Jacques Brel

Jacques Romain Georges Brel , born the April 8th 1929 with the 138 Which occurred of Diamond to Schaerbeek (Brussels, Belgium), dead the October 9th 1978 with Bobigny (France), is an author and Belgian Chanteur French-speaking (and Dutch-speaking at the beginning of its career). It was also Acteur and Réalisateur of films.

Biography

Not very interested by the school, except by the French courses, he plays of the plays as an amateur within the Frank Cord, and his/her father inserts it in the family cardboard factory, work for which he does not have any taste. He thinks very seriously of a reconversion, either in the hen breeding, or in the song. He chooses this last way.

June 1st 1950, it marries Therese Michielsen, known as “Round loaf”. The December 6th 1951 is born his/her first daughter, Chantal, then France the July 12th 1953. Lastly, Isabelle in August 1958 for which Jacques Brel wrote the song éponyme.

Starting from 1952, it composes its first songs which it sings in family setting or at the time of various evenings in cabarets of Brussels. It shows already this lyric power (as well in the texts as in its interpretation) which rejects its family, which does not encourage it to continue.

He perseveres all the same and, in 1953, leaves one 78 turns. Then, it leaves the Belgian capital to only go to Paris called by Jacques Canetti, discoverer of talents, working at Philips and owner of the Cabaret the Three Donkeys . Its family then cuts the vivres to him and it is found under the roofs of the Stevens Hotel in Pigalle. To gain a little money, he teaches the guitar with the dancer-acrobat Francesco “Cocky” Frediani, an Italian artist appearing then with the poster of the cabaret " the Eve" News;. Besides this last, witness of the very first days, will accompany Brel at the time of its first passage to Olympia in “curtain raiser” - moment when the spectators enter the room and settle in their place. In spite of the work conditions (it did not have a cabin and was to change behind the Bar of Olympia…), Bruno Cocquatrix notices it and congratulates it on its service, inviting it to visit him to discuss a forthcoming passage. A new girl (France) is born: for Jacques Brel, they are the years of galère.

In 1955, it makes come his wife and her children. They settle with Montreuil. That will be the year of its first 33 turns. As he sings for Christian organizations, Georges Brassens calls it “the Brel abbot” (nicely, two men being friendly).

In 1956, it meets François Rauber, a pianist, who becomes his guide. In 1957, in a hurry to complete its musical studies with the academy, Rauber gives up the rounds through the country. It is then replaced by another student of the academy. It is the meeting with Gerard Jouannest, which will become its exclusive guide on scene, Rauber returning towards Brel once its diploma out of pocket to become the privileged orchestrator. The two musicians will remain faithful to Brel and its work, beyond even of its death.

Gradually, Brel finds its public, and meets success at the time of its spectacles. In 1957, it is the second 33 turns, which receives the Grand Prix of the Academy Charles Cros, and end 1958, it is success with the Olympia, in first part, he is head of poster with Bobino, end 1959. From there, the rounds are connected at infernal intervals, Brel making sometimes more concerts than days ago per year.

In 1966, it decides to give up the song. The May 16th 1967, it gives its last recital to Roubaix.

But there does not remain inactive for as much, during the summer 1967, he turns in its first feature-length film, the Risks of the trade of the realizer André Cayatte, it will be a success. Then it starts to travel by sailing ship.

In 1968, in Brussels, it creates the French-speaking version of the Man of Mancha at the sides of Dario Moreno. In December, the spectacle is presented to Paris with Robert Manuel in the role of Sancho Pancha.

At the beginning of the summer 1969, it interprets, in film of Edouard Molinaro, of which it also makes the music with François Rauber, the role of My uncle Benjamin at the coasts of Claude Jade, which is 20 years old at that time and which will tell: " My meeting with Jacques Brel takes place with Vézelay (...) it shows from the start of a great sympathy (...) It leaves long and tiring representations of the Man of Mancha which was a nice success and it kept for film the long hair of Don Quichotte (...) It is cordial, sympathetic nerve, open and attentive with the others and the merry and cordial atmosphere of turning owes him much. (...) Jacques is impassioned of aviation (...) at the aerodrome of Toussus-the-Noble, the last day (...) it was happy with the idea to fly away towards the Midi and spoke to us about this passion, the ciels, the landscapes, the voyages… "

It will turn then in a certain number of films, and one itself will carry out in 1971 of them, Franz (Barbara writing part of the music), then a second which leaves in 1973, Far West , which will be a failure. Its last role remains mythical: he camps depressive the François Pignon, the recurring character of Francis Veber, vis-a-vis the hired killer “Mr Milan”, alias Lino Ventura, in the Bloody nuisance , realized again by Edouard Molinaro.

He also meets success with the the United States of America and the the United Kingdom. Translations in English of its songs are popular and are recorded by David Bowie ( Amsterdam ), Scott Walker (Amsterdam, Mathilde), Marc Almond, the group Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie (Amsterdam), Terry Jacks and Alex Harvey. Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is an American musical comedy which is played around the world during several years. It includes/understands final rimantes translations, assembled by a friend of Jacques Brel, Mort Shuman in 1968. In 1974, the spectacle is adapted to the cinema (see the IMDb card).

In 1974, it gives up all and leaves by sailing ship (Askoy) with Madly Bamy which it met during the turning of the film the Adventure it is the adventure of Claude Lelouch. But it is already sick and is operated of a Cancer with the Poumon. It decides to be withdrawn with the Marquises. Private pilot since June 1965 (patent TT 16060) and owner of a Twin-Bonanza twin-engine registered F-ODBU, it made there the charter aircraft to repair the inhabitants.

In 1977, it returns to Paris to record its last album, probably one of more upsetting, under the difficult conditions that one can imagine. The song the Marchionesses , which closes the album, is completed on these words “Want you that I say to you/Gémir is not setting/With the Marchionesses”. For the latter, there was not that only one catch… It turns over to the Marquesas Islands after this recording, before in July 1978 its case does not worsen. It is repatriated in metropolis where it dies in October.

Jacques Brel rests with the cemetery of Atuona with Hiva Oa in the archipelago of the Marquesas Islands, beside Paul Gauguin.

In December 2005, it is elected with the row of larger Belgian of all times by the public of RTBF.

Discography

To assemble a complete discography of Jacques Brel is relatively complicated. Indeed its recordings were published in several countries, under various formats, and they are indexed under various titles.

The whole of its original albums was published the September 23rd 2003 in the box of 16 CD Boîte with Candies which includes the album Chansons or New Versions of Youth published for the first time with this box.

1953 : First individual recorded in Brussels: the Fair/There is
1954: First album: Jacques Brel and his songs
1957: When one has only the love , Heureux Forgiveness ,…
1958: I do not know , In spring ,…
1958: Disc for the magazine Marie-Claire including/understanding the Introduction to the Nativity and the Gospel according to Saint-Luc
1959: the Waltz at thousand times , does not leave me , I love you , Isabelle , Death,…
1961: Marieke , the Dying man ,…
1962: Olympia of October 1961
1963: the Over-devouts , the Old men , Fanette ,…
1964: Jef , the Candies , Mathilde , Amsterdam …
1964: Olympia 1964
1965 : These people-there , Fernand ,…
1967: 67 including/understanding My childhood , With jeun ,…
1968: Vesoul , the Lockkeeper ,…
1970: the Man of Mancha
1972: New recordings of old songs
1977: the Marchionesses
1988: the Integral
2003: integral Box 2003

Some famous songs

See also: List of the songs of Jacques Brel

When one does not have that the love
does not leave me
Amsterdam
the waltz at thousand times
Madeleine
the middle-class men
Vesoul
the song of the old lovers
Lowland
the monkeys
Rosa

Dutch songs

Inhabitant of Brussels, Brel said Flemish singer French language, but he sang also some of his songs in Dutch, whose majority were translated by Ernst van Altena:

Of apen (monkeys) (1961)
Men vergeet niets (nothing is forgotten) (1961)
Marieke (1961)
Laat me niet alleen (does not leave me) (1961)
Mijn vlakke Land (lowland) (1962)
Of burgerij (middle-class men) (1962)
Rosa (1962)
Of nuttelozen van of nacht (the lost ones of the small hour) (1962)

Catalog of films

1968 : Risks of the trade of Andre Cayatte
1968: the Band with Bonnot of Philippe Fourastié
1969: My uncle Benjamin of Edouard Molinaro
1970: Mount-Dragon of Jean Valère
1971: Assassins of the order of Flesh-colored Marcel
1971: Franz (realization)
1972: the adventure it is the adventure of Claude Lelouch
1972: the Bar of the fork of Alain Levent
1973: Far West (realization)
1973: the Bloody nuisance of Edouard Molinaro

Others

According to Jacques Brel, " the talent, it is to want to do something. "

He also declared, in various talks: " a man passes his life to compensate for its childhood ". " a man who is not afraid is not a man, important is to assume ". " people who are afraid are those which do not assume their fear ".

" I do not love animals people. The silly thing, it is idleness. The silly thing, it is a guy who saw and who says itself, that is enough for me. I live, I am well, that is enough. It is that which boot not the bottom every morning while being said, it is not enough, you do not know enough things, you do not see enough things. A species of grease around the heart and the brain ".

In the cartoon Astérix, Brel appears in the album Astérix among Belgians. When Astérix, Obélix and the chief of clan Abraracourcix go through “Lowland”, Abraracourcix makes a comment on the landscape. The Belgian chief answers: “In this lowland which is mine, we have only Oppidum S for single mountains”. It is a reference to the song Lowland in which Brel sings “With cathedrals for single mountains,…” . That does not appear in the translations of the album in foreign languages.
the group Starflam recorded a song under the name “This Lowland II. ”
In 1993, the singer Robert, impassioned of Brel, devotes the seventh beach of its album Sine to a resumption of the song of the old lovers . But, shifted personality obliges, the young woman takes again only some worms of the famous song: I sang of it just a sentence every evening when I lay. If I sing always only this sentence of it, it is in remembering these moments.

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