Edith Piaf

Edith Piaf (born Edith Giovanna Gassion the December 19th 1915 with Paris, dead the Fatty October 10th 1963 with ), called “the Kid Sparrow”, was a French Chanteuse of Music-hall and varieties. One owes him of very many successes of the French-speaking repertory like the Bed of roses , Non, I do not regret nothing , Hymne with the love , My legionary or Milord . Personality except standard, it will inspire by many type-setters, will be the mentor many young people artists and will know an international repute, in spite of serious health issues. Edith Piaf was also actress with the Théâtre and the Cinéma.

Biography

Childhood

Edith is born the December 19th 1915 with Paris, with 72 rue de Belleville, in the 20 {{E}} district. Child of the spectacle, born in misery, it is the girl of Louis Alphonse Gassion, artist of circus Contorsion nist (born with Castillon in the Calvados in Normandy the May 10th 1881) and of Annetta Maillard (1895 - 1945), Chanteuse of street of origin italo - kabyle.

His/her mother, too miserable to raise it, entrusts it very small to her maternal grandmother, Aïcha Saïd Ben Mohammed (1876 - 1930), originating in Kabylie. His/her grandmother, who only thinks of drinking, does not occupy herself any, leaving the little girl in dirtiness, being unaware of water and hygiene. Its feeding-bottles are done with the red heavy wine. Covered with eczema, of an alarming thinness, it remains 18 months squatted in this slum before his/her father, of return of the face in permission, does not entrust it to his paternal grandmother, sponsors of a closed Maison with Bernay in Normandy. Edith is cherished by the prostitutes of the house, eating for the first time at her hunger, wearing nice dresses and drinking the good milk of Normandy. Towards the age of 7 or 8 years, it temporarily loses the sight because of a Kératite. The grandmother, having learned the cure from a gamine reached same disease after one had requested for it on the tomb of Therese Martin with Lisieux, decides to go with her “daughters” to request the cure of small from it. One travels by the train, one requests on the tomb of Therese, one brings back ground that one applies to him in stringcourse to the eyes every evening. After approximately eight days, Edith is cured! She will preserve all her life a devotion particular for “the small” Therese, of which she will keep the medal around the neck her life during.

At the end of the war, his/her father is demobilized and takes it again with him, to live the life of small artist Cirque S itinerants, then the life of artist of street independent and miserable. It is, with the image of his/her mother, by singing popular airs in the street with his/her father that Edith reveals her talent and her voice of exception.

In February 1933, old of only 17 years, it has a girl, Marcelle, of her lover of the time, Louis Dupont. The child will die of a Méningite striking down two years later.

Singer of cabaret

In 1935, it is discovered in the street by Louis Leplée, managing cabaret Gerny' S located on the Fields-Élysées. At that time, Piaf fredonnait mainly songs of the repertory of Fréhel. Leplée chooses to him like name of artist “the Kid Sparrow” who, in slang, means “small bird”. And it is success. Its talent and its voice except standards are noticed inter alia by the type-setter Raymond ESA and by its future, and faithful, large friend Marguerite Monnot, type-setter and pianist virtuoso who will accompany it throughout his career and will compose for it the musics of My legionary , Hymne with the love , Milord and Amants one day old .

In 1936, it records its first disc, the Kids of the bell , at Polydor and is an immediate media success. But in April, one finds Leplée assassinated in his Parisian residence. One discovers that it belonged to the mediums of the Banditisme of Pigalle, which precipitates Edith in the scandal and the media destruction, returning it from where she came: the street and small cabarets of misery. It renews contact with Raymond ESA (author of My legionary and the Fanion of the Legion , created by Marie Dubas in 1935 and that Piaf takes again beginning 1937), which becomes its pygmalion and its lover. It takes it in hand and the “coache” to make of it a professional singer of Music-hall.

High-speed motorboat of variety

In March 1937, Edith begins her career from Music-hall to the ABC with Paris, where it becomes immediately an immense high-speed motorboat of the French song, liked of the public and diffused with the radio.

Star of the end of the year 1930, Piaf triumphs with Bobino like with the Théâtre in 1940 in Beautiful Indifferent the , a part especially written for it by Jean Cocteau and that it successfully interprets in company of her companion of the moment, the actor Paul Meurisse. Always with Paul like partner, she plays in the film the Montmartre-on-Seine of Georges Lacombe (1941). It is during the turning of this Feature-length film that it becomes acquainted with Henri Contet, which will become, following the example Marguerite Monnot, one of its fetishes authors.

During the occupation German, Edith, who definitively exchanged “the Kid Sparrow” against “Edith Piaf”, continuous to give concerts, but does not yield vis-a-vis the occupant Nazi: she interprets songs with double direction, evoking resistance under the features of a lover ( You are everywhere) and protects the Jewish artists threatened by the militia and German.

In spring 1944, it occurs with the Moulin-Rouge where the very young singer of variety Yves Montand passes in first part of his spectacle. It is the love at first sight and Edith Piaf, already famous and adulated, undertakes to initiate it with the strings of the trade and the life of artist. It will propel its career at that time by introducing to him important people in the entertainment world: Joseph Kosma, Henri Crolla, Spitz Gasté, Jean Guigo, Henri Contet, Louiguy, Marguerite Monnot, Philippe-Gerard, Bob Castela, Francis Lemarque…

It is also this year that the father of Edith dies. She will lose her mother the following year.

In 1945, written Sparrow, without the assistance of anyone, one of its first titles: the Bed of roses (which it will record only in 1946), its most famous song, from now on become traditional. She also plays Comédie-Française.

Yves Montand becomes in his turn a high-speed motorboat of the variety. He begins with the cinema at the sides from Sparrow in Star without light , then obtains his great first role in the Doors of the night of Marcel Carné. They leave in round until in 1946, the year when they separate.

It is in 1946 that the singer meets the Companions of the Song, with which it interprets the piece the Three bells , which makes a true tobacco. It leaves then with its protected to give concerts to the the United States during the year 1947.

International career

In 1948, whereas it is in triumphal round with New York, it saw the great history of love of its life with the Boxe ur French Marcel Cerdan, which becomes world champion of boxing of the average weights the September 21st 1948, then dies in an air crash the October 28th 1949 on the flight Paris - New York, whereas he came to join it. Destroyed by the suffering, Edith Piaf becomes accro with the strong amounts of Morphine. She will sing her great success, Hymne with the love and also My God , in her memory.

In 1951, the young song writer and performer Charles Aznavour becomes his “odd-job man”: secretary, driver and confidant. The July 29th 1952, it marries the French singer Jacques Pills, with for witness the actress Marlène Dietrich, then divorce in 1956.

In 1953, it starts a Detoxification therapy, then becomes an immense high-speed motorboat of Music-hall in the whole world and in particular to the the United States, where it makes a triumph in 1956 with the Carnegie Hall of New York, from which it becomes one accustomed.

She knows a history of love with Georges Moustaki, which she launches in the song and with which she has a serious car accident in 1958, which makes worsen its bad health condition and its dependence with the Morphine. She records the song Milord , of which he is the author, one of her greater successes.

In 1959, Edith crumbles on scene during a round in New York. It undergoes many surgical operations and returns to Paris in sorry state and without Moustaki, which left it on the way.

In 1961, at the request of Bruno Coquatrix, Edith Piaf gives to the Olympia of Paris, threatened of disappearance because of financial problems, a series in concerts among most memorable and moving by its career. It is in its theater of predilection that she interprets Non, I do not regret anything , a song which sticks to him with the skin and which Charles Dumont has just written for her. Edith saves Olympia, but has evil to be held upright and to move, and succeeds in singing only thanks to one important morphine perfusion.

In 1962, 47 years old, exhausted, sick and doped, it marries Théo Sarapo the October 9th, a young person and beautiful 26 years old singer and declares that it has sometimes the impression which he is in fact “a son who takes care his old sick mother”. Does they sing in duet With what that serve the love?

Beginning 1963, it records its last song: the Man of Berlin .

Disappearance

Edith Piaf dies the October 10th 1963 with 13:10 with Plascassier (a hamlet of Grasse in the the Alpes-Maritimes) at the 47 years age, used by excesses, the Morphine and the sufferings of a whole life. The transport of its skin towards Paris is organized clandestinely and in the illegality and its death the October 11th in Paris is announced officially, the same day as that of his/her friend Jean Cocteau. The legend wants that Cocteau (with which Edith maintained an assiduous correspondence then) died out by learning the news from its death.

Its funerals take place with the Cimetière of the Father-Lachaise, where an immense crowd of admirors came to pay a last homage to him. Her last husband, Théo Sarapo, died in an car accident in 1970, is buried with it.

Influence

Personality and voice of the French song out of the commun run, it remains one of the French singers most famous of the world and will have launched successfully the career of many singers, like Yves Montand, Charles Aznavour or Georges Moustaki. Its image is associated with its inseparable Petite black dress which made it easily identifiable.

August 1st

Discography

August 1st
  • 1935: Kids of the Bell , label Polydor first 78 turns recorded by Sparrow. Artistic director: Jacques Cannetti

Its great songs

Its songs

  • nonexhaustive alphabetical List of the songs interpreted by Edith Piaf:

Quotations

  • Mrs Edith Piaf has genius. She is inimitable. There there forever have of Edith Piaf, it will be never again. Jean Cocteau

  • The only word which can replace the word Paris it is the word Piaf. Marlène Dietrich

Homages

  • the Musée Edith Piaf is dedicated to him, street Crespin of Gast in the 11th district of Paris.
  • Its song Hymne with the love is at the base of the film All these fair promisess of Jean-Paul Civeyrac.
  • the 15th “Improvisation” of the French type-setter Francis Poulenc, was written for piano in 1960 (Editions Salabert S.A.) in “Homage to Edith Piaf” .

Catalog of films

With the theater

  • 1996 : Sparrow I love you , Musical comedy on its life put in scene by Jacques Darcy with Nathalie Cerda in the role of Edith Piaf, Circus of winter of Paris
  • 1997: Sparrow I love you , Musical comedy, taken again with Nathalie Lhermitte in the role of Edith Piaf, Theater Comedia then with the Theater of the Beautiful Marie Gymnasium
  • 2007: Sparrow I love you , Musical comedy, taken again with Marie Orlandi in the role of Edith Piaf, Olympia
  • 2007: Sparrow a bed of roses and black , Musical comedy on its life, put in scene by Rubia Matignon with Jacques Pessis, Aurélien Christmas and Nathalie Lhermitte in the role of Edith Piaf, Theater of the Beautiful Marie Gymnasium, Theater Déjazet and Theater Marigny. Currently in world tour
  • 2007: Sparrow I love you , Musical comedy on its life, put in scene by Jacques Darcy with Marie Orlandi in the role of Edith Piaf. 40 artists on scene, of the decorations and lights of Jacques Rouveyrollis, of the new songs with words of Claude Lemesle and musics of Charles Dumont. Recovery by Neptune Productions with the Variety, the Olympia Bruno-Coquatrix and in round in all the big rooms of France (with the Zeniths) and in European round

With the cinema

Genealogy

  • By cousinage
    • With the 13th degree with Maurice Knight, by a “Master-bourgeteur” (Tisserand of a kind of Cambric), named Jean-Baptiste Decreme and married to Lille in 1722
    • With the 15th degree with Marie Peurière, downward of Antoine Tauzin, brother of this Jean-Baptiste Tauzin
    • With the 19th degree with the skater Philippe Candeloro (by a Gassion ancestor, plowman in the Apple-brandy and married in 1650);
    • With the 14th degree, Therese de Lisieux (by Louis Bohard and its wife, named Marie Marie, modest married couple in 1672 with Athis-with-L' Flowering ash).

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