Tonic Jukebox History
WEEK 30 - A taste of France
A short hop across the channel to find some music with a French theme.
Monday October 5
ON THIS DAY in 2009 Tonic Choir was born.
Les Trois Cloches
The idea for this week came from a request by Linda (Tonic 3) who asked us to include this track.
Édith Piaf (1915-1963) was a French singer-songwriter, cabaret performer and film actress noted as France's national chanteuse and one of the country's most widely known international stars. (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89dith_Piaf
Les Trois Cloches (The Three Bells) is a Swiss song written in French by Jean Villard Gilles. Édith Piaf and Les Compagnons de la Chanson started their US tour in 1945/46 with this song, which was one of Piaf's greatest hits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVuKLxx-ETY
English lyrics (not a direct translation, but it gives you an idea of the song is about)
Tuesday October 6
Clair de lune (Debussy)
The third and most famous movement of Debussy’s Suite bergamasque is Clair de lune, which means "moonlight" in French.
Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (Wikipedia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZrm9h3JRGs
Wednesday October 7
WAVE 3 or should we say La troisième vague
Click here for WAVE (opens on a separate page)
Thursday October 8
Gymnopédie No.1
Erik Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was an influential artist in the late 19th and early 20th century Parisian avant-garde.
His work was a precursor to later artistic movements such as minimalism, repetitive music, and the Theatre of the Absurd. (Wikipedia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WfaotSK3mI
ClassicFM guide to the piece
https://www.classicfm.com/composers/satie/guides/gymnopedie-guide/
Friday October 9
You've Let Yourself Go (Tu T' Laisses Aller)
Today's performer is Charles Aznavour. He was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his distinctive voice: clear and ringing in its upper reaches, with gravelly and profound low notes. In a career as a composer, singer and songwriter, spanning over 70 years, he recorded more than 1,200 songs interpreted in 9 languages. Moreover, he wrote or co-wrote more than 1,000 songs for himself and others. (Wikipedia)
A family friend of ours, Marcel Stellman, was one of Aznavour's collaborators and wrote the English version of today's track amongst other songs. Marcel, who came to talk to Tonic 3 a few years ago, told me of his first visit to the Aznavour house. After lunch with the family, Aznavour took Marcel to his office. This necessitated climbing a ladder to a tree house. His instructions for the English versions of his songs were that they had to maintain the sense of the original whilst fitting into the same number of notes. This is not easy. Try with 'Sur la Pont d'Avignon' (6 syllables) which translates as 'On the bridge at Avignon' (7 syllables). After about a dozen songs, Marcel fancied a change and introduced his friend Herbert Kretzmer to Aznavour and another successful partnership was born which included the hit 'She'. Kretzmer also wrote the English words for Les Mis, amongst other work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv-MEy-6B0A
Weekend October 10/11
Charles-François Gounod, usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been Faust (1859). He composed a large amount of church music, many songs, and popular short pieces including his Ave Maria (an elaboration of a Bach piece), and Funeral March of a Marionette. (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Gounod
Le veau d’or (The calf of gold)
A song from Faust.
Mephistopheles sings about the calf of gold while his junior devils dance wildly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzCxoMbmZfA
Judex
Here is an extract from Gounod’s oratorio, Mors et Vita (Death and Life). It is a well-known piece called Judex (judge). After the majestic opening chords we are introduced to the main theme which is delightful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf_Pd736s90
ON THIS DAY in 2009 Tonic Choir was born.
Les Trois Cloches
The idea for this week came from a request by Linda (Tonic 3) who asked us to include this track.
Édith Piaf (1915-1963) was a French singer-songwriter, cabaret performer and film actress noted as France's national chanteuse and one of the country's most widely known international stars. (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89dith_Piaf
Les Trois Cloches (The Three Bells) is a Swiss song written in French by Jean Villard Gilles. Édith Piaf and Les Compagnons de la Chanson started their US tour in 1945/46 with this song, which was one of Piaf's greatest hits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVuKLxx-ETY
English lyrics (not a direct translation, but it gives you an idea of the song is about)
Tuesday October 6
Clair de lune (Debussy)
The third and most famous movement of Debussy’s Suite bergamasque is Clair de lune, which means "moonlight" in French.
Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (Wikipedia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZrm9h3JRGs
Wednesday October 7
WAVE 3 or should we say La troisième vague
Click here for WAVE (opens on a separate page)
Thursday October 8
Gymnopédie No.1
Erik Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was an influential artist in the late 19th and early 20th century Parisian avant-garde.
His work was a precursor to later artistic movements such as minimalism, repetitive music, and the Theatre of the Absurd. (Wikipedia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WfaotSK3mI
ClassicFM guide to the piece
https://www.classicfm.com/composers/satie/guides/gymnopedie-guide/
Friday October 9
You've Let Yourself Go (Tu T' Laisses Aller)
Today's performer is Charles Aznavour. He was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his distinctive voice: clear and ringing in its upper reaches, with gravelly and profound low notes. In a career as a composer, singer and songwriter, spanning over 70 years, he recorded more than 1,200 songs interpreted in 9 languages. Moreover, he wrote or co-wrote more than 1,000 songs for himself and others. (Wikipedia)
A family friend of ours, Marcel Stellman, was one of Aznavour's collaborators and wrote the English version of today's track amongst other songs. Marcel, who came to talk to Tonic 3 a few years ago, told me of his first visit to the Aznavour house. After lunch with the family, Aznavour took Marcel to his office. This necessitated climbing a ladder to a tree house. His instructions for the English versions of his songs were that they had to maintain the sense of the original whilst fitting into the same number of notes. This is not easy. Try with 'Sur la Pont d'Avignon' (6 syllables) which translates as 'On the bridge at Avignon' (7 syllables). After about a dozen songs, Marcel fancied a change and introduced his friend Herbert Kretzmer to Aznavour and another successful partnership was born which included the hit 'She'. Kretzmer also wrote the English words for Les Mis, amongst other work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv-MEy-6B0A
Weekend October 10/11
Charles-François Gounod, usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been Faust (1859). He composed a large amount of church music, many songs, and popular short pieces including his Ave Maria (an elaboration of a Bach piece), and Funeral March of a Marionette. (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Gounod
Le veau d’or (The calf of gold)
A song from Faust.
Mephistopheles sings about the calf of gold while his junior devils dance wildly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzCxoMbmZfA
Judex
Here is an extract from Gounod’s oratorio, Mors et Vita (Death and Life). It is a well-known piece called Judex (judge). After the majestic opening chords we are introduced to the main theme which is delightful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf_Pd736s90