed a five-year contract with Barclay Records. The contract would be renewed in 1967 for another six years. His first album release for his new label was a live album, Enregistrement Public à l'Olympia 1961, recorded the previous year.^[8] On 6 March, he recorded his first song for Barclay, "Le plat pays" (The flat country). During the second week of March, he recorded the remaining tracks for his sixth studio album, Les Bourgeois (The middle class). In addition to the title song and "Le plat pays", the new album contained the future Brel classics "Madeleine", "Les biches" (The does), and "La statue" (The statue).^[10] In October, Brel set up his own music publishing company, Arlequin, which was soon renamed Editions Musicales Pouchenel. Brel's wife Miche was appointed company director.^[7] In November, he recorded "Les Bigotes", "Quand maman reviendra" (When mother returns), "Filles et les chiens" (Girls and dogs), and "La Parlote" as singles.^[5]

In April 1963, Brel performed at the Bobino in Paris. In July, he headlined at the Casino in Knokke for the fifth Coupe d'Europe de Tour de Chant. During this engagement, he performed the classic "Mathilde" for the first time.^[5] Brel also returned for another triumphant engagement at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, performing with Isabelle Aubret, who was the support act. Once again, Brel's performance was a critical and artistic success, with the audience leaping up from their seats in a standing ovation following Brel's emotional rendering of "Amsterdam".^[5]

The year 1964 brought a mix of personal tragedies and professional triumphs. On 8 January, Brel's father Romain died of bronchial pneumonia. Only two months later, on 7 March, his mother Elisabeth (nicknamed Mouky) also died. At the same time, he was given the Gold Medal of Brussels from the Tourist Information Bureau, and won a prize from the Société d’Auteurs Belge / Belgische Auteurs Maatschappij (SABAM). He was also awarded the French Academy's Grand Prix du Disque. Brel continued his ambitious touring schedule. By the end of the year, he released a new live album, Enregistrement Public à l'Olympia 1964.^[11] That year, Brel discovered a new passion, aviation. After taking flying lessons with Paul Lepanse, he purchased a small plane.^[12] In the United States, Brel's audience was growing. American poet and singer Rod McKuen began translating Brel's songs into English, and the Kingston Trio recorded one of his English versions on their Time to Think album, "Seasons in the Sun", based on Brel's "Le moribond" (The dying one).^[13]

Drawing of Jacques Brel by Reginald Gray (1965)

In 1965, Reprise Records licensed tracks from Barclay for a United States album titled Jacques Brel.^[13] On 25 March, Brel performed at the Kurhaus of Scheveningen in the Netherlands. In October, he completed a successful five-week tour of the former Soviet Union, which included a week's engagement at the Estrada Theatre in Moscow. On 6 November, he was back in France, recording the songs "Fernand", "Les désespérés" (The despaired), and "Ces gens-là" (Those people) for Barclay. On 4 December, he appeared at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City. His performance was received with high public and critical acclaim.^[11]

By 1966, Brel had grown increasingly weary of his gruelling concert schedules. In April, he toured Jibouti, Madagascar, Reunion Island, and Mauritius. On 21 August, while on tour in Vittel, he revealed to his musicians his decision to retire from touring.^[12] In subsequent public statements, Brel stated that he had nothing more to give to the music world, and that he wanted to devote more time to other projects.^[11] In October 1966, Brel gave a series of farewell concerts at the Olympia in Paris. Thousands of devoted fans flocked to see these final performances, which took place over the course of three weeks. On 1 November, he gave his final concert at the Olympia. After a highly emotional and stunning performance, the audience's standing ovations prompted Brel to return to the stage seven times for his final bows.^[11] Brel spent the next six months fulfilling his concert commitments. On 15 November, he gave his farewell performance at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. Later that month, he gave his final UK performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London. During these last months of his world tour, many of Brel's close friends, including Charles Aznavour, urged him to reconsider his decision to retire from singing, but Brel was adamant about his decision.^[11] On 4 December, Brel returned to Carnegie Hall in New York City and gave inspired performances before enthusiastic fans. By then, several English recordings of his songs were on the charts, including Damita Jo's "If You Go Away", based on "Ne me quitte pas", Judy Collins' "The Dove", based on "La colombe", and Glenn Yarbrough's "The Women", based on "Les biches".^[13]

In January 1967, Brel finished recording songs for a new studio album, Jacques Brel 67, which was released later in the year. The album included "Mon enfance" (My childhood), "Fils de..." (Sons of...), "Les bonbons 67" (The candies 67), and "La chanson des vieux amants" (Song of the old lovers).^[10] In late January, Brel returned to Carnegie Hall and gave one final performance. While in New York, he went to see Man of La Mancha, a musical based on Cervantes's novel Don Quixote, at the ANTA Washington Square Theatre in Greenwich Village. Moved by the experience, he began planning a French language production of the musical for Europe. Brel returned to France in the spring, and on 16 May 1967, he gave his final concert performance in the town of Roubaix in northern France.^[13][11] Toward the end of the year, with vague plans of sailing around the world, Brel purchased a yacht.^[12]

1968–1972[link]

Following his retirement from the concert stage, the focus of Jacques Brel's professional life was on film. He would record only four more studio albums in the last decade of his life. In September 1968, Brel recorded the songs for the album, J'arrive (I arrived), which would be released later in the year. In addition to the title song, the album included "Vesoul", "Je suis un soir d’été" (I am a summer's eve), and "Un enfant" (A child). In October 1968, Brel's L'Homme de La Mancha (Man of La Mancha) premièred in Brussels, with Brel playing Don Quixote and Dario Moreno playing Sancho Panza. Moreno would die tragically only ten days before the musical's Paris première.^[14] From 23-27 November, Brel and his fellow cast-members recorded the studio album, L'Homme de la Mancha. Brel adapted the book, translated the lyrics, directed the production, and played the lead role. This was the only time he ever adapted songs by other writers or appeared in a stage musical. The album contains Brel's classic performance of "La quête" (The quest). Moreno was replaced by Robert Manuel, and the first performance at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris went ahead as planned on 11 December 1968.^[15] Brel's performance received unanimous praise. After 150 performances of L'Homme de La Mancha, Brel gave his final performance in the role of Don Quixote on 17 May 1969. He was never replaced.^[14]

In 1972, Brel signed a special 30-year contract with Barclay Records. Although there were no new songs to record, Barclay persuaded Brel to return to the studio to rerecord eleven of the better-known songs he cut for Philips Records during the early years of his music career. The result was the album Ne me quitte pas (Don't leave me), which contained the title track, "Marieke", "Les Flamandes" (Flemish women), "Quand on a que l’amour" (When you only have love), "Les biches" (The does), "Le moribond" (The dying one), "La valse à mille temps" (The waltz a thousand times as fast), and "Je ne sais pas" (I don't know). Brel's earlier youthful energy was now lovingly harnessed by his long-time colleagues, arranger Francois Raubert and pianist Gerard Jouannest.^[16][14]

Film career[link]

In 1967, Brel began his film career appearing in André Cayatte's Les risques du métier (Risky Business), co-starring Emmanuelle Riva, Jacques Harden, and Nadine Alari. Brel also produced the soundtrack with François Rauber. The film tells the story of a teenage girl who accuses her primary schoolteacher, Jean Doucet (Brel), of trying to rape her. The police and the mayor investigate, but Doucet denies the charges. Two other students come forward to reveal more of Doucet's misconduct — one confessing to be his mistress. Doucet faces trial and hard labour if convicted. The film was released on 21 December 1967. Film critics praised Brel's performance.^[17][18]

In 1968, Brel appeared in his second film, La bande à Bonnot (Bonnot's Gang), directed by Philippe Fourastié, and co-starring Annie Girardot and Bruno Cremer. Once again, Brel produced the soundtrack with François Rauber. The story is set in 1911 Paris . Raymond-la-science (Brel), an anarchist, is released from prison after serving a sentence for spreading agitation among his co-workers. He meets up with his friends who live together with their families in the villa of their political leader. They get involved with the notorious Bonnot Gang — gangsters who revolt against society by robbing, stealing, and killing. The film was released on 30 October 1968.^[17][19]

In 1969, Brel appeared in his third film, Mon oncle Benjamin (My Uncle Benjamin), directed by Édouard Molinaro, and co-starring Claude Jade and Bernard Blier. He also produced the soundtrack. The film is period piece, set in 1750 during the time of Louis XV. Benjamin (Brel) is a country doctor in love with the beautiful innkeeper's daughter, Manette, but she refuses his advances until he produces a marriage contract. After suffering a humiliating practical joke and condemned to prison, Benjamin escapes with Manette, who realizes she prefers happiness to a marriage contract after all. The film was released 28 November 1969.^[17][20]

In 1970, Brel appeared in his fourth feature film, Mont-Dragon, directed by Jean Valère and co-starring François Prévost, Paul le Person and Catherine Rouvel,with a screen play by Robert Margerit. The story involves a soldier, Georges Dormond (Brel), who seduces Germaine de Boismesnil and is subsequently driven out of the army by one of Germaine's friends who is a colonel. After Germaine's husband dies, Dormond returns to the widow's castle seeking revenge. After seducing Pierrette the maid, he reminds Germaine of their past love affair and arranges a meeting with the widow, at which he underdresses her, humiliates her, and then leaves. The orphan Marthe, who witnesses the scene, throws herself at Gaston, the colonel's orderly, to avenge her mother. Georges ridicules their feelings and forces Germaine to reveal her attachment to Pierrette, thereby causing a scandal. The film was released 16 December 1970.^[17][21]

In 1971, Brel appeared in his fifth feature film, Franz, the first film he directed. Brel also co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Andréota, and produced the soundtrack with François Rauber. The film co-starred Barbara, Danièle Evenou, Fernand Fabre, Serge Sauvions, Louis Navarre, Jacques Provins, and François Cadet. The film is about Léon (Brel) and Léonie (Barbara), who meet in a convalescent home for state employees in Blankenberge: Catherine (Danièle Evenou) is Léonie's friend. Léonie is shy and reserved while Catherine is loose and flirtatious. Most men are attracted to her vitality, but Léon is the exception. Léonie is intrigued by Léon's secretive personality. She gradually becomes attracted to his clumsy behaviour and they fall in love. The other residents, amused by this unlikely love affair, decide to obstruct their relationship which drives Léon to suicide. The film was released on 2 February 1972, and although praised by the critics, it was not a commercial success.^[17][22][14]

In 1971, Brel appeared in his sixth feature film, Les assassins de l'ordre (Law Breakers), directed by Marcel Carné and co-starring Paola Pitagora, Catherine Rouvel, and Charles Denner. Brel plays Bernard Level, a provincial judge, who presides over a delicate case. A man who was arrested for a minor crime died during police questioning. When Level decides to prosecute the policemen and initiates an investigation, he receives threats and intimidation from those wanting to stop the investigation. The film was released on 7 May 1971.^[17][23][14]

In 1972, Brel appeared in his seventh feature film, L'aventure, c'est l'aventure (Adventure, is adventure), directed by Claude Lelouch. The story follows five crooks who decide to switch from bank robbery to political kidnapping. Among their first hostages is singer Johnny Hallyday. The film was released 4 May 1972, and became a huge box office smash. While filming L'aventure c'est l'aventure on location in the Caribbean, Brel met and fell in love with a young actress and dancer by the name of Madly Bamy. Brel would spend the final years of his life with her.^[14][17][24]

In 1972, Brel appeared in his eighth feature film, Le bar de la fourche (The Bar at the Crossing), directed by Alain Levent, and co-starred Rosy Varte and Isabelle Huppert. Brel plays Vincent Van Horst, a hard-drinking bon viveur ho loves his freedom and his women. He leaves Europe in 1916, which is torn apart by the war, and moves to Canada, intending to meet up with Maria, the only woman he ever loved. On the way to Canada, he meets a young boy who dreams about fighting in the European war. When Vincent arrives at the Bar de la Fourche, managed by Maria, he finds her looking older. He finds consolation in another woman, Annie, who looks down on him and drives Vincent and Olivier to fight a duel against each other. The film was released on 23 August 1972.^[17][25]

In 1973, Brel appeared in his ninth feature film, Le Far West, his second directorial effort. The film co-starred Gabriel Jabbour, Danielle Evenou, and Arlette Lindon. The story is about Jacques, a 40-year old citizen of Brussels, who meets the fakir Abracadabra who, before dying, gives him a special power. Jacques meets, Gabriel, a generous man, who dresses up as Davy Crockett, and who follows Jacques without asking questions. The two companions and other new friends set out to conquer the Far West, their childhood — just as Voltaire sought Eldorado, and Saint-Exupéry the unknown planet. The Far West they seek cannot be found, because it is an imaginary place, a piece of happiness buried in our hearts. The film was released 15 May 1973.^[17][26]

In 1973, Brel appeared in his tenth and final feature film, L'emmerdeur (The troublemaker), directed by Edouard Molinaro and co-starred Lino Ventura, Caroline Cellier, and Jean-Pierre Darras. Jacques Brel et François Rauber produced the soundtrack. The story is about a contract killer, Ralph Milan, who works for the Mafia. He is paid to kill Louis Randoni, whose testimony in various trials could harm the organisation. Ralph waits for his prey in his hotel room, but is interrupted by his comical neighbour, François Pignon (Brel). The film was released 20 September 1973.^[17][27]

Final years[link]

Jacques Brel's grave in Atuona

By early 1973, Brel knew that he was ill. He prepared his will, leaving everything to his wife Miche. In the spring he recorded a new single, "L'enfance" (My childhood), the proceeds of which he donated to La Fondation Perce Neige, an association set up to help handicapped children. After completing his last film, L'emmerdeur, he took his daughters on a cruise. In November, he embarked on a two-month cruise across the Atlantic with five of his closest friends on the training ship Le Korrig.^[14][15]

The final years of Jacques Brel's life were devoting to his passion for sailing. On 28 February 1974, Brel purchased the Askoy II, a 19-meter sailing yacht weighing 42 tons. He began planning a three-year voyage to circumnavigate the world. In July, Brel set off on his world trip with Madly and his daughter, France, aboard his new yacht. In August, while sailing around the Azores, he learned of the death of his old friend Jojo. He returned to France for his friend's funeral, and stayed on to attend the September wedding of his daughter, Chantal. In October, following medical tests in the Canary Islands, Brel learned that he had a small tumour on his left lung. In November, Brel was rushed to a hospital in Brussels, where he underwent an operation on his left lung. He was suffering from an advanced stage of lung cancer. Knowing his days were numbered, Brel issued a statement indicating that he wished to die alone in peace.^[28][29]

In January 1975, after 27 days at sea, the Askoy II anchored in the Fort-de-France Bay. From February to July, Brel cruised around the West Indies before going through the Panama Canal. In November, the Askoy II reached Atuona Bay at Hiva-Oa in the Marquesas Islands archipelago after spending 59 days crossing the Pacific Ocean.^[29] Jacques and Madly decided to live in the Marquesas Islands, living on the Askoy II off the island of Hiva-Oa.^[28]

In 1976, Brel returned to Brussels twice for medical examinations. Against the advice of his doctors, Brel returned to the Marquesas, where the tropical climate was particularly unsuitable for his lungs.^[28] In June, after selling the Askoy II, he rented a small house in Atuona on the island of Hiva-Oa. In July, Brel renewed his pilot's licence, and took advanced flying lessons with his friend Michel Gauthier. Brel purchased a twin-engine plane, which he named Jojo in memory of his lost friend. This enabled him to travel more easily from Hiva-Oa to Tahiti. He also used the private plane to transport food and other supplies to the inhabitants of the neighbouring islands.^[28]

In 1977, Brel decided to record one final album. Despite his recent years away from the continent, Brel's legend continued to live on in Europe, and his records still sold millions of copies each year. In August, Brel returned to Paris and moved into a small hotel. Despite his poor health, he had quit smoking and was enthusiastic about working again with his faithful collaborators François Rauber and Gérard Jouannest. In September and October, Brel recorded 12 of the 17 new songs he had written in the Marquesas. The result was his final album, Les Marquises, which included "Jaurès", "Vieillir" (To Grow Old), "Le Bon Dieu" (The Good Lord), "Orly", "Voir un Ami Pleurer" (To Watch a Friend Cry), "Jojo", and "Les Marquises". The new album was released on 17 November, and was received as an historic national event in France. At Brel's request, Barclay did not to run a huge promotional campaign for the album, and still, by word of mouth alone, over a million fans placed advance orders. The day the album was released, Jacques and Madly returned to their home in the Marquesas Islands.^[29][14]

From January to June 1978, Brel and Madly lived quietly at their home on Atuona Bay on Hiva-Oa island. In July, after his health began to fail, Brel was flown back to France and rushed to a hospital in Neuilly where doctors discovered a cancerous tumour. He remained in the hospital for six weeks, and then spent the rest of the summer in Southern France. On 7 October, he was rushed to a hospital in Bobigny near Paris. He died of a pulmonary embolism at 4:10am on 9 October 1978, aged 49. On 12 October, Brel's body was flown back to the Marquesas Islands, where he was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Atuona on the southern side of Hiva Oa island in the Marquesas, French Polynesia — a few yards away from the grave of painter Paul Gauguin.^[14]

Legacy[link]

In France, Jacques Brel's legacy as one of the major singers and songwriters of the twentieth century is secure. In the English-speaking world, his influence is limited by language and musical style. Yet with each new generation of English-speaking singers and songwriters, Brel is once again "discovered" for his songs. His lyrics delved into personal, dark, and adult subjects long before the emergence of Bob Dylan and other serious songwriters. In a way, Brel was the "French older brother" of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and those songwriters who followed. Translations of Brel's songs have extended his influence as a songwriter across most popular genres. A partial list of the pop, rock, folk, jazz, and country artists who have performed or recorded Brel's songs underscores his true enduring legacy:

Translations[link]

The songs of Jacques Brel have been translated into many languages. Brel himself occasionally included parts of his songs in Dutch, as in "'Marieke". He also recorded Dutch versions of songs, such as "Mijn vlakke land" ("Le plat pays"), "Laat Me Niet Alleen" ("Ne me quitte pas"), "Rosa", "De Burgerij" ("Les Bourgeois"), and "De Nuttelozen van de Nacht" ("Les paumés du petit matin"). Brel also recorded two obscure singles in Dutch, "De apen" ("Les singes") and "Men vergeet niets" ("On n'oublie rien"), which were included in the 16-CD box set Boîte à Bonbons by Barclay. Since his own command of Dutch was poor, most of Brel's later Dutch interpretations were translated by Ernst van Altena, with Brel's cooperation, and are generally considered to be relatively true to the original French, as well as poetic. "De Apen" was translated by Eric Franssen. "Men vergeet niets" was translated by well known Flemish artist Will Ferdy. "Marieke" was translated by Brel himself.

English versions of Jacques Brel songs have been recorded by a wide variety of artists. Rod McKuen was one of the first American artists to discover and translate Brel's songs. Canadian Terry Jacks' version of "Seasons in the Sun" became a global pop hit in 1974, topping the charts internationally. McKuen and Brel formed a close friendship. McKuen later wrote, "When news of Jacques' death came, I stayed locked in my bedroom and drank for a week."^[32]

During the 1960s, other English translations emerged on the folk music scene, including "The Dove" ("La colombe"), an anti-war lament recorded both by Joan Baez and Judy Collins. This was the only translation of a Brel song written by Alasdair Clayre, an Oxford-educated Englishman who had a brief career as a singer-songwriter before becoming an author, academic, and sometime producer of BBC documentaries.

In 1968, an American musical revue Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris made its debut. Consisting of 25 songs, the revue was performed by four vocalists, two male and two female. Jacques Brel contributed most of the music and French lyrics. English translations were provided by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, a Brill Building songwriter responsible for such hits as "This Magic Moment", "Viva Las Vegas", "Teenager In Love", and others. The production enjoyed considerable international success, and has since played throughout the world in various productions.

In the 1970s, David Bowie began singing Brel's "Amsterdam" at a BBC session with John Peel and Evilan Tom (not released until 2000 on Bowie at the Beeb). This version was also released as the B-side to "Sorrow" in 1973, and was released as a bonus track on the 1990 reissue of Pin-ups. Dave Van Ronk also recorded this song, earlier, on Van Ronk. Bowie also sang "My Death" during his Ziggy Stardust era. This popular concert piece was never recorded in the studio. It appears on two of David Bowie's live albums: Live Santa Monica '72 and Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture. A similar version of this song was also recorded by Show Of Hands.

Scott Walker's first three solo albums, titled Scott, Scott 2, and Scott 3, each contain three of the Blau/Shuman translations. Several of the original songs on this album, and on the later Scott 4, can be seen as heavily influenced by Brel. The compilation Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel contains all the Brel material that Walker covered on record. Walker also performed five Brel songs on his television series.

In the early 1980s, a second Brel revue, Encore Brel, was produced in Canada, a performance of which was aired on CBC Radio. In addition to Alasdair Clayre's "The Dove", the revue used mostly Brel's later songs, including "Friend, Don't Let Me See You Cry" ("Voir un ami pleurer") and "To Grow Old" ("Vieillir").

In 1986, Momus and more recently Barb Jungr recorded new English translations of "Ne me quitte pas" which are much nearer to the original. Jungr used a translation called "Don't leave me now" by Des de Moor. Momus translated and recorded "Don't Leave Me" because he was dissatisfied with the dominant English translations to date. "People always sing the versions by Rod McKuen, which are highly sentimentalised, or the versions by Mort Shuman which are better but still really Americanised. To me the strength of Brel is that he doesn't come from the American tradition of songwriting, it's a strongly European thing."^[33]

In 1989, Marc Almond, who had performed Brel songs on his early albums with Marc and the Mambas, released his successful Jacques, an album comprised solely of Jacques Brel songs. In 1991, he released "Jacky", which became a successful hit single. During his concerts, Almond nearly always plays at least one Brel song.

In 1991, the American band Vambo Marble Eye recorded a version of "Next" for their album Two Trick Pony, 18 years after an English-language version of the song by SAHB in 1973, from their Next album.

In the 1990s, Brel's widow said that Arnold Johnston, a professor at Western Michigan University, translated Brel's work more accurately than Blau and Shuman, and eventually gave Dr. Johnston exclusive rights to translate Brel's work into English. Dr. Johnston recorded I'm Here! a collection of twenty songs, using a grant from the university.

In 2009, on their album Troubadours, the American duo The Black Veils performed their own "poetic and faithful" English translations of Brel's "Ne me quitte pas" ("Don't Leave Me"), "Jaurès", "Il neige sur Liège" ("Snowfall on Liège"), and "Mai 40".^[34]

English translations of Brel's songs have been subject to criticism for being stripped of their original lyricism.^{[original research?]} In his song "Ne me quitte pas", for example, Brel evocatively states, "Moi, je t'offrirai / Des perles de pluie / Venues de pays / Où il ne pleut pas" (I, I'll offer you / Pearls of rain / That come from countries / Where it doesn't rain). In contrast, Rod McKuen’s English translation replaces that vivid and poetic imagery with "But if you stay / I'll make you a day / Like no day has been / or will be again."

The English translation by Mort Shuman and Eric Blau from their musical revue Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris have also been criticized for their loose approach to translating the originals. In their song "Marathon" ("Les Flamandes"), they present a charming encapsulation of the United States in the twentieth century—mentioning, among others, Charles Lindbergh and Sacco and Vanzetti. The song bears no relationship to the original song, which is a tongue-in-cheek assessment of Flemish women. Their translation of "Jef" is another example of a version that bears little resemblance to the original. Terry Jacks intended to "lighten up" his version of McKuen's "Seasons in the Sun" — completely removing the cynical gist of Brel's "Le moribond". ironically, this sanitized version became a global pop hit in 1974. Translations of Jacques Brel songs into other languages have also come in for similar criticism.

Other language versions of Jacques Brel songs have been recorded by a wide variety of artists throughout the world. The most frequently recorded song in other languages is "Ne me quitte pas" (Don't leave me), with at least 400 different recorded versions in 22 different languages.^{[citation needed]} Most English versions use the freely translated "If You Go Away" by Rod McKuen. Marlene Dietrich recorded the German version "Bitte geh' nicht fort". Paris-based Colombian salsa singer Yuri Buenaventura performed the Spanish version "No Me Dejes Mas". Czech chanteuse Hana Hegerová made the Czech version "Lásko prokletá" one of the pillars of her repertoire. Russian rock group Mumiy Troll recorded the Russian version "Когда ты уйдёшь".

The work of several German translators are considered particularly faithful to the original French versions. Dieter Kaiser, a Belgian-German singer, who performs internationally in public concerts with a music quartet comprising the French-German professional guitarist, Stéphane Bazire, the guitar playing female singer Barbara and a keyboarder, as Stéphane - Didier & Cie, has translated 30 of Brel's songs and has gathered them in a booklet with over 100 other French chansons in German (also available at www.deutsche-chanson-texte.de). Kaiser also issued a CD in German and a CD in French with various chansons of Brel. Klaus Hoffmann is another important German interpreter of Brel's songs, as is the Austrian actor Michael Heltau, who was asked by Brel himself to record his songs, using the translation of Werner Schneyder.

Discography[link]

Assembling a comprehensive Jacques Brel discography is difficult, because his recordings have been released in so many different permutations, in different countries and in different formats. Furthermore, releases of Brel's recordings are sometimes known by different titles. This discography is restricted to Brel's original albums, as collected and reissued on 23 September 2003 in the sixteen CD box set of his work Boîte à Bonbons, plus the additional album Chansons ou Versions Inédites de Jeunesse, which was released for the first time as part of this box set. The titles listed here are the titles used in the box set. To mark the 25th anniversary of Brel's death, Barclay Records issued Comme quand il était beau (2003), a 3 volume DVD collection of Brel interviews and live performances as well as the compilation album Infiniment (2004). Both releases include five previously unpublished songs that Brel wrote in 1977: "La Cathédrale", "L'amour est mort", "Mai 40", "Avec Élégance", and "Sans Exigences".^[35]

Studio albums[link]

• Grand Jacques (1954)
• Quand On n'a Que l'Amour (1957)
• Au Printemps (1958)
• La Valse à Mille Temps (1959)
• Marieke (1961)
• Les Bourgeois (1962)
• Les Bonbons (1966)
• Ces Gens-Là (1966)
• Jacques Brel 67 (1967)
• J'arrive (1968)
• L'Homme de la Mancha (1968)
• Ne Me Quitte Pas (1972)
• Les Marquises (1977)

Live albums[link]

• Enregistrement Public à l'Olympia 1961 (1962)
• Enregistrement Public à l'Olympia 1964 (1964)

Boxed sets, compilations, and rarities[link]

• Boîte à Bonbons (2003)
• Infiniment (2003)
• Chansons ou Versions Inédites de Jeunesse (2003)

Cover versions[link]

• List of Jacques Brel cover versions

Filmography[link]

As actor[link]

• La grande peur de Monsieur Clément (short) (dir Paul Deliens) (1956)
• Les risques du métier (dir André Cayatte) (1967)
• La Bande à Bonnot (dir Philippe Fourastié) (1968)
• Mon oncle Benjamin (dir Édouard Molinaro) (1969)
• Mont-Dragon (dir Jean Valère) (1970)
• Franz (dir Jacques Brel) (1971)
• Les assassins de l'ordre (dir Marcel Carné) (1971)
• L'aventure, c'est l'aventure (dir Claude Lelouch) (1972)
• Le bar de la fourche (dir Alain Levent) (1972)
• Le Far West (dir Jacques Brel) (1973)
• L'emmerdeur (dir Édouard Molinaro) (1973)^[36]

As director[link]

• Franz (1971)
• Le Far West (1973)^[37]

As writer[link]

• La grande peur de Monsieur Clément (short) (1956)
• Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (play) (1968)
• Franz (1971)
• Le Far West (1973)^[38]

As self[link]

• Petit jour (short) (1960)
• Zeg hé, spaar je mee? (TV series) (1961)
• Tienerklanken (TV series) (1963)
• La grande farandole (TV series) (1964)
• Age tendre et tête de bois (TV series) (1964)
• Entrez dans la ronde (TV movie) (1965)
• Discorama (TV series) (1962-1966)
• Tid til at leve (TV series documentary) (1974)
• Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (dir Denis Heroux) (1974)
• Stellet Licht/Silent Light (dir Carlos Reygadas) (2007)^[39]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jacques Brel

• Jacques Brel website
• Facebook fanpage of Editions Jacques Brel
• www.brelitude.net
• Station Jacques Brel
• Jacques Brel at the Internet Movie Database
• Jacques Brel at Find a Grave
• Askoy II former sailboat of Jacques Brel non-profit website

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2010)

Jocelyne Labylle (born 1973 in Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe) is a Guadeloupean zouk musician.

Career[link]

In 1992 Labylle joined the group Elodie; in 1994 she joined Zouk Orchestra. She appeared on the covers of all their albums.

After performing on three of their albums, Labylle left to pursue a solo career. She teamed up with Federick Caracas, Harry Diboula, Jacob Desvarieux and Liso to record the single "Quand tu veux". Months later the album On Verra was released.

In 2000 she returned to the studio to record her second album. The single "J'ai depose les clefs" ("I left my keys") was released followed by the album Ma Petite Lumiere ("My little light"). The album features "Parle-moi d'elle" written by Harry Diboula.

In 2003, Labylle teamed up with Cheela, Passi and Jacob Desvarieux for the single "Laisse Parler Les Gens". The song sold more than 1 million copies and was nominated for a Victoires de la Musique award. In 2007 she collaborated with Haitian musician Roberto Martino of the Compas group T-Vice for his single "J'aimerais te revoir".^[1]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• On Verra (1998)
• Ma Petite Lumiere (2000)

Singles[link]

• "Quand tu veux" (1998)
• "J'ai depose les clefs" (2000)
• "Jusqu'au bout" (2000)
• "Laisse Parler Les Gens" (2003)
• "Day'O" (2004)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rfi musicue: biography

This article about a French musician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Georges Brassens
Background information
Born	(1921-10-22)22 October 1921 Sète, France
Died	29 October 1981(1981-10-29) (aged 60) Saint-Gély-du-Fesc
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Acoustic guitar
Years active	1951–1981
Labels	Universal Music
Associated acts	Pierre Nicolas, sometimes Barthélémy Rosso, Joël Favreau

Georges Brassens (French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁʒ bʁasɛ̃s]), 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981), was a French singer-songwriter and poet.

Biography[link]

Brassens was born in Sète, a town in southern France near Montpellier. Now an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and articulate, diverse lyrics; indeed, he is considered one of France's most accomplished postwar poets. He has also set to music poems by both well-known and relatively obscure poets, including Louis Aragon (Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux), Victor Hugo (La Légende de la Nonne, Gastibelza), Jean Richepin, François Villon (La Ballade des Dames du Temps Jadis), and Guillaume Apollinaire, Antoine Pol (Les Passantes).

During World War II, he was forced by the Germans to work in a labor camp at a BMW aircraft engine plant in Basdorf near Berlin in Germany (March 1943). Here Brassens met some of his future friends, such as Pierre Onténiente, whom he called Gibraltar because he was "steady as a rock." They would later become close friends.

After being given ten days' leave in France, he decided not to return to the labour camp. Brassens took refuge in a slum called "Impasse Florimont," in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, where he lived for several years with its owner, Jeanne Planche, a friend of his aunt. Planche lived with her husband Marcel in relative poverty: without gas, running water, or electricity. Brassens remained hidden there until the end of the war five months later, but ended up staying for 22 years. Planche was the inspiration for Brassens's song Jeanne.

Apart from Paris and Sète, he lived first in Crespières (near Paris) and latterly in Lezardrieux (Brittany).

Biography[link]

Childhood[link]

Brassens grew up in the family home in Sète with his mother, Elvira Dagrosa, father, Jean-Louis, half-sister, Simone (daughter of Elvira and her first husband, who was killed in the war), and paternal grandfather, Jules. His mother, who came from southern Italy (Basilicata province), was a devout Roman Catholic, while his father was an easy-going, generous, openminded, anticlerical man. Brassens grew up between these two starkly contrasting personalities, who nonetheless shared a love for music. His mother—whom Brassens labelled a "missionary for songs" (militante de la chanson), Simone and Jules, were always singing. This environment imparted to Brassens a passion for singing that would come to define his life. At the time he listened constantly to his early idols: Charles Trenet, Tino Rossi, and Ray Ventura. He was said to love music above all else: it was his first passion and the path that led him to his career. He told his friend André Sève, "[It is] a kind of internal vibration, something intense, a pleasure that has something of the sensual to it." He hoped to enroll at a music conservatory, but his mother insisted that he could only do so if his grades improved. Consequently, he never learned to read music. A poor student, Brassens performed badly in school.

Alphonse Bonnafé, Brassens's ninth-grade teacher, strongly encouraged his apparent gift for poetry and creativity. Brassens had already been experimenting with songwriting and poetry. Bonnafé aided his attempts at poetry and pushed him to spend more time on his schoolwork, suggesting he begin to study classical poetry. Brassens developed an interest in versification and rhyme. By Brassens's admission, Bonnafé's influence on his work was enormous: "We were thugs, at fourteen, fifteen, and we started to like poets. That is quite a transformation. Thanks to this teacher, I opened my mind to something bigger. Later on, every time I wrote a song, I asked myself the question: would Bonnafé like it?" By this point, music had taken a slight backstage to poetry for Brassens, who now dreamed of being a writer.

Nonetheless, personal friendships and adolescence still defined Brassens in his teens. At age seventeen, he was implicated in a crime that would prove to be a turning point in his life. In order to make a little money, Georges and his gang decided to turn to small thefts whose principal victims were their respective families. Georges stole a ring and a bracelet from his sister. The police found and caught him, which caused a minor scandal. The young men were publicly characterized as "high school mobsters" or "scum". Some of the perpetrators, unsupported by their families, spent time in prison. While Brassens's father was more forgiving and immediately picked up his son, Brassens was expelled from school. He decided to move to Paris in February 1940, following a short trial as an apprentice mason in his father's business after World War II had already broken out.

Wartime[link]

Apprenticeship[link]

Brassens lived with his aunt Antoinette in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, where he taught himself to play piano. He began working at a Renault car factory. In May 1940 the factory was bombed, and France invaded by Germany. Brassens returned to the family home in Sète. He spent the summer in his home town, but soon returned to Paris, feeling that this was where his future lay. He did not work, since employment would serve only to profit the occupying enemy. Saddened by the lack of poetic culture, Brassens spent most of his days in the library. It was then that he set a pattern of rising at five in the morning, and going to bed at sunset – a pattern he maintained the greater part of his life. He meticulously studied the great masters: Villon, Baudelaire, Verlaine and Hugo. His approach to poetry was almost scientific. Reading, for instance, a poem by Verlaine, he dissected it image by image, attentive to the slightest change in rhythm, analysing the rhymes and the way they alternated. He drew on this enormous literary culture as wrote his first collection of poems, Des coups d’épée dans l’eau, whose conclusion foreshadowed the anarchism of his future songs:

Le siècle ou nous vivons est un siècle pourri.

Tout n'est que lâcheté, bassesse,

Les plus grands assassins vont aux plus grandes messes

Et sont des plus grands rois les plus grands favoris.

Hommage de l'auteur à ceux qui l'ont compris,

Et merde aux autres.

(The century we live in is a rotten century.

Nothing but cowardice and baseness.

The greatest murderers attend the greatest masses

And are the greatest favourites of the greatest kings.

Homage from the author to those who understood it,

And shit for the others.)

Brassens also published A la venvole in 1942, thanks to the money of his family and friends, and with the surprising help of a woman named Jeanne Planche, a neighbour of Antoinette, probably the first Brassens fan. Brassens later commented on his early works: "In those times, I was only regurgitating what I had learned reading the poets. I hadn't transformed it into honey yet."

Exile[link]

In March 1943, Brassens was requisitioned for the STO (Service de Travail Obligatoire: Obligatory Work Service) and was taken to Basdorf, Germany. He found time to write, but he stooped to easiness. It was nevertheless in Germany that he wrote Bonhomme and Pauvre Martin, along with more than a hundred songs, that were later either burned or frequently altered before they reached their final form (Le Mauvais sujet repenti). He also wrote the beginning of his first novel, Lalie Kakamou. In Germany, he met some of his best friends like Pierre Onténiente, whom he nicknamed "Gibraltar", because he was "firm as a rock." Onténiente later became his right-hand man and his private secretary.

A year after he arrived in Basdorf, Brassens was granted a ten day furlough. It was obvious to him and his new friends that he wouldn't come back. In Paris, he had to find a hideout, but he knew very few people. He had indeed led quite a lonely life in Paris, seeing only a friend from Sète and the girls. Finally, Jeanne Planche came to his aid and offered to put him up as long as necessary. Jeanne lived with her husband Marcel in a hovel at 9 impasse Florimont, with no gas, water or electricity. Brassens accepted... and stayed there for twenty two years. He once said on the radio: "I was nice there, and I have gained since then quite an amazing sense of discomfort." According to Pierre Onténiente: "Jeanne had a crush on Georges and Marcel knew nothing, as he started to get drunk at eight in the morning."

Anarchist influences[link]

Once put up at Jeanne Planche's, Georges had to stay hidden for five months, waiting for the war to come to an end. He continued writing poems and songs. He composed using as his only instrument a small piece of furniture that he called "my drum" on which he beat out the rhythm. He resumed writing the novel he started in Basdorf, for only now did he consider a career as a famous novelist. The end of World War II and the freedom suddenly regained didn't change his habits much, except that he got his library card back and resumed studying poetry.

The end of the war meant the homecoming of the friends form Basdorf, with whom Brassens planned to create an anarchist-minded paper, Le Cri des gueux (The villains' cry), which never came into being for lack of money. At the same time, he set up the "Prehistoric Party" with Emile Miramont (a friend from Sète nicknamed "Corne d'Auroch" –auroch's horn) and André Larue (whom he met in Basdorf), which advocated the return to a more modest way of life, but whose chief purpose was to ridicule the other political parties. After the failure of Le Cri des gueux, Brassens joined the Anarchist Federation and wrote some virulent, black humour tinged articles for Le Libertaire, the Federation's paper. But the extravagance of the future songwriter wasn’t to everybody’s taste, and he soon had to leave the Federation, albeit without resentment.

Brassens said in an interview: "I'm an anarchist, so much so that I always cross at the zebra crossing to avoid arguing with the police." He also said: "I'm not very fond of the law. As Léautaud would say, I could do without laws [...] I think most people couldn’t."

Career[link]

His friends who heard and liked his songs urged him to go and try them out in a cabaret, café or concert hall. He was shy and had difficulty performing in front of people. At first, he wanted to sell his songs to well-known singers such as "les frères Jacques". The owner of a cafe told him that his songs were not the type he was looking for. But at one point he met the singer Patachou in a very well-known cafe, Les Trois Baudets, and she brought him into the music scene. Several famous singers came into the music industry this way, including Jacques Brel and Léo Ferré. He later on made several appearances at the Paris Olympia under Bruno Coquatrix' management and at the Bobino music hall theater.

1964

He toured with Pierre Louki, who wrote a book of recollections entitled Avec Brassens (éditions Christian Pirot, 1999, ISBN 2-86808-129-0). After 1952, Brassens rarely left France. A few trips to Belgium and Switzerland; a month in Canada (1961, recording issued on CD in 2011) and another in North Africa were his only trips outside France – except for his concerts in Wales in 1970 and 1973 (Cardiff).^[1]

Songs[link]

Brassens rarely performed abroad. His lyrics are difficult to translate, though attempts have been made.^[2] He accompanied himself on acoustic guitar. Most of the time the only other accompaniment came from his friend Pierre Nicolas with a double bass, and sometimes a second guitar (Barthélémy Rosso, Joël Favreau).

His songs often decry hypocrisy and self-righteousness in the conservative French society of the time, especially among the religious, the well-to-do, and those in law enforcement. The criticism is often indirect, focusing on the good deeds or innocence of others in contrast. His elegant use of florid language and dark humor, along with bouncy rhythms, often give a rather jocular feel to even the grimmest lyrics.

Some of his most famous songs include:

• Les copains d'abord, about a boat of that name, and friendship, written for a movie Les copains (1964) directed by Yves Robert; (translated and covered by Asleep At The Wheel as "Friendship First" and by a Polish cover band Zespół Reprezentacyjny as "Kumple to grunt" and included on their 2007 eponymously titled CD).
• Chanson pour l'Auvergnat, lauding those who take care of the downtrodden against the pettiness of the bourgeois and the harshness of law enforcement.
• La Cane de Jeanne for Marcel and Jeanne Planche, who befriended and sheltered him and others.
• La mauvaise réputation – "the bad reputation" – a semi-autobiographical tune with its catchy lyric: "Mais les braves gens n'aiment pas que l'on suive une autre route qu'eux" (But the good folks don't like it if you take a different road than they do.)
• Les amoureux des bancs publics – about young lovers who kiss each other publicly and shock self-righteous people.
• Le gorille – tells, in a humorous fashion, of a gorilla with a large penis (and admired for this by ladies) who escapes his cage. Mistaking a robed judge for a woman, the beast forcefully sodomizes him. The song contrasts the wooden attitude that the judge had exhibited when sentencing a man to death by the guillotine with his cries for mercy when being assaulted by the gorilla. This song, considered pornographic, was banned for a while. The song's refrain (Gare au gori – i – i – i – ille, "beware the gorilla") is widely known; it was translated into English by Jake Thackray as Brother Gorilla, by Greek singer-songwriter Christos Thivaios as Ο Γορίλλας ("The Gorilla"), by Spanish songwriter Joaquín Carbonell as "El Gorila" ("The Gorilla"), by Italian songwriter Fabrizio De André as "Il Gorilla" ("The Gorilla" – FDA included this translation into his 1968 album "Volume III"), by a Polish cover band Zespół Reprezentacyjny as "Goryl" and by Israeli writer Dan Almagor as "הגורילה".
• Fernande – a 'virile antiphon' about the women lonely men think about to inspire self-gratification (or to nip it in the bud). Its infamous refrain (Quand je pense à Fernande, je bande, je bande..., `When I think about Fernande, I get hard') is still immediately recognized in France, and has essentially ended the use of several female first names.
• Supplique pour être enterré à la plage de Sète, a long song (7:18) describing, in a colourful, "live" and poetic way, his wish to be buried on a peculiar sandy beach in his hometown, "Plage de la Corniche".
• Mourir pour des idées, describing the recurring violence over ideas and an exhortation to be left in peace (translated into Italian by Italian singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André as "Morire per delle idee" and included in FDA's 1974 album "Canzoni" and by a Polish cover band Zespół Reprezentacyjny as "Śmierć za idee" and included on their 2007 CD "Kumple to grunt").

Brassens died of cancer in 1981, in Saint-Gély-du-Fesc, having suffered health problems for many years, and rests at the Cimetière le Py in Sète.

Legacy[link]

In recent years, more than 50 doctoral dissertations have been written about Georges Brassens. Many artists from Japan, Israel, Russia, the United States (where there is a Georges Brassens fan club), Italy and Spain have made cover versions of his songs. His songs have been translated into 20 languages, including Esperanto.

Many singers have covered Georges Brassens' lyrics in other languages, for instance Pierre de Gaillande, who translates Brassens' songs and performs them in English, Koshiji Fubuki in Japanese, Fabrizio De André (in Italian), Alberto Patrucco (in Italian), and Nanni Svampa (in Italian and Milanese), Graeme Allwright and Jake Thackray (in English), Sam Alpha (in creole), Yossi Banai (in Hebrew), Jiří Dědeček (in Czech), Mark Freidkin (in Russian), Loquillo, Paco Ibáñez, Javier Krahe, Joaquín Carbonell and Eduardo Peralta (in Spanish), Jacques Ivart (in esperanto), Franz Josef Degenhardt and Ralf Tauchmann (in German), Zespół Reprezentacyjny (they released 2 CDs of Brassens' songs in Polish) and Piotr Machalica (in Polish), Cornelis Vreeswijk (Swedish) and Tuula Amberla (in Finnish). Dieter Kaiser, a Belgian-German singer who performs in public concerts with the French-German professional guitarist Stéphane Bazire under the name Stéphane & Didier has translated into German language and gathered in a brochure 19 Brassens songs. He also translated among others the poem "Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux" of the French contemporary poet Louis Aragon. Franco-Cameroonian singer Kristo Numpuby also released a cover-album with the original French lyrics but adapted the songs to various African rhythms.