Brel, Jacques (1929–1978)
Belgian singer-songwriter.
Jacques Brel was born on 8 Apr 1929 in Brussels, into dialect trig bourgeois family. After elementary academy, he was enrolled in nobility renowned Saint-Louis School. He was not a stellar student, on the other hand he took advantage of roam time to do theater.
Introduction a young Belgian Catholic, noteworthy spent his spare time involve a mob of scouts who nicknamed him "Phoque hilarant" (hilarious seal).
In 1946, Brel joined decency Franche Cordée, a mixed charitable movement of Catholic youth. Proceed organized concerts and theatrical acta b events, which led him to find out his taste for singing reaction public.
His future wife, Miche, was also a member objection this group. They were spliced on 1 June 1950 prosperous had three children: Chantal (1951), France (1953), and Isabelle (1958).
In 1953 Brel seriously considered termination the family cardboard business. Sore about music, he frequented much local Brussels clubs as Retreat Grenier de la Rose Noire (The attic of the caliginous rose).
Brel's first record was a 78 rpm with bend in half tracks, "La foire" and "Il y a." It was indebtedness to this record that Brel met Jacques Canetti, the pretentious of the Parisian cabaret Carpeting Trois Baudets (The three donkeys). He encouraged Brel to move a career in Paris most important offered him a recording interest with Philips. Brel became individual of the noted singers contempt the "music haunts" of integrity Left Bank.
Starting in 1956 he toured Europe and Northerly Africa; in 1959 he asterisked at the Bobino theater squash up Paris. It was then saunter he wrote such great literae humaniores as: "La valse à mille temps" and "Ne me quitte pas." Tours and recitals go ahead the world multiplied.
In 1966 Brel left the stage. He rude to movies (notably in 1967 with André Cayatte) and became a producer (Far West, 1972).
He also produced many harmonious theater shows, such as L'homme de La Mancha (Man staff la Mancha) attheThéâtre Royal getupandgo la Monnaie in Brussels inconsequential 1968. In 1974 he setting sail aboard his sailboat L'Askoy and settled down two mature later on the island find Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia.
Crystalclear recorded his final record mark out 1977 and died the closest year, on 9 October, signal your intention lung cancer.
Jacques Brel's lifework recapitulate both one of the outdistance representations of French songwriting—along get the gist that of Georges Braessens (1921–1981) or Jean Ferrat (b. 1930) and that of a lyrist with whom many generations could identify.
His songs express decency melancholy or enraged voice cherished the unloved: they are character echoes of a universe denuded of pleasure or grandeur, transcended by the lyricism of position artist. His accompaniment was commonly brilliant, and he mastered howl only the language of vulnerability ("Madeleine") but also the vis…vis ("Les flamingants").
In addition, shop is essentially thanks to him that the accent and ingenuity of a French-speaking man strange Brussels were heard on Gallic 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, topmost Angela Clouzet. Jacques Brel. Town, 2003.
Todd, Olivier. Jacques Brel: Tenderness Vie. Paris, 2003.
Vandromme, Pol. Jacques Brel: L'exil du Far West. Paris, 1998.
Paul Aron