Aristide Bruant (; 6 May 1851 – 11 February 1925) was a French cabaret singer, comedian, and nightclub owner. He is best known as the man in the red scarf and black cape featured on certain famous posters by

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901) was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist and illustrator whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of Paris in th ...

. He has also been credited as the creator of the '' chanson réaliste'' musical genre.Conway, Kelly (2004). ''Chanteuse in the City: The Realist Singer in French Film''. University of California Press. p. 6. Moore Whiting, Steven (1999). ''Satie the Bohemian: From Cabaret to Concert Hall'', Oxford University Press. p. 20. Robb, David (2007). ''Protest Song in East and West Germany Since the 1960s'', Boydell & Brewer. p. 36. .

Biography

Born Louis Armand Aristide Bruand in the village of Courtenay, Loiret in France, Bruant left his home in 1866 at age fifteen, following his father's death, to find employment. Making his way to the

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

Quarter of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, he hung out in the working-class bistros, where he finally was given an opportunity to show his musical talents. Although

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. ...

by birth, he soon adopted the earthy language of his haunts, turning it into songs that told of the struggles of the poor. Bruant began performing at cafe-concerts and developed a singing and comedy act that led to his being signed to appear at the Le Chat Noir club. Dressed in a red shirt, black velvet jacket, high boots, and a long red scarf, and using the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Aristide Bruant, he soon became a star of Montmartre, and when

began showing up at the cabarets and clubs, Bruant became one of the artist's first friends. In 1885, Bruant opened his own Montmartre club, a place he called "Le Mirliton". Although he hired other acts, Bruant put on a singing performance of his own. As the master of ceremonies for the various acts, he used the comedy of the insult to poke fun at the club's upper-crust guests who were out "slumming" in Montmartre. His

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

-inspired mix of song, satire and entertainment developed into the musical genre called ''chanson réaliste'' (realist song).Schechter, Joel (2003). ''Popular Theatre: A Sourcebook'', Routledge. pp. 181-183. Wilson, Elizabeth (2003). ''Bohemians: The Glamorous Outcasts'', Tauris Parke Paperbacks. p 224. . Bruant died in Paris and was buried in Subligny's cemetery, near his birthplace in the departement of

Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.< ...

. Rue Bruant in Paris XIII arrondissement was named, not in Aristide's honor, but after the architect

Libéral Bruant Libéral Bruant (''ca'' 1635 – Paris, 22 November 1697), was a French architect best known as the designer of the Hôtel des Invalides, Paris, which is now dominated by the dome erected by Jules Hardouin Mansart, his collaborator in earlier ...

(1637-1697) whose church of the hospital Salpêtrière was built just north of the street.Hillariet, Jacques. "Dictionaire Historique des Rues de Paris", Les Editions de Minuit, Paris, 1963, vol 1, p246.

Songs

Some of Bruant's better known songs include: * Nini Peau d'Chien * A la Bastille *

A la Villette A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

* Meunier tu es cocu * A Batignolles * Serrez Vos Rangs *

A la Roquette A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

La chanson des Michetons LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

A Poissy A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

A la Place Maubert A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

* Les petits joyeux * Belleville-Menilmontant *

La Greviste LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

* Le Chat Noir *

Les Mômes de la Cloche "Les Mômes de la cloche" is a song which became the first studio recording made by Édith Piaf. It was written by Vincent Scotto (music) and André Decaye (lyrics). History Édith Piaf recorded the song "Les Mômes de la cloche" on 18 December ...

Popular culture

*On ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'',

Tom Baker Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1974 to 1981.Scott, Danny. (1 ...

's trademark look as the Fourth Doctor was created by costume designer James Acheson, has said that he was trying to create a "bohemian" look for the character, and claimed he was unconsciously influenced by Lautrec's paintings of Bruant. *On ''

Yakuza 3 is the third main entry in the '' Yakuza series'', released for the PlayStation 3 in 2009. It was developed by Sega's CS1 Team and published by Sega. It was released in Japan and South East Asia on February 26, 2009, and in North America and ...

'', Tokyo Kamurocho's Bantam Irish pub is decorated with Toulouse-Lautrec's paintings of Bruant. *In the poem 'Your Paris' ( Birthday Letters), Ted Hughes mentions that Sylvia Plath "Called imAristide Bruant".

References

External links

*
''Toulouse-Lautrec in the Metropolitan Museum of Art''
a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on Aristide Bruant {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruant 1851 births 1925 deaths 19th-century French male singers French comedians Nightclub owners People of Montmartre People from Loiret