Anne Sylvestre
Anne Sylvestre | |
|---|---|
 Sylvestre (1965) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Anne-Marie Beugras |
| Born | 20 June 1934 Lyon, France |
| Died | 30 November 2020 (aged 86) Paris, France |
| Genres | Chanson |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1957–2020 |
| Labels |
|
| Website | annesylvestre |
Anne Sylvestre (French: [an silvɛstʁ], born Anne-Marie Beugras; 20 June 1934 – 30 November 2020) was a French singer-songwriter.
Biography
[edit]Anne Sylvestre was born in Lyon on 20 June 1934.[1] She was the daughter of Albert Beugras and the sister of writer Marie Chaix.[2] Her father was a politician turned collaborationist during the Occupation of France.[3] Marie Chaix wrote a book about their father's role during the Occupation, Les Lauriers du lac de Constance (1974).[4]
While studying literature at the Sorbonne in the fifties, Sylvestre started singing in cabarets and was discovered by Michel Valette.[5] Jean-Claude Pascal recorded her song "Porteuse d'eau" (Waterbearer) under the title "La terre" (The Dirt, 1958).[6] She started recording in 1959, and Georges Brassens wrote a preface for her second album (1962).[7] Since 1962, she also wrote and sang for children (Fabulettes). She wrote a song for Serge Reggiani, "La Maumariée" (The Wrongly-Wed Bride, 1968).[8] She recorded a comical duet with Boby Lapointe, "Depuis l'temps que j'l'attends mon prince charmant" (I've been waiting for my prince charming for ages, 1969).[9]
In 1973, she created her own recording company to release her albums.[5] In 1976, along with Isabelle Aubret, she recorded the album Fabulettes et Chansons d'Anne Sylvestre.[10] In 1987, she put on a show with Quebec singer Pauline Julien (Gémeaux croisées, Crossed Gemini, 1987–1988).[11] With fellow singer Michèle Bernard, she put on a show aimed at children, Lala et le Cirque du vent (Lala and the Wind's Circus, 1992–1996).[3] She also sang on scene with Agnès Bihl in the show Carré de Dames (Four of Queens, 2012).[12]
Her songs encompass a large range of subjects. Her love songs are often in a nostalgic mode ("Le Pêcheur de perles", The Pearl Fisher, 1967; "La Chambre d'or", Golden Room, 1969). Some of her songs could not be broadcast because of their strong engagement, and others contain profanity, for instance "Les Gens qui doutent" (Doubting People, 1977).[5] Some songs deal with difficult subjects such as poverty ("Porteuse d'eau", Waterbearer, 1961), homelessness ("Pas difficile", Not difficult, 1986), education in a consumer society ("Abel Caïn, mon fils", Abel Cain, my son, 1971), war ("Berceuse de Bagdad", Lullaby from Baghdad, 2003). Numerous songs give a feminist take on women's life: "Non, tu n'as pas de nom" (You have no name, 1973) about abortion,[5] "La Vache engagée" (Engaged Cow, 1975), "Une sorcière comme les autres" (A Witch like any other one, 1975) about maternity,[5] "La Faute à Ève" (Eve's Fault, 1978) about women's rights, "Rose" (1981) about teen pregnancy, or "Juste une femme" (Only a woman, 2013) about sexism.[13] She also supported same-sex marriage ("Gay marions-nous", 2007).[14]
Discography
[edit]| Year | Album | Peak positions | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR [15] | |||
| 1961 | Anne Sylvestre chante… | ||
| 1962 | La femme du vent | ||
| 1963 | Vous aviez, ma belle | ||
| 1964 | T'en souviens-tu la Seine | ||
| 1965 | Lazare et Cécile | ||
| 1967 | Berceuse pour moi | ||
| 1968 | Mousse | ||
| 1969 | Aveu | ||
| 1969 | Fabulettes | ||
| 1971 | Abel, Caïn, mon fils | ||
| 1973 | Les pierres dans mon jardin | ||
| 1975 | Une sorcière comme les autres | ||
| 1975 | L'école | ||
| 1976 | Les Nouvelles Fabulettes | ||
| 1977 | Comment je m'appelle | ||
| 1977 | Chansons pour… | ||
| 1978 | J'ai de bonnes nouvelles | ||
| 1979 | La rue, l'école, le square | ||
| 1981 | Dans la vie en vrai | ||
| 1985 | Écrire pour ne pas mourir | ||
| 1986 | Tant de choses à vous dire | ||
| 1989 | La ballade de Calamity Jane | ||
| 1994 | D'amour et de mots | ||
| 1997 | Chante... au bord de La Fontaine | ||
| 1998 | Les arbres verts | ||
| 2000 | Partage des eaux | ||
| 2003 | Les chemins du vent | ||
| 2007 | Bye mélanco | 81 | |
| 2013 | Juste une femme | 193 |
Awards
[edit]- 1963 : Grand Prix du disque de l'Académie Charles-Cros[16]
- 1965 : Grand Prix du disque de l'Académie Charles-Cros[17]
- 2009 : Grande médaille de la chanson française[18]
References
[edit]- ^ "Disparition. Anne Sylvestre, chanteuse féministe et pour les enfants née à Lyon, est morte". Le Progres (in French). 1 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- ^ Valérie Lehoux. "Marie Chaix et Anne Sylvestre, deux sœurs et un secret d'enfance". Télérama. 29 July 2008. Accessed on line 11 December 2015.
- ^ a b Daniel Pantchenko. Anne Sylvestre: Et elle chante encore?. Fayard. 2012.
- ^ See Véronique Montémont, "Retour sur l'histoire d'une collaboration". In Transmission/héritage dans l'écriture contemporaine de soi. Béatrice Jongy, Annette Keilhauer (ed.). Presses Université Blaise Pascal. 2009. P.211-223.
- ^ a b c d e Cécile Prévost-Thomas. "Anne Sylvestre, sorcière, comme les autres…". Travail, genre et sociétés. 2010/1. No 23. Accessed on line 11 December 2015.
- ^ Paris, Gérard (2004). Notes to Capitol CD 072435709542 6. Capitol. OCLC 659230043.
- ^ Anne Sylvestre Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. France Inter. Accessed on line 11 December 2015.
- ^ Notes to Polydor CD 5328941. Polydor. 2010. OCLC 762643880.
- ^ Duo Anne SYLVESTRE Boby LAPOINTE "Depuis l'temps que je l'attends". Institut national de l'audiovisuel. 25 December 1970. Accessed on line 12 December 2015.
- ^ Fabulettes Et Chansons D'Anne Sylvestre. Discogs.com. Accessed on line 18 December 2015.
- ^ Laurent Luneau and Mehdi Ahoudig. Anne Sylvestre. Témoignage de Pauline Julien. Je Chante Magazine. 18 December 1992. Published on line 10 January 2010. Accessed on line 18 December 2015.
- ^ "Carré de dames" Archived 22 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Anne Sylvestre official website. Accessed on line 18 December 2015.
- ^ Véronique Mortaigne. "Anne Sylvestre, chanteuse entêtée". Le Monde. 16 January 2014. accessed on line 11 December 2015.
- ^ François-Xavier Gomez. "Anne Sylvestre, forte en texte". Libération. 12 January 2014. Accessed on line 11 December 2015.
- ^ "Anne Sylvestre discography". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- ^ Anne Sylvestre N°1, Discogs.com. Accessed on line 11 December 2015.
- ^ Anne Sylvestre N°2, Discogs.com. Accessed on line 11 December 2015.
- ^ Anne Sylvestre, Académie française. Accessed on line 11 December 2015.
External links
[edit]- Anne Sylvestre discography at Discogs
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