Saint Preux
Encyclopedia
Saint-Preux is a French
composer of contemporary classical music
which also combines elements from popular music
and electronic music
.
. By 1968 he had already released several 45 rpm recordings of his compositions, including Une étrange musique (A Strange Music) which reached #71 on the French chart
s that year. In August 1969, he took part in Poland's Sopot International Song Festival
with his first major composition La valse de l'enfance (The Waltz of Youth). The song was Luxembourg
's entry in the festival and was sung by Henri Seroka
with Saint-Preux conducting the symphony orchestra. The song won the Grand Prix de la Presse award at the festival and was released in that same year on Seroka (Festival FX 1583) and as a single on the EMI/Odeon label. While in Poland he composed what was to become his biggest hit, Concerto pour une Voix (Concerto for One Voice).
When Saint-Preux returned to France, René Boyer, head of the music publishers Fantasia, took him under his wing and arranged to have Concerto pour une Voix recorded. Although originally written as a purely instrumental work for trumpet and strings, Saint-Preux heard the French singer, Danielle Licari
rehearsing in another studio and decided to record it with her voice taking the part of the trumpet using a vocalise
technique (similar to scat singing
in jazz
). The song, released on the Disc'AZ label in 1969, made both her career and his. In a few months it had sold over 3,000,000 copies in France alone, and gained recognition outside of France as well. In the week of August 22, 1970 it entered the charts in Mexico at #10 and Japan at #20, eventually winning a Gold disc and a Japanese "Oscar" for the best original music. In 1970 Dalida
recorded an adaptation of the song for Barclay Records
with lyrics specially written for it by Eddy Marnay
. Dalida's version is also known as "Chaque Nuit", the first line of the lyrics. Since that time Concerto pour une voix has been recorded by many other musicians, including Maxim Saury, Caravelli
, Aimable Pluchard, and Raymond Lefèvre
. An excerpt from the original Licari version appears in Wyclef Jean
's 1997 album The Carnival
, and the song was also performed in Andre Rieu
's 2007/2008 In Wonderland tour. In the Rieu show, Concerto pour une Voix was performed by a woman dressed as an angel singing from high above the orchestra.
In 1972 Saint-Preux was signed by CBS France, and by 1973 he was listed as one of the artists on its roster that had achieved "consistent chart success". During the 1970s he released several LP albums, including Concerto, containing the Concerto pour une Voix sung by Danielle Licari as well as several other tracks of instrumental music with the trumpeter Pierre Thibaud and flautist Michel Plockyn as soloists and Saint-Preux on the piano. The title song from his 1975 album Your Hair, inspired by Baudelaire's prose poem Un Hemisphere dans une chevelure and sung by French vocalist André Allet, reached #1 in the French charts.
Two of Saint-Preux's larger scale works were his Symphonie Pour La Pologne (Symphony for Poland), recorded in 1977 with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Les Cris de la liberté (The Cries of Liberty). Saint-Preux composed Les Cris de la liberté, an hour long hymn
to peace and human rights, to aid humantarian projects. It was first performed on July 14, 1989 at the Place de la Concorde
during the celebrations for the bicentennial of the French Revolution
. During this event Saint-Preux met Pope John Paul II
to whom he also dedicated the work. In 2005, Saint-Preux adapted Concerto pour une Voix for two singers. This latter version, Concerto pour deux Voix (Concerto for Two Voices), was recorded in 2005 by the composer's daughter Clémence
and Jean-Baptiste Maunier
who starred in the film, Les Choristes
. Clémence is also the soloist on Saint Preux's album Jeanne la Romantique (released in 2009).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
composer of contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
which also combines elements from popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
and electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
.
Biography
Saint-Preux grew up in the small village of Mervent en VendéeMervent
Mervent is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France....
. By 1968 he had already released several 45 rpm recordings of his compositions, including Une étrange musique (A Strange Music) which reached #71 on the French chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
s that year. In August 1969, he took part in Poland's Sopot International Song Festival
Sopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland. It was the biggest Polish music festival altogether with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe...
with his first major composition La valse de l'enfance (The Waltz of Youth). The song was Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
's entry in the festival and was sung by Henri Seroka
Henri Seroka
Henri Seroka is a Belgian singer and composer. Although he began his career as a singer, he is most known today for his compositions, especially film music, and for composing Belgium's official song for the 1984 Olympic Games.-Biography:...
with Saint-Preux conducting the symphony orchestra. The song won the Grand Prix de la Presse award at the festival and was released in that same year on Seroka (Festival FX 1583) and as a single on the EMI/Odeon label. While in Poland he composed what was to become his biggest hit, Concerto pour une Voix (Concerto for One Voice).
When Saint-Preux returned to France, René Boyer, head of the music publishers Fantasia, took him under his wing and arranged to have Concerto pour une Voix recorded. Although originally written as a purely instrumental work for trumpet and strings, Saint-Preux heard the French singer, Danielle Licari
Danielle Licari
Danielle Licari is a French singer who was active in the 1960s and 1970s. She's now remembered in France as a backing vocalist in chanson.- Career :...
rehearsing in another studio and decided to record it with her voice taking the part of the trumpet using a vocalise
Vocalise
A vocalise is a vocal exercise without words, which is sung on one or more vowel sounds.-In classical music:Vocalise dates back to the mid-18th century...
technique (similar to scat singing
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
). The song, released on the Disc'AZ label in 1969, made both her career and his. In a few months it had sold over 3,000,000 copies in France alone, and gained recognition outside of France as well. In the week of August 22, 1970 it entered the charts in Mexico at #10 and Japan at #20, eventually winning a Gold disc and a Japanese "Oscar" for the best original music. In 1970 Dalida
Dalida
Dalida , born with Italian name of Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti, was a world-famous singer and actress born in Egypt with Italian origins but naturalised French with the name Yolanda Gigliotti. She spent her early years in Egypt amongst the Italian Egyptian community, but she lived most of her adult...
recorded an adaptation of the song for Barclay Records
Barclay Records
Barclay Records is a French record label founded in the mid-1950s by Eddie Barclay under the alias, Edouard Ruault. Eddie Barclay also founded the Riviera label in the early-1950s....
with lyrics specially written for it by Eddy Marnay
Eddy Marnay
Eddy Marnay was a French songwriter. In his career, he wrote more than 100 songs, including works for Édith Piaf and Céline Dion. He also wrote the title song for Charlie Chaplin's 1957 film A King in New York....
. Dalida's version is also known as "Chaque Nuit", the first line of the lyrics. Since that time Concerto pour une voix has been recorded by many other musicians, including Maxim Saury, Caravelli
Caravelli
Caravelli, real name Claude Vasori is a French orchestra leader, composer and arranger of orchestral music.-Biography:...
, Aimable Pluchard, and Raymond Lefèvre
Raymond Lefèvre
Raymond Lefèvre was a French easy listening orchestra leader, arranger and composer.Born in Calais, France, Lefèvre is best known for his 1968 theme "Soul Coaxing ", which became an international hit...
. An excerpt from the original Licari version appears in Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
's 1997 album The Carnival
The Carnival
"The Carnival" is the debut album released by hip hop writer Wyclef Jean. Released on June 24, 1997, Jean also served as the album's executive producer. The album encompasses many musical genres, including hip hop, reggae, folk, disco, soul, Son Cubano and Haitian music...
, and the song was also performed in Andre Rieu
André Rieu
André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu is a Dutch violinist, conductor, and composer best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra.- Early life and studies :...
's 2007/2008 In Wonderland tour. In the Rieu show, Concerto pour une Voix was performed by a woman dressed as an angel singing from high above the orchestra.
In 1972 Saint-Preux was signed by CBS France, and by 1973 he was listed as one of the artists on its roster that had achieved "consistent chart success". During the 1970s he released several LP albums, including Concerto, containing the Concerto pour une Voix sung by Danielle Licari as well as several other tracks of instrumental music with the trumpeter Pierre Thibaud and flautist Michel Plockyn as soloists and Saint-Preux on the piano. The title song from his 1975 album Your Hair, inspired by Baudelaire's prose poem Un Hemisphere dans une chevelure and sung by French vocalist André Allet, reached #1 in the French charts.
Two of Saint-Preux's larger scale works were his Symphonie Pour La Pologne (Symphony for Poland), recorded in 1977 with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Les Cris de la liberté (The Cries of Liberty). Saint-Preux composed Les Cris de la liberté, an hour long hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
to peace and human rights, to aid humantarian projects. It was first performed on July 14, 1989 at the Place de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.- History :...
during the celebrations for the bicentennial of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. During this event Saint-Preux met Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
to whom he also dedicated the work. In 2005, Saint-Preux adapted Concerto pour une Voix for two singers. This latter version, Concerto pour deux Voix (Concerto for Two Voices), was recorded in 2005 by the composer's daughter Clémence
Clemence Saint-Preux
- Biography :The daughter of composer Saint Preux and a painter/author mother, Clémence, from a young age, grew up in an artistic world, therefore it was only natural that she would turn towards music and singing early in her life, also learning piano and guitar and taking lessons in dance and...
and Jean-Baptiste Maunier
Jean-Baptiste Maunier
Jean-Baptiste Maunier , nicknamed JB or Jean-Bapt, is a French actor and singer famous for his role in the 2004 French film, Les Choristes.- Early life :...
who starred in the film, Les Choristes
The Chorus (2004 film)
The Chorus is a 2004 French drama film directed by Christophe Barratier. Co-written by Barratier and Philippe Lopes-Curval, it is an adaptation of the 1945 film A Cage of Nightingales , which in turn was adapted by Noël-Noël and René Wheeler from a story by Wheeler and Georges Chaperot.Widely...
. Clémence is also the soloist on Saint Preux's album Jeanne la Romantique (released in 2009).
Discography
- Concerto pour une voix (1969)
- Le piano sous la mer (1972)
- La passion (1973)
- La fête triste (1974)
- Your hair & Missa Amoris (1975)
- Concerto pour piano (1975)
- Symphonie pour la Pologne (1977)
- To be or not (1980)
- Le piano d'Abigaïl (1983)
- Atlantis (1983)
- Phytandros (1991)
- The last opera (1994)
- Free Yourself (1999)
- Concerto pour deux voix (2005)
- Jeanne la Romantique (2007)
- Le désir (2009)