Les grandes chansons francaises (Classic Hits of French Song) (Remastered)

by Arkadia Chansons

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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$7.98 USD or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Les Grandes Chansons Francaises CD in a jewel case.

Savor the music and Greatest Hits of pre-war France, performed by its most celebrated stars on this digitally remastered Arkadia Chansons CD entitled Les Grandes Chansons Francaises. Culled from the 1930s & 40s, when songs were the essence of popular entertainment, this collection of 18 songs represents the high point in the history of La Chanson Francaise. pre-television and post-phonograph, these entertainers were superstars to whom the public turned en masse for diversion and delight.

Whether toasting or teasing, melancholy or mournful, these songs all share one special quality, apart from being French. That quality is harmony. Not so much musical harmony, which is by no means lacking here, but that special kind of harmony which is created when the pairing of lyrics and melody work as one.Edith Piaf arms crossed

There is a wide range of styles represented in this album. Mistinguett who, along with Maurice Chevalier, was perhaps the biggest musical star in pre-war France, performs a characteristically vibrant and playful interpretation of her trademark song, Mon homme. The Corsican balladeer, Tino Rossi, gives full expression to his exotic voice and wistful manner in a song about the lovely Marinella. Damia‘s La guinguette a ferme ses volets, bemoaning the closure of an open-air dance hall, is typically zestful. Maurice Chevalier’s performance of Y’a de la joie, a melody by Charles Trenet who also appears here, is incomparably debonair. The ethereal Trenet, the sparkling Josephine Baker, the earthy Berthe Sylva and on down the list, are all heard here at their best. Do not miss the young Edith Piaf belting out Le mauvais matelot, that is, The rotten sailor.

Having matured in the vaudeville atmosphere of revues and cafe-concerts, the chanson had moved into the music halls, where the artists in this collection held center stage. Their sounds brought together Jazz and Gypsy, Waltz and Swing, all infused with healthy doses of class and style. Listening to this Arkadia Chansons collection, entitled Les Grandes Chansons Francaises, may not be quite the same as spending a weekend in Paris, but it is at the very least an inexpensive alternative. Hearing these songs, one is transported overseas and backward in time.

Includes unlimited streaming of Les grandes chansons francaises (Classic Hits of French Song) (Remastered) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ... more

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Purchasable with gift card

$11.98 USD or more

	1.	Mistinguett - Mon homme 03:08
	2.	Jean Sablon - Vous qui passez sans me voir 03:06
	3.	Rina Ketty - J’attendrai 03:00
	4.	Les roses blanches 03:28
	5.	Le temps des cerises 03:19
	6.	Le mauvais matelot 03:42
	7.	La chapelle au clair de lune 03:12
	8.	Marinella 03:10
	9.	La guinguette a ferme ses volets 03:00
	10.	Y’a d’la joie 02:48
	11.	Nuages 03:16
	12.	Couches dans le foin 03:17
	13.	Mon legionnaire 04:31
	14.	Parlez-moi d’amour 02:58
	15.	Avoir un bon copain 02:34
	16.	Le chaland qui passe 03:18
	17.	J’ai deux amours 03:12
	18.	Tout va tres bien, madame la marquise 03:19

about

Savor the music and Greatest Hits of pre-war France, performed by its most celebrated stars on this digitally remastered Arkadia Chansons CD entitled Les Grandes Chansons Francaises. Culled from the 1930s & 40s, when songs were the essence of popular entertainment, this collection of 18 songs represents the high point in the history of La Chanson Francaise. pre-television and post-phonograph, these entertainers were superstars to whom the public turned en masse for diversion and delight.

Whether toasting or teasing, melancholy or mournful, these songs all share one special quality, apart from being French. That quality is harmony. Not so much musical harmony, which is by no means lacking here, but that special kind of harmony which is created when the pairing of lyrics and melody work as one.Edith Piaf arms crossed

There is a wide range of styles represented in this album. Mistinguett who, along with Maurice Chevalier, was perhaps the biggest musical star in pre-war France, performs a characteristically vibrant and playful interpretation of her trademark song, Mon homme. The Corsican balladeer, Tino Rossi, gives full expression to his exotic voice and wistful manner in a song about the lovely Marinella. Damia‘s La guinguette a ferme ses volets, bemoaning the closure of an open-air dance hall, is typically zestful. Maurice Chevalier’s performance of Y’a de la joie, a melody by Charles Trenet who also appears here, is incomparably debonair. The ethereal Trenet, the sparkling Josephine Baker, the earthy Berthe Sylva and on down the list, are all heard here at their best. Do not miss the young Edith Piaf belting out Le mauvais matelot, that is, The rotten sailor.

Having matured in the vaudeville atmosphere of revues and cafe-concerts, the chanson had moved into the music halls, where the artists in this collection held center stage. Their sounds brought together Jazz and Gypsy, Waltz and Swing, all infused with healthy doses of class and style. Listening to this Arkadia Chansons collection, entitled Les Grandes Chansons Francaises, may not be quite the same as spending a weekend in Paris, but it is at the very least an inexpensive alternative. Hearing these songs, one is transported overseas and backward in time.

credits

released March 28, 2022

Vocals by Mistinguett, Jean Sablon, Rina Ketty,

Edith Piaf, Berthe Sylva, Marjane, Tino Rossi,

Maurice Chavelier, Damia, Lys Gauty, Lucienne Delyle,

Charles Trenet, Pills et Tabet, Marie Dubas,

Josephine Baker, Lucienne Boyer, Ray Ventura, Henri Garat

license

about

Arkadia Chansons Saugerties, New York

Arkadia Chansons is a label dedicated to keeping alive the artful and consummately entertaining music of France and Europe’s legendary entertainers. Hear the passion of Edith Piaf, the debonaire Maurice Chevalier, the charm of Josephine Baker and Charles Trenet, the sophisticated Marlene Dietrich, the romance of Carlos Gardel, and the flamboyant Mistinguett, as well as others of the era. ... more