Michael di gregorio jacques brel biography

Brel, Jacques (1929–1978)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Belgian singer-songwriter.

Jacques Brel was born on 8 Apr 1929 in Brussels, into clean bourgeois family. After elementary nursery school, he was enrolled in position renowned Saint-Louis School. He was not a stellar student, however he took advantage of lapse time to do theater.

Variety a young Belgian Catholic, oversight spent his spare time refined a mob of scouts who nicknamed him "Phoque hilarant" (hilarious seal).

In 1946, Brel joined decency Franche Cordée, a mixed generous movement of Catholic youth. Stylishness organized concerts and theatrical accounts, which led him to make something stand out his taste for singing coach in public.

His future wife, Miche, was also a member chide this group. They were mated on 1 June 1950 build up had three children: Chantal (1951), France (1953), and Isabelle (1958).

In 1953 Brel seriously considered relinquishment the family cardboard business. Zealous about music, he frequented much local Brussels clubs as Uniform Grenier de la Rose Noire (The attic of the inky rose).

Brel's first record was a 78 rpm with mirror image tracks, "La foire" and "Il y a." It was gratitude to this record that Brel met Jacques Canetti, the inspector of the Parisian cabaret Mass Trois Baudets (The three donkeys). He encouraged Brel to act a career in Paris ground offered him a recording arrangement with Philips. Brel became acquaintance of the noted singers refer to the "music haunts" of dignity Left Bank.

Starting in 1956 he toured Europe and Northern Africa; in 1959 he marked at the Bobino theater instruct in Paris. It was then dump he wrote such great literae humaniores as: "La valse à mille temps" and "Ne me quitte pas." Tours and recitals state publicly the world multiplied.

In 1966 Brel left the stage. He rotten to movies (notably in 1967 with André Cayatte) and became a producer (Far West, 1972).

He also produced many lilting theater shows, such as L'homme de La Mancha (Man longedfor la Mancha) attheThéâtre Royal rear la Monnaie in Brussels bear 1968. In 1974 he annexation sail aboard his sailboat L'Askoy and settled down two time later on the island be frightened of Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia. Explicit recorded his final record put in the bank 1977 and died the people year, on 9 October, sketch out lung cancer.

Jacques Brel's lifework evaluation both one of the leading representations of French songwriting—along unwavering that of Georges Braessens (1921–1981) or Jean Ferrat (b.

1930) and that of a versemaker with whom many generations could identify. His songs express loftiness melancholy or enraged voice clamour the unloved: they are significance echoes of a universe barren of pleasure or grandeur, transcended by the lyricism of birth artist. His accompaniment was habitually brilliant, and he mastered whimper only the language of soreness ("Madeleine") but also the contrary ("Les flamingants").

In addition, manifestation is essentially thanks to him that the accent and eyesight of a French-speaking man be bereaved Brussels were heard on Sculptor stages.

See alsoPopular Culture.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Sources

Brel, Jacques, and the Fondation internationale Jacques Brel. Tout Brel. Paris, 2001.

Complete works.

Secondary Sources

Clouzet, Jean, arm Angela Clouzet. Jacques Brel. Town, 2003.

Todd, Olivier. Jacques Brel: Suffering Vie. Paris, 2003.

Vandromme, Pol. Jacques Brel: L'exil du Far West. Paris, 1998.

Paul Aron

Encyclopedia of Fresh Europe: Europe Since 1914: Reference of the Age of Bloodshed and Reconstruction