Chanson réaliste
Chanson réaliste (French pronunciation: [ʃɑ̃sɔ̃ ʁealist], realist song) refers to a style of music performed in France primarily from the 1880s until the end of World War II.[1][2] Influenced by literary realism and the naturalist movements in literature and theatre, chanson réaliste dealt with the lives of Paris's poor and working-class.[3][4][5]
Chanson réaliste was a musical style that was mainly performed by women;[3][6] some of the more commonly known performers of the genre include Édith Piaf and Fréhel.
Origins and influences
Chanson réaliste grew out of the
Although chanson réaliste was a musical genre dominated by female vocalists, one of its earliest performers—and credited by some as "the creator" or "the father" of genre[6][8][9]—was cabaret singer and comedian Aristide Bruant. Bruant began a career at Le Chat Noir in 1885 and his vaudeville-inspired mix of song, satire and entertainment became very popular with the bourgeoisie slumming in the poorer Montmartre district.[4][9][10] His compositions were novel for the time because they included the everyday language and slang used by the commoners.[1]
Borrowing elements of the
In contrast to the picturesque
The performers
The chanson réaliste sentimentalised the plight of poor and dispossessed women, such as prostitutes, waitresses, failed singers in cheap bars, orphans, single mothers and the like. Some of the performers of the genre were also known to have lived the part—both Édith Piaf and Fréhel sang in the streets as children, were teenage mothers and lost their children very young—and many shortened their lives with
However, given the dramatic and melancholy aspects of chanson réaliste, the withered and diseased aspect of their appearance became an integral part of the show.[3] Piaf, for example, was known for her waif-like stage presence and became tightly identified with her role;[11] she was, however, critical of the style:[3]
I don't like realist songs...For me they're vulgar tunes with blokes wearing cloth caps and girls plying their trade on the streets. I hate that. I like flowers and simple love stories, health, joie de vivre and Paris.
— Édith Piaf
Another common theme of the chanson réaliste was
Other women known for performing in the chanson réaliste style include:
See also
- Chanson
- Belle Époque
- Realism in theatre
- Realism in the visual arts
References
- ^ ISBN 0-8195-6473-7.
- ISBN 2-296-00176-9. (French text)
- ^ ISBN 0-415-29905-5.
- ^ ISBN 0-415-25830-8
- ^ ISBN 0-520-07864-0
- ^ ISBN 0-520-24407-9
- ISBN 0-226-28735-1.
- ISBN 0-19-816458-0
- ^ ISBN 1-57113-281-3.
- ^ ISBN 1-86064-782-0.
- ISBN 0-7546-0849-2.