CABARET VILLE MAGAZINE. P77 Continued from P76

WHAT MAKES A SINGER " A CABARET CHANTEUSE"?

 

Photos from L to R: #1. A view of an old and traditional Cabaret “Salle” of La Belle Epoque (19^th century-early 20^th century). #2. The Lido Cabaret poster.

A female singer who sings “Ne me quittes pas” or “La vie en rose” does not categorically become a Cabaret singer! Sensually grabbing a microphone…wearing a long black satin gown…leaning against a pianist or a chair strategically positioned on stage or against a baby grand…personifying Edith Piaf or Marlene Dietrich…wearing a top hat…a hairdo a la Parisienne “Des Annees Folles”,  singing the songs of Weil, Jean Constantin, Sacha Guitry, Jean Cocteau, Barbara, George Brassens, Jacques Brel, Charles Dumont, Maurice Chevalier, Patachou, Danielle Darrieux, Cole Porter, Gershwin and Sondheim don’t create a cabaret, nor a cabaret singer. To learn about Bouzouki and to sail into the soul of its music and inner sensations, you don’t have to read about it in the Art Section of The New York Times or research its aspect at the Library of Congress. A simple, uneducated, regular peasant or islander in Greece knows more about Bouzouki than all the Ph.D.s in music and music history at Harvard, Princeton and Yale. If you want to feel and understand Bouzouki, just ask a Greek, a very ordinary national Greek who grew up in Greece, as simple as that. Ask a Greek Bouzoukist who spent all his life praying for Ayou Alexandrou (St. Alexander), drinking Ouzo and playing the Bouzouki in his house, in the narrow streets of Pyrrhea, La Placa, on the shores of Crete, or around a dusty corner of a Greek Taverna. This ordinary native Greek who grew up with Bouzouki, listened to Bouzouki all his/her life and danced the Sirtaki since he/she was 4 year old knows more about Bouzouki than you and me. By the time he/she was 10, he/she has already earned his/her Ph.D. in “Bouzouki Real Life Musiki”. Life taught  him/her what Bouzouki is. He/she was an inner part of it on a daily basis.  It is a part of his/her culture, heritage, history, national pride and traditions. French Cabaret Chanteuses feel the same way.

CABARET VILLE MAGAZINE. P78

AUTHENTICITY IN CABARET: HERITAGE AND INNER FEELINGS

BE AS AUTHENTIC AS POSSIBLE!

No matter how musically educated  and expert you are in musicology, you will never fully “feel” and  “understand” what “Takaseem Al Oud”  is, if you lived all your life in Manhattan, Monte Carlo, or in any Western city. Even if you have already earned a master degree in musicology. But, if you are from the Middle or Near East and even if you have never earned a degree in music or even a high school diploma, understanding “OUD” and its “Takaseem” would be a piece of cake for you! Simply, because to Middle and Near Easterners, the “OUD” is an integral part of their culture, tradition, folklore, amusement, social, professional and familial entertainment. Yes, you can learn how to play the mandolin by studying it in institutes of music in America,  Russia and very well developed countries, you can even earn a doctorate degree in mandolin culture and virtuosity but, you will never feel, understand and play as good as a Napolitano or a Caprese who lived all his life in Napoli or Capri and knew two things:  How to whistle at a beautiful girl in the street or pinch her and how to play the Mandolin. It goes with the territory! Consequently, a non French Cabaret Chanteuse MUST learn FRENCH CABARET REPERTOIRE from A FRENCH CABARET CHANTEUSE IN A FRENCH CABARET MILIEU.

WHERE IS THE PARISIAN ACCENT?

PLEASE, MADAME LEARN HOW TO PRONOUNCE "E" IN FRENCH.  "E" IS PRONOUNCED "EU", NOT EH!

In addition, the French born chanteuses have an inherited and privileged advantage: THE ACCENT! This is very true! Extremely true. The history of the French cabaret told us  alarming and entertaining stories about French singers who came to Paris to work as chanteuses in Parisian cabaret, and were rejected, simply because, they did NOT have a Parisian accent! One of them was the legendary Mistinguet who , years later, became the undisputed queen of the world of Parisian cabaret. Mistinguet had to learn how speak French with a Parisian accent. In other words, she had to learn French, the Parisian way! And that is ridiculous, mais c'est la vie! So, my advice to non French singers who aspire to sing in a French cabaret or simply sing the songs of Brel and Piaf IS to FIRST acquire a proper French accent. Not necessarily a Parisian accent, but at least a clean, typical French accent. It breaks my heart to hear some superstars and cabaret divas in America who still pronounce the French "E", EH. For God's sake, Madame, E in French is Eu, very sweet Eu, and NOT EH! or EY!

Photos from L to R: #1. The legendary French chanteuse, DAMIA. #2.Line Renaud,  first lady of the Parisian cabaret during the golden era of Maurice Chevalier and Charles Trenet.

If you are NOT a French-born  singer, and you want to sing in French, please observe the following:

1- Jacques Brel and Edith Piaf are NOT your only source of French cabaret material.  Please try to understand, Brel and Piaf were never considered cabaret singers in France! Explore other formidable and authentic French cabaret singers, like Mistinguet, Josephine Baker, Line Renaud, Patachou, Catherine Sauvage, Barbara, Zizi Jeanmaire,  etc.

2- Perfect your French accent. Bad pronunciation of intimate and romantic French words will kill your cabaret act.

3- Avoid cliche and over-exposed, over-used, over-consumed French cabaret songs, like "Les Feuilles Mortes", "La Vie en Rose"!

 

 

CABARET VILLE MAGAZINE. P79

BE AS AUTHENTIC AS POSSIBLE!

EXPAND YOUR REPERTOIRE

Photos from L to R: 1 & 2: Line Renaud. #3. Barbara, the divine. Their repertoires added wealth, imagination, intellectualism, beauty, feelings and poesy to the French cabaret music and music hall. Unfortunately, they remained completely obscure and unknown to the American cabaret female singers.

 

Photos from L to R: #1. Louis Aragon. #2 Jacques Prevert.

 

 

 

4- Learn "new" old songs of the golden era of Parisian cabaret. Songs like: "Tout fout l'camp", "La guinguette" by Damia.

5- Search and research, update and revive your repertoire. Get music sheets of Lucienne Boyer, Jean Constantin, Charles Dumont, Damia, Bourvil, Dalida, Gribouille, Aragon, Prevert, Sacha Guitry, Jean Cocteau, Yves Montand, etc...

6- Never wear boots and extremely high heels on stage. Many American singers and particularly New Yorkers tend to do that!

7- Always, wear a black dress, simple but classy and stylish.

8- Avoid slang and borrowed jokes, while performing on stage.

9- Don't ever tell the audience and new acquaintances that you have studied 5 years of French in school but you forgot all of it.

10- Always, and always and always, incorporate soft, slow and up beat French songs in your repertoire. For instance, if you like very much "L'Hymne a L'Amour", add songs like "Mon Manege a Moi C'est Toi", or "Paris Canaille", or "PADAM PADAM". And if you like the genre of "Ne Me quittes Pas", add songs like "La Foule", "D'Aventures en Aventures", "Elsa", "Les Deux Guitares", "La Boheme", etc...CONTINUES NEXT