14th arrondissement of Paris
The 14th arrondissement of Paris ( ), officially named ''arrondissement de l'Observatoire'' (; meaning "arrondissement of the Observatory", after the Paris Observatory), is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. It is situa ...
– 8 June 1982, Paris) was a French pianist and composer.
Life
Wiener was trained at the
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...
, where he studied alongside
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...
, and worked with Erik Satie. He then embarked on a career as concert impresario, composer and pianist. He was the house pianist at the ''Gaya'' bar, and later at '' Le Boeuf sur le Toit''. In 1924, a chance encounter with
Clement Doucet
Clement or Clément may refer to:
People
* Clement (name), a given name and surname
* Saint Clement (disambiguation)#People
Places
* Clément, French Guiana, a town
* Clement, Missouri, U.S.
* Clement Township, Michigan, U.S.
Other uses
* ...
(who succeeded him at Le Boeuf) brought him into the world of popular music. Already a jazz enthusiast, Wiener found fame with Doucet in the music hall s of Europe as a piano duo,
Jean-Pierre Thiollet
Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist.
Primarily living in Paris, he is the author of numerous books and one of the national leaders of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CEDI), a ...
, ''88 notes pour piano solo'', « Solo de duo », Neva Editions, 2015, p.97. under the name ''"Wiener et Doucet"'' in which they performed classical music, hot dance and jazz. The two friends recorded many duos between 1925 and 1937. After the end of the war in 1945, Wiener devoted himself fully to composition, notably
film music
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...
(working on more than 300), as well as the opening theme music for ORTF's film history program " History speechless" (History without words).
He was of some significance in the promotion of new music, both by his friends in the
Les Six
"Les Six" () is a name given to a group of six composers, five of them French and one Swiss, who lived and worked in Montparnasse. The name, inspired by Mily Balakirev's '' The Five'', originates in two 1920 articles by critic Henri Collet in ' ...
(Milhaud, Poulenc, etc.), and by composers such as Schoenberg, Berg and Webern. His compositions involve the use of jazz informed by French wit and elegance.
His daughter, Elizabeth Wiener, is an actress, singer and singer-songwriter.
Jean Wiener published his memoirs in 1978 as ''Allegro Appassionato''.
Compositions
Concert and chamber works
Wiener composed a number of concertos which included a ''Concerto Franco-Americain'' notable for its influences of jazz, a concerto that he described as ''Concert Pour Orchestre Et Un Piano Principal'' (concerto for orchestra and a principal piano), and a concerto for accordion.
His chamber music includes a sonata for cello and piano. He set a selection of
Robert Desnos
Robert Desnos (; 4 July 1900 – 8 June 1945) was a French poet who played a key role in the Surrealist movement of his day.
Biography
Robert Desnos was born in Paris on 4 July 1900, the son of a licensed dealer in game and poultry at the '' H ...
' ''Chantefables'' for voice and piano.
Solo piano music
His music for solo piano includes
*Sonatine Syncopée (1921)
*Trois Mouvements De Musique Pour Le Piano (1980)
*Sonate N°1 (1925)
*2ème Sonatine (1928)
*Quatre petits pièces Radio (1947)
*Polka, Java and Tango (1957)
*Sonate Sans Nom (1973)
*Sonate "Démodée" (1974)
*Touchez Pas Au Grisbi
*Chicken Reel (Histoire Sans Parole)
*Pour Pierre Cornevin (1981)
*Trois moments de musique (1981)
Film scores
1920s
*La Femme de nulle part ''(1922)''
1930s
* '' Buridan's Donkey'' (1932)
* '' The Man with the Hispano'' (1933)
*Une Vie perdue ''(1933)''
*'' Knock'' ou le triomphe de la médecine ''(1933)''
*Le Paquebot Tenacity ''(1934)''
*Runaway Ladies ''(1934)''
*Les Affaires publiques ''(1934)''
*Le Voyage imprévu ''(1934)''
* L'Aventurier ''(1934)''
*''
Maria Chapdelaine
''Maria Chapdelaine'' is a romance novel written in 1913 by the Breton writer Louis Hémon, who was then residing in Quebec.Guy Laflèche. Polémiques'. Editions du Singulier; 1992. . p. 126 – 128. Aimed at young French and Quebecois people ...
Le Crime de Monsieur Lange
''The Crime of Monsieur Lange'' (; French: ''Le Crime de Monsieur Lange'') is a 1936 film directed by Jean Renoir about a publishing cooperative. Imbued with the spirit of the communist/socialist Popular Front, which would score a major political ...
'' ''(1936)''
*'' La Garçonne'' ''(1936)''
*Klokslag twaalf ''(1936)''
*'' Les Bas-fonds'' ''(1936)''
*Vive la vie ''(1937)''
*La Femme du bout du monde ''(1937)''
* '' The Man of the Hour'' (1937)
* '' Nuits de feu'' ''(1937)''
*De Man zonder hart ''(1937)''
*''
Le Dernier tournant
''The Last Turning'' (French: ''Le Dernier tournant'') is a 1939 French drama film directed by Pierre Chenal, written by Charles Spaak and Henri Torrès, based on the 1934 novel '' The Postman Always Rings Twice'' by James M. Cain.
Cast
* Fernan ...
'' ''(1939)''
1940s
* ''
Cristobal's Gold
''Cristobal's Gold'' (French: ''L'or du Cristobal'') is a 1940 French drama film directed by Jean Stelli and Jacques Becker and starring Charles Vanel, Conchita Montenegro and Albert Préjean. Jean Renoir helped the original director, Jacques ...
'' (1940)
*''L'Épouvantail'' (1943)
*''Les Passagers de la Grande Ourse'' (1943)
*''
Untel père et fils
''The Heart of a Nation'' (french: Untel père et fils) is a 1943 French drama film directed by Julien Duvivier who co-wrote screenplay with Marcel Achard and Charles Spaak. The film stars Raimu, Michèle Morgan and Louis Jouvet.
Plot
The fi ...
'' (1943)
* '' Strange Inheritance'' (1943, non-crédité)
*''Madame et le mort'' (1943)
*''Le Voleur de paratonnerres'' (1944)
* '' Father Goriot'' (1945)
* ''
Girl with Grey Eyes
''Girl with Green Eyes'' (French: ''La fille aux yeux gris'') is a 1945 French drama film directed by Jean Faurez and starring Fernand Ledoux, Paul Bernard and Claude Génia.
The film's sets were designed by the art director René Moulaert.
It ...
Panic
Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reactio ...
'' (1946)
*''Pour une nuit d'amour'' (1947)
*''Le Diable souffle'' (1947)
* '' Counter Investigation'' (1947)
*''Les Frères Bouquinquant'' (1948)
*''La Carcasse et le tord-cou'' (1948)
*''Le Point du Jour'' (1949)
*''
Rendez-vous de juillet
''Rendezvous in July'' (french: Rendez-vous de juillet) is a 1949 French comedy film directed and written by Jacques Becker. It was entered into the 1949 Cannes Film Festival. The film was selected for screening as part of the Cannes Classics sec ...
'' (1949)
* ''
The Perfume of the Lady in Black
''The Perfume of the Lady in Black'' ( it, Il profumo della signora in nero) is a 1974 giallo-horror film directed by Francesco Barilli. The film had nothing to do with the similarly-titled novel by Gaston Leroux.
Plot
Silvia ( Mimsy Farmer) is ...
'' (1949)
1950s
*Maître après Dieu ''(1951)''
*Ein Lächeln in Sturm ''(1951)''
*Sous le ciel de Paris ''(1951)''
*Les Poussières ''(1953)''
*Je suis un mouchard ''(1953)''
*Paris mon copain ''(1954)''
*Paris ''(1954)''
*Station 307 ''(1954)''
*''
Touchez pas au grisbi
''Touchez pas au grisbi'' (, French for "Don't touch the loot"), released as ''Honour Among Thieves'' in the United Kingdom and ''Grisbi'' in the United States, is a 1954 French-Italian crime film based on a novel by Albert Simonin. It was dire ...
'' (1954)
*La Rafle est pour ce soir ''(1954)''
*''
Futures vedettes
''School for Love'' (''Futures vedettes'') is a French drama film from 1955 directed by Marc Allégret, written by Marc Allégret and starring Brigitte Bardot and Jean Marais. The screenplay was based on a novel by Vicki Baum.Marc Allégret, ''(1955)'', composer and actor (playing a piano teacher)
*Le Rendez-vous des quais ''(1955)''
*'' Le Comte de Monte-Cristo'' ''(1954)''
*La Soupe à la grimace ''(1955)''
*Sur le banc ''(1955)''
*''
Deadlier Than the Male
''Deadlier Than the Male'' is a 1967 British adventure crime mystery film. It is one of the many take-offs of James Bond produced during the 1960s, but is based on an already established detective fiction hero, Bulldog Drummond.
Richard Johnso ...
'' ''(1956)''
*La Vie est belle ''(1956)''
*Les Lumières du soir ''(1956)''
*Notre-Dame – Cathédrale de Paris ''(1957)''
*'' Pot-Bouille'' ''(1957)''
* Le Septième ciel ''(1958)''
*''
Neither Seen Nor Recognized
''Ni vu, ni connu'' (literally "Neither seen, nor known"), also known by its English title ''Neither Seen, Nor Recognized'', is a French comedy film from 1958, directed by Yves Robert and starring Louis de Funès. The film is based on the novel ...
'' ''(1958)''
*''
Be Beautiful But Shut Up
''Be Beautiful But Shut Up'' (french: Sois belle et tais-toi) is a French black-and-white crime comedy film made in 1958, directed by Marc Allégret.
The film features Alain Delon and Jean Paul Belmondo in early roles as members of a gang.
It ...
'' ''(1958)''
*'' The Female'' ''(1959)''
*La Création du monde ''(1959)''
*''
An Angel on Wheels
''An Angel on Wheels'' is a 1959 French-West German romantic comedy film starring Romy Schneider, Henri Vidal and Jean-Paul Belmondo.
It was also known in France as ''Mademoiselle Ange'' and in Germany as ''Ein Engel auf Erden''.
It had admiss ...
'' ''(1959)''
*Arrêtez le massacre ''(1959)''
1960s
* '' The Nabob Affair'' (1960)
*La Revenante ''(1960)''
*Pantalaskas ''(1960)''
* Les Bras de la nuit ''(1961)''
*' (1961)''
*Quatre-vingt-treize ''(1962, TV)''
*Le Match ''(1964, TV)''
*'' Our Agent Tiger'' ''(1965)''
*Merlusse ''(1965, TV)''
*A la belle étoile ''(1966)''
*''
Au Hasard Balthazar
''Au Hasard Balthazar'' (; meaning "Balthazar, at Random"), also known as ''Balthazar'', is a 1966 French drama film directed by Robert Bresson. Believed to be inspired by a passage from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1868–69 novel ''The Idiot'', the film ...
'' ''(1966)''
*''
Mouchette
''Mouchette'' () is a 1967 French film directed by Robert Bresson, starring Nadine Nortier and Jean-Claude Guilbert. It is based on the novel of the same name by Georges Bernanos. Bresson explained his choice of the novel saying, "I found neithe ...
*Reportages sur un squelette ou Masques et bergamasques ''(1970, TV)''
*'' The Demise of Father Mouret'' ''(1970)''
*''
The Little Theatre of Jean Renoir
''The Little Theatre of Jean Renoir'' (french: Le Petit Théâtre de Jean Renoir) is a 1970 television film written and directed by Jean Renoir. The last completed work by Renoir, it consists of three short films: ''The Last Christmas Dinner'', ' ...
'' ''(1970, TV)''
*La Cavale ''(1971)''
* Les Gens de Mogador ''(1972, TV)''
*Féminin-féminin ''(1973)''
*Les Roses de Manara ''(1976, TV)''
*''
Duelle
''Duelle (Une )'' is a 1976 experimental fantasy drama directed by Jacques Rivette. The main title is a neologistic feminine form for the noun "duel." The director-assigned English title is ''Twhylight'', a combination of "twilight" and "why". The ...
'' ''(1976)''
*Inutile d'envoyer la photo ''(1977)''