This is the one and only Yvette Gilbert (1865-1944) singing Madame Arthur as only she can. Yvette Guilbert was a French cabaret singer and actress of the Belle Époque and her raunchy, audacious style fascinated audiences. Madame Arthur is one of her signature pieces written by her and Paul de Kock. This recording is from 1934. Listen to her beautifully sung speech! In France she was called a "diseuse", a "sayer" for the way she sang and said the text. Her delivery is perfection! Be sure to watch the interesting footage at the end of the video, where you will see as well as hear Yvette Guilbert speaking at a meeting and then sing part of a song she made popular. We get a real sense here of the force of her personality and her ability to command and direct all in her presence.
Each verse discusses some aspect of Madame Arthur's extraordinary personality, followed by a chorus:
Madame Arthur est une femme
Qui fit parler, parler, parler, parler d'elle longtemps,
Sans journaux, sans rien, sans réclame
Elle eut une foule d'amants,
Chacun voulait être aimé d'elle,
Chacun la courtisait, pourquoi ?
C'est que sans être vraiment belle,
Elle avait un je ne sais quoi !
Madame Arthur is a such woman
Whom others talk, and talk, and talk about her forever,
Without newspapers, without anything, without calling
She has a crowd of lovers,
Everyone wants to be loved by her,
Everyone courts her, why?
It’s that without being really beautiful,
She has that “ je ne sais quoi!” / “I don’t know what!”
Cabaret is something that has always fascinated me. I think it's important to acknowledge the importance and artistry within this type of music, because I feel that classical music lovers often diminish other non-classical genres. I could absolutely hear Gilbert's personality and character through the recording and that level of clear artistry is inspiring. Additionally, I think she sounds absolutely amazing in this recording considering she's 69!
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the date that she was almost 70 at the time of this recording, I now know that I want to be as vivacious as her when I am that age. Not only that, but the interpretation that goes into these kind of songs is the most accurate representation of words in song. When I think about the research I have done on both Debussy and Ravel's declamatory styles, it was really this same accurate representation of text that they were after. The only difference is the role of the piano/orchestration on some of their bigger works. All worlds of song, especially at that time, were a little bit closer together than history sometimes makes them out to be.
ReplyDeleteGuilbert must be an interesting and charming person! Her delivery is so fascinating and cute, and has distinguishing characteristics! The accompaniment material is not as abundant as what Faure and Debussy have in their music, but Guilber's vocal interpretation is full of expressive and artistic appeal, sounds very modern.
ReplyDeleteI got some serious Madeline Kahn vibes from this (or maybe Kahn has some serious Guilbert vibes?), and I love it! Cabaret music has always been very fun to me, but I'll admit that growing up in a sheltered household, cabaret wasn't really allowed, so the majority of my exposure has been in the last five years or so. I like the name "diseuse" for singers like Guilbert, it's very unique and clever. It stresses the importance of the language and flow of the language while speaking translating into music and singing.
ReplyDeleteWow! It's amazing how she never loses the location of either pitch or rhythm, no matter how far away she seems to stray from both. She's so expressive, too. And clear. I don't think I've ever heard French spoken (or sung) with such clarity. If I was taking French again, I think I might be able to actually pick up on what she was saying. The rolled "r" is really interesting in this era. I'm not sure I can quite pull it off. It's beautiful.
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